Chairman, The Forensic Panel Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine

Michael Welner, M.D., a longtime Adjunct Professor of Law at Duquesne University, is known for numerous innovations that have influenced the practice of forensic psychiatry.

As Chairman of The Forensic Panel, he founded the first and only peer reviewed forensic expert consultation practice in the country. He has consulted for both prosecutors and defense counsel in a number of high-profile cases, including the death of heiress Doris Duke, the Wyoming homicide of Matthew Shepard and the mass murders at Xerox headquarters in Hawaii. While engaged in a number of cutting-edge research areas at the interface of the behavioral sciences and law, Welner's key research effort is the validation of The Depravity Scale, an instrument currently being developed to standardize the determination of evil crimes according to public consensus. The general public is invited to participate in this research, at www.depravityscale.org.

Dr. Welner also publisher and served as editor-in-chief of "The Forensic Panel Letter," an acclaimed "e-zine" that has emerged as the definitive and most visited resource for the analysis of federal and higher court decisions influenced by mental health issues now available as a free archived resource at echo.forensicpanel.com.

Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, Welner is a popular teacher and supervisor to all levels of trainees in psychiatric diagnosis, forensic psychiatry, psychopharmacology and treatment decision making. Honored by the American Psychiatric Association for excellence in medical education, he also hosts a highly regarded internship program for forensic psychology students from all over the world.

In his New York City-based private practice, Welner specializes in the treatment of violent patients and those who fail to respond to treatment. A Pittsburgh native, he has been consulted locally in the homicide trials of Ronald Taylor and Richard Baumhammers.

An Interview with Michael Welner, M.D.

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