Uche F. Chibueze
Congratulations to Uche F. Chibueze, PsyD, ABPP, on her appointment as the Assistant Director of Health Services for HCJPD!
Dr. Chibueze is a board-certified psychologist who has been providing services for the Forensic Unit for 15 years. Dr. Chibueze’s tenure with the Forensic Unit began as a doctoral intern. Upon completing her doctoral degree, she held multiple positions as a Harris Center employee working with our department, including Staff Psychologist, Chief Psychologist, and Assistant Training Director. Dr. Chibueze became an HCJPD employee in 2021 when she became Training Director.
As a member of the Forensic Unit, Dr. Chibueze conducted forensic evaluations and full, psychological evaluations for the juvenile court. In addition, she provided expert witness testimony on a continuous basis. Dr. Chibueze was instrumental in reforming how the department conducts certification evaluations in a manner consistent with TFC/Chapter 54 statutory guidelines and case law.
Training and mentorship of budding forensic psychologists is a passion for Dr. Chibueze. The training program housed within the Forensic Unit attracts applicants from across the country interested in gaining specialty training in juvenile forensic evaluations. During her tenure with the Forensic Unit, the training program gained APA (American Psychological Association) accreditation and expanded its training opportunities to include postdoctoral fellowships. In 2022, Dr. Chibueze received the APPIC (Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers) Award for Innovation in Psychology Training.
Dr. Chibueze serves on the ABPP (American Board of Professional Psychology) Clinical Psychology Exam Committee, responsible for facilitating candidate examinations for those seeking the highly respected and sought after specialty level ABPP certification in the field of Clinical Psychology. She is also a site visitor for the APA Commission on Accreditation (CoA), responsible for accrediting professional education and training in psychology. Dr. Chibueze served as adjunct faculty for Prairie View A&M University and the University of Houston graduate programs and has presented nationally and locally at various professional conferences.
Currently, Dr. Chibueze assists with policy reform for juvenile justice involved young people with mental illness and/or intellectual developmental disorders. This includes present efforts to reform the current Juvenile Justice Mental Health Code (Chapter 55). During the 2021 Legislature, Dr. Chibueze worked with Representative Gene Wu in pushing for a bill to allow outpatient restoration options for young people who meet the criteria for intellectual development disorders. This laid the groundwork for the development of LEAP (Legal Education Attainment Program) one of only two, formal juvenile outpatient programs in the state of Texas. Dr. Chibueze remains an influential contributor to the development of LEAP.