Forensic Psychiatry Milestone
Texas Tech Health El Paso Celebrates First Graduates of New Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship
Fellows Dr. Lizette Lara and Dr. Eryn Pynes will provide forensic psychiatry services in our Borderplex
The inaugural fellows of Texas Tech Health El Paso's new forensic psychiatry fellowship were recognized during a graduation ceremony on campus in June, highlighting a program aimed at addressing shortages in forensic psychiatric expertise in our community.
The first graduates of the Foster School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry’s fellowship program are Lizette Lara, M.D., and Eryn Pynes, M.D. The two physicians completed their psychiatry residencies at Texas Tech Health El Paso prior to entering the one-year fellowship, which offers advanced education in forensic psychiatry. Dr. Pynes was one of the first group of four residents to graduate from the Texas Tech Health El Paso / The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus Psychiatry Residency Program in 2025.
Forensic psychiatrists are medical doctors who apply their knowledge of mental health to legal questions and judicial proceedings. For example, a forensic psychiatrist may be asked to give an expert opinion to the court about how a defendant’s mental state affected their behavior.
“We do a lot of court-ordered evaluations,” said Texas Tech Health El Paso Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Patricia Ortiz, M.D., who leads the fellowship program. “One of the most common questions that we receive from the court is whether or not someone is competent to stand trial.”
A critical shortage
Texas is experiencing a critical shortage of psychiatrists overall, with demand for psychiatrists projected to exceed supply by 1,208 in 2030, according to a recent Texas Health and Human Services report. Fellowship-trained forensic psychiatrists are especially hard to come by, leading to major bottlenecks in evaluation and treatment of patients in the Texas judicial system.
West Texas “remains critically underserved in mental healthcare, especially in the forensic psychiatry area,” Dr. Ortiz said.
In response to the problem, Gov. Greg Abbott announced in March additional grant funding for forensic psychiatry fellowship programs at nine Texas medical schools, including Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine. Each institution will receive $555,555 in grant funding to support accredited forensic psychiatry fellowship programs.
Dr. Ortiz, who completed her forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical System, explained that the field includes both treatment and evaluation work. Some forensic psychiatrists provide treatment in correctional settings or for justice-involved individuals. Others conduct evaluations to help answer legal questions, often at the request of the court.
Ortiz noted that concerns about competency can be raised by multiple parties in the courtroom.
“That issue can be raised by anyone involved in the court hearings including the prosecution, the defense attorney or the judge,” she said.
Program delivers skilled providers for the Borderplex
The fellowship, which launched in fall 2025, completed its academic year at Texas Tech Health El Paso in spring 2026. Both Dr. Lara and Dr. Pynes said they will continue to practice their psychiatric specialty in El Paso.
For Dr. Lara, the fellowship builds on experiences she encountered as a general psychiatrist. Her background includes working with assisted outpatient treatment, and collaborating with judges and attorneys. Dr. Lara said the region’s shortage of forensic psychiatrists, combined with her personal connection to the Borderplex, inspired her to pursue the specialty.
“I’m from Juárez, I speak Spanish, and I’m planning on staying here,” Dr. Lara said. “So, I thought it would be good for me to get that extra training.”
Dr. Pynes said she was excited to be a part of the inaugural forensic psychiatry fellowship in her hometown.
“I’ve done all of my medical training here in El Paso,” Dr. Pynes said. “It’s really meaningful that I get to continue to work with this population that I grew up with, and that I can continue to give back to the city.”
She also said her experience in forensic settings revealed long delays for competency restoration services. That often meant legal proceedings would be put on hold for extended periods, with defendants remaining in jail or prison as they waited for an evaluation from a forensic psychiatrist.
“When you’re declared incompetent to stand trial, it means that the proceedings against you pause,” Dr. Pynes said. “We have this innocent-until-proven-guilty mindset, but these people are imprisoned without having been found guilty.”
Training tailored to the Borderplex and statewide collaboration
Dr. Ortiz said the program’s location and local partnerships make it one-of-a-kind place to train in the field.
“Being on the border adds a layer of uniqueness in terms of our population,” Dr. Ortiz said.
The fellowship also provides extensive correctional psychiatry experience that exceeds minimum training requirements. The program works closely with local partners including the county and the local mental health authority.
Regional investments in forensic mental health infrastructure are expected to help reduce wait times and improve care of individuals in the justice system, according to Dr. Ortiz. Those efforts include a planned expansion of forensic bed capacity at El Paso Psychiatric Center. She also highlighted collaboration with Texas programs funded through a statewide initiative.
“We have created what we call the Texas Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Collaborative,” Dr. Ortiz said. “All of the fellows from all of the forensic psychiatry programs in Texas participate in shared didactics on Fridays.”
Dr. Ortiz said she looks forward to the day when the statewide fellowship programs increase the number of trained evaluators and improve the quality of forensic evaluations – and ultimately clear the bottleneck in the court system.
“There are so many people waiting for evaluations, and there aren’t enough evaluators,” Dr. Ortiz said. “We’re doing our best to help move that along.”
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso serves 108 counties in West Texas and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of healthcare heroes. Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.
Focusing on excellence in healthcare education, research, and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated more than 2,600 professionals over the past decade. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.