Shafi Lodhi, MDForensic Neuropsychiatrist & Expert Witness
Board-certified in forensic psychiatry, with dual Stanford fellowships in neuropsychiatry and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Lodhi provides independent evaluations, reports, and testimony where brain injury, cognition, or behavior is in dispute, for plaintiff and defense counsel nationwide.
forensic@shafilodhimd.com · +1 650-789-1865 · Complimentary case screening · Response within 24–48 hours
Board Certification
Psychiatry & Forensic Psychiatry (ABPN)
Fellowship Training
Dual Stanford Fellowships: Neuropsychiatry & Forensic Psychiatry
Current Clinical Role
Neuropsychiatry Consultant, Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, Stanford Health Care Tri‑Valley
What is a forensic neuropsychiatrist?
A forensic neuropsychiatrist is a physician trained in psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, and forensic psychiatry who evaluates how brain injury and brain disease change behavior, cognition, and mental state, and explains those findings to courts. The work combines medical diagnosis and medication analysis with review of the imaging and neuropsychological findings, in opinions framed to the legal standard. When to retain a forensic neuropsychiatrist →
Expert Witness Services
TBI Litigation
Causation, severity, and prognosis opinions in traumatic brain injury litigation, including contested mild TBI, correlation of imaging with behavior, and differentiation of organic injury from functional and non-credible presentations.
TBI expert witness services →Testamentary Capacity & Undue Influence
Retrospective and contemporaneous capacity evaluations for will contests, trust disputes, and elder financial abuse claims, including undue-influence vulnerability assessment.
Capacity expert services →Criminal Evaluations
Competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and sentencing mitigation, with particular depth where brain injury, dementia, or neuropsychiatric disease changes the legal analysis.
Criminal evaluation services →Fitness for Duty
Neuropsychiatric fitness-for-duty evaluations for physicians, executives, attorneys, and safety-sensitive roles, including return-to-work assessment after brain injury or psychiatric illness.
Fitness-for-duty evaluations →Pharmaceutical & Toxic Exposure
Expert opinions on psychotropic medication adverse effects, prescribing standard of care, tardive dyskinesia, and psychiatric effects claimed after toxic exposure, grounded in an active prescribing practice.
Pharmaceutical litigation services →Independent Medical Examinations
Neuropsychiatric independent medical examinations with record review, validity assessment, and a written report for disability, injury, and employment matters.
Neuropsychiatric IME services →California matters: court-appointed evaluator experience on the Santa Clara County Superior Court Adult Panel, and statewide availability. California expert witness services →
North Carolina matters: in-person evaluations from a Research Triangle office, statewide travel, and availability for state and federal matters. North Carolina expert witness services →
One causation analysis across the medical record
A brain-injury case often arrives with a neurologist's findings, imaging, neuropsychological testing, and a psychiatric claim, each from a different discipline. Dual fellowship training lets Dr. Lodhi integrate those findings with the psychiatric record into one causation analysis that connects the documented injury to the claimed outcome.
How a forensic neuropsychiatrist works alongside neurology and neuropsychology →
How Retention Works
Screening & Conflict Check
A complimentary screening call covers case posture, timeline, and fit. Conflicts are checked before any substantive discussion.
Retention & Records
Engagement letter and retainer, followed by structured review of medical, legal, and collateral records.
Evaluation & Analysis
Independent examination where indicated, review of imaging and neuropsychological data, and validity assessment.
Report & Testimony
A written report, then deposition and trial testimony on the case schedule.
Opinions are independent of the referral source. Dr. Lodhi is retained by plaintiff and defense counsel and appointed by courts.
Credentials and Court Experience
Shafi Lodhi, MD, is a forensic neuropsychiatrist and expert witness with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Research Triangle of North Carolina. He is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry and in Forensic Psychiatry, completed dual fellowships at Stanford University School of Medicine in Neuropsychiatry and in Forensic Psychiatry, and accepts engagements from plaintiff and defense counsel nationwide.
- Qualified as an expert in California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation hearings
- Forensic evaluator, Montana State Hospital (2024–present); court-appointed forensic evaluator, Santa Clara County Superior Court Adult Panel (2022–2023)
- Inaugural fellow, Stanford Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship (2022–2023)
- Formerly Instructor in Psychiatry, Part-Time, Harvard Medical School, and Psychiatrist, Massachusetts General Hospital (2024–2025)
- Author of a chapter in Oxford University Press’s Emergency Psychiatry, articles in Current Psychiatry and the Journal of Neurochemistry, and a Legal Digest in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
Frequently Asked by Retaining Counsel
Do you accept both plaintiff and defense work?
Yes. Dr. Lodhi is retained by plaintiff and defense counsel and appointed by courts. Opinions are independent of the referral source.
How quickly can an engagement begin?
Screening calls are typically scheduled within 24 to 48 hours of inquiry. Timelines for evaluation and reporting are set at retention and expedited schedules can be arranged when court deadlines require.
Do you testify remotely?
Yes, where the court permits. Dr. Lodhi gives testimony in person or by video, and travels nationwide for examinations and testimony.
What does the complimentary case screening include?
A brief call covering case type, jurisdiction, key dates, records volume, and whether the matter fits Dr. Lodhi's expertise. No substantive opinions are offered before retention and conflict clearance.
Reporting on brain injury, capacity, or criminal responsibility?
Quotable bios, downloadable headshots, and interview topics are available. Media inquiries are answered on deadline.
Media & press resources →Looking for clinical care rather than a forensic expert?
Dr. Lodhi treats patients through Bay Area Neuropsychiatry in California and Lodestar Psychiatry in Cary, North Carolina.
Find the right practice →Discuss Your Case
A complimentary screening call determines whether your case fits Dr. Lodhi's expertise. Response within 24 to 48 hours.