Shafi Lodhi, MDForensic Neuropsychiatrist & Expert Witness
One of the few physicians in the United States with dual fellowship training in both neuropsychiatry and forensic psychiatry, completed at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Lodhi provides independent evaluations, expert reports, and testimony in cases where brain injury, cognition, and behavior are in dispute. Retained by 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
Court Qualified
Santa Clara County Superior Court · CDCR Hearings
Current Appointment
Neuropsychiatry Consultant, 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 role combines medical diagnosis, imaging and medication analysis, and legal-standard opinions that neither a neurologist nor a psychologist alone provides. 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, imaging–behavior correlation, 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 neurotoxic exposure, grounded in an active prescribing practice.
Pharmaceutical litigation services →Independent Medical Examinations
Comprehensive neuropsychiatric independent medical examinations with record review, validity assessment, and court-ready reporting for disability, injury, and employment matters.
Neuropsychiatric IME services →California matters: Evidence Code 730 panel experience, Santa Clara County court qualification, and statewide availability. California expert witness services →
North Carolina matters: in-person evaluations from a Research Triangle office, statewide travel, and state and federal court engagements. North Carolina expert witness services →
One expert where cases usually need two
Brain-injury litigation typically requires a neurologist to address the injury and a psychiatrist to address the behavioral claim, and the seam between their opinions becomes a target on cross-examination. Dual fellowship training lets one physician connect the injury to the outcome in a single causation opinion, with one evaluation, one report, and one deposition.
How a forensic neuropsychiatrist differs from a neurologist or neuropsychologist →
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 litigation-grade written report, then deposition and trial testimony, delivered on the case schedule.
Opinions are independent regardless of referral source. Dr. Lodhi is retained by plaintiff and defense counsel and 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 the Santa Clara County Superior Court and in California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation hearings
- Forensic evaluator, Montana State Hospital System (2024–present); Santa Clara County Superior Court Adult Panel (2022–2023)
- Formerly served as Part-Time Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Staff Psychiatrist, Massachusetts General Hospital (2024–2025)
- Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Current Psychiatry, and an Oxford University Press text
Frequently Asked by Retaining Counsel
Do you accept both plaintiff and defense work?
Yes. Dr. Lodhi is retained by plaintiff and defense counsel and maintains a balanced forensic practice. Opinions are independent regardless of 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 testifies at deposition and trial in person and 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.