Suicide Risk Expert Witnesses

Psychiatry - Standard of Care, Traumatic Injury, PTSD, Sexual Offender Risk Assessment, Testamentary Capacity, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Mental Impairment, Disability, Adjustment Disorder, Depression, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, Anxiety, Inpatient Care, Institutional Care, Suicide Risk

Dr. Christopher Heckman is currently a member of the Clinical Operations Advisory Council (COAC) for the California Department of State Hospitals. The Clinical Operations Division facilitates the development, evaluation, and maintenance of clinical standards for California’s Department of State Hospitals (DSH). At the heart of the DSH Clinical Operations Division is the Clinical Operations Advisory Council (COAC), an interdisciplinary team of clinicians from the state hospitals who are devoted to the quality of clinical care and therapeutic services that the DSH provides. Dr. Heckman represents the Department of Psychiatry on the COAC. COAC works closely with clinical leaders to identify best practices within DSH facilities, as well as facilities outside of California and in the current academic literature. While conducting onsite reviews of clinical services, COAC gathers data to design data collection methodologies. These methodologies are used to better understand our patients, i...

Forensic Psychiatry, Psychiatry - Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Psychological Damages, Mood Disorders, Emotional Damages, Competency to Stand Trial, Emergency Psychiatry, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Suicide Risk, Criminal Responsibility, Fitness for Duty, Inpatient Psychiatry, Violence Risk, Medical Malpractice, Schizophrenia

Dr. Meghan Musselman is a board-certified forensic psychiatrist. Dr. Musselman completed medical school at Temple University School of Medicine. During her medical training, she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, an honor reserved for those medical students who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated values of professionalism, leadership, and service. Following medical school, Dr. Musselman completed a four-year residency in psychiatry with Harvard Medical School through the Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital Adult Psychiatry Residency Program. While in residency, Dr. Musselman was awarded the Rappeport Fellowship, an honor awarded by the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law to residents who have demonstrated excellence in the field of forensic psychiatry. Dr. Musselman also served as chief resident of the inpatient psychiatric unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. After residency, Dr. Musselman completed a fellow...

Psychiatry - Traumatic Injury, PTSD, Institutional Care, Standard of Care, IIED, ECT, Inpatient Care, Mental Impairment, Disability, Suicide Risk, Fitness for Duty, Adjustment Disorders, Anxiety, Depression, Athletic Performance Enhancement, NP Supervision, Telehealth, Somatic Disorders

MaryEllen Eller, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She is also certified as a master psychopharmacologist by the Neuroscience Education Institute. Dr. Eller completed her undergraduate studies at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, where she received a Bachelor of Science in biology. She earned her medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at the Loma Linda University Department of Psychiatry, where she focused on general adult psychiatry, with a special emphasis in leadership and performance optimization. Dr. Eller served in a variety of capacities at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California. She was a resident physician in the university’s department of psychiatry for three years, followed by a year as the department’s chief resident. She also served as a per diem psychiatrist in the inpatient chemical dependency unit at the university’s Behavio...