Photo of Debra J. Forrest, M.D.

Debra J. Forrest, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
NPI Number:
1508088451
Academic Office Location:
Psychiatry
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-1935
Phone: 860-679-1677
Fax: 860-679-1316
Website(s):

Psychiatry Residency Program

Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Forrest is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at the UConn School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and the Diversity Officer for the Psychiatry Residency Program. 

After completing a Psychiatry Residency at The University of Connecticut, and working for three years at a State Hospital, she returned to UConn in 2010, where she has been ever since. Here, she has developed and directed the Urgent Care Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic, she served as Medical Director at Hartford Behavioral Health, she has worked in inpatient, outpatient, and emergency psychiatric settings, and she overhauled the residency psychotherapy training curriculum. Her focus is currently split between directing the resident psychotherapy curriculum (including the Psychotherapy Track) and her passion for promoting diversity and equity.

Dr. Forrest aims "to improve the care of patients in the Greater Hartford Area and beyond, by helping to train the next generation of psychiatrists, by staying active in clinical work, and by being involved in the greater mental health community". To that end, she invites your collaboration.

Education
DegreeInstitutionMajor
B.S.University at Albany, State University of New York Biological Chemistry/Molecular Biology
M.D.State University of New York Medical Degree

Post-Graduate Training
TrainingInstitutionSpecialty
ResidencyUniversity of Connecticut Health CenterAdult Psychiatry

Awards
Name of Award/HonorAwarding Organization
Support of Resident Education AwardUConn Psychiatry Residency Program

Dr. Forrest has taught for years within the medical school VITAL curriculum (focusing on Health, Law, and Ethics). Within the psychiatry residency, she has focused her teaching primarily on the Psychotherapy Curriculum, but she also directed other courses including the year-long Introduction to Psychiatry course for first-year residents, and a fourth-year course entitled, "Life After Residency".  Most recently, she has been teaching a mini-course entitled, "Becoming a More Equitable UConn Educator" to help faculty, residents, and staff strive for equity in the workplace and beyond.

Name & DescriptionCategoryRoleTypeScopeStart YearEnd Year
Diversity Oversight Committee, Graduate Medical EducationAdvisory CommitteeMember and Website EditorUConn HealthUniversity20222023
ARTIST (Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed System Transformation)Advisory CommitteeFounding MemberUConn HealthLocal2020
Connecticut Medical SocietyProfessional/Scientific OrganizationMemberExternalState2019
American Psychiatric AssociationProfessional/Scientific OrganizationMemberExternalNational20112012
American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training (AADPRT)Professional/Scientific OrganizationMemberExternalNational20112012

Journal Articles

Websites

Title or AbstractTypeSponsor/EventDate/YearLocation
Equity for All: Bringing an Interactive Course on Equity Mindsets to a Diverse Group of Learners and EducatorsOtherAmerican Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training2022Virtual
What you Should Know About Maintenance of Certification (MOC) in NeurologyOtherHartford Hospital Department of Neurology2013Hartford Hospital
Maintenance of Certification in Psychiatry: Past, Present, and Future PerspectivesOtherUCHC Department of Psychiatry2013John Dempsey Hospital