Renee Binder

Renee Binder, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and the founder and director of UCSF's Psychiatry and the Law Program. She also holds a position at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Dr. Binder has served in significant leadership roles including interim Chair of the Department of Psychiatry from 2008-2011 and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Medicine since 2004. She previously served as President of the American Psychiatric Association from 2015-2016.

Dr. Binder's educational background includes:

• B.A. in Art History & Pre-Med Studies from Barnard College, New York
• M.D. in Medicine from University of California, San Francisco
• Internship and Psychiatric Residency at Mt. Zion Hospital, San Francisco
• Program for Chiefs of Clinical Services in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University School of Public Health (2010)
• United States Senate Congressional Health Policy Fellowship (2003)
• Stanford University Graduate School of Business Executive Education - Innovative Health Care Leader Program (2018)

Dr. Binder's research focuses primarily on forensic psychiatry, with special interests in violence and suicide risk assessment, the criminalization of the mentally ill, and the intersection of psychiatry and law. Her extensive publication record demonstrates her expertise in competency evaluations, mental health courts, risk assessment methodologies, and correctional psychiatry. Recent work addresses contemporary issues including emotional support animals, cyberstalking, opioid use disorder in correctional settings, and the impact of the pandemic on academic medicine. Her scholarly approach consistently bridges clinical psychiatry with legal frameworks and policy implications.

Dr. Binder has received several prestigious awards recognizing her contributions to the field:

• UCSF's Royer Award for excellence in academic psychiatry
• American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law's Seymour Pollack Award for distinguished contributions to forensic psychiatry
• Isaac Ray Award for outstanding contributions to forensic psychiatry and psychiatric aspects of jurisprudence

As Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Binder has been instrumental in developing faculty support initiatives, including innovative programs to address work-life balance challenges. Her leadership extends to national organizations, with her presidency of the American Psychiatric Association highlighting her influence in shaping psychiatric practice and policy. Her 2003 Congressional Health Policy Fellowship provided foundational experience for her ongoing contributions to mental health policy at multiple levels.

Through the Psychiatry and the Law Program she founded and directs, Dr. Binder has created a vital interdisciplinary hub focused on improving the interface between mental health services and legal systems. The program addresses critical issues affecting vulnerable populations at this intersection, including competency determinations, risk assessment, and appropriate treatment within correctional settings.