The Robert L. Sadoff Professorship of Forensic Psychiatry

Funded by an anonymous gift, the Professorship is a tribute to Robert L. Sadoff, MD, one of the founders of forensic psychiatry.

While pursuing his medical degree, Dr. Sadoff was drawn to the emerging field of forensic psychiatry. Adding legal courses and experience in court-martial psychiatry to his training, he was welcomed into the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) in 1969. As its second president, he helped develop the AAPL into the leading association supporting the professional development of forensic psychiatrists.

Dr. Sadoff joined the Penn faculty in 1972 and has contributed hundreds of scholarly articles to the field. His practice has included serving as clinical director of a maximum-security psychiatric hospital, examining thousands of individuals charged with crimes, many of them homicides, and consulting on numerous civil and administrative law cases.

He considers his roles as teacher and mentor his most important and is especially proud to have received the Earl D. Bond Award for outstanding teaching at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Dean’s Special Award in 2008 for his significant and unique contributions to the teaching of medicine. He is currently working to develop a formal Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Training Program at Penn to strengthen the profession for future generations.

Current Chairholder

Clarence Watson, JD, MD

Clarence Watson, JD, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in adult and forensic psychiatry. He is a widely recognized forensic psychiatrist known for his expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. In addition to being the Robert L. Sadoff Professorship of Forensic Psychiatry, Dr. Watson also serves as the Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program and Vice Chair of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity for the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine – University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Penn, Dr. Watson served as the Statewide Forensic Director for Pennsylvania’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; Medical Director of Delaware’s Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health; and was the Clinical Director of Forensic Services at the Delaware Psychiatric Center in New Castle, DE, where he oversaw Delaware’s maximum-security forensic psychiatric hospital program.

Prior to his career in medicine, Dr. Watson graduated from Villanova University School of Law and practiced law as an attorney in Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College – Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and completed internship training in internal medicine and residency training in psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He also completed fellowship training in forensic psychiatry at St. Vincent’s Hospital – New York Medical College in Manhattan.