Release Date: 01/12/2016

Julie Forrest, MD, a psychiatrist at Butler Hospital, has been appointed the hospital’s new chief of the Alcohol and Drug Inpatient Treatment Unit (ADI), a pillar in the continuum of substance use services provided by Butler Hospital and the Care New England Health System.

Dr. Forrest, who has been with Butler since 1998, previously held the role of assistant unit chief of the ADI. Since September 2015, when she was appointed acting chief on the unit, she has taken on an important leadership role at a time when the hospital expanded program services to include a new Outpatient Detoxification Unit.

“I have witnessed the tireless commitment Dr. Forrest has had since she first began working as a staff psychiatrist here at Butler years ago,” said Alan Gordon, MD, medical chief of alcohol and drug treatment at Butler. “She is now amplifying that by taking on this leadership role on the ADI. Knowing that she brings the most impressive abilities, experience and commitment to leading the unit gives us confidence as we continue to work to provide the most comprehensive range of services needed here in Rhode Island to stand up against addiction.”

Dr. Forrest earned her bachelor's of medicine and bachelor's of surgery in 1985 from Victoria University in Manchester, England. She completed her residency in psychiatry at Brown University and subsequently joined the Butler Hospital medical staff.

“Having worked on the ADI and with this patient population for the past eighteen years, I am excited to play an important role in the continued evolution of substance abuse treatment here,” said Dr. Forrest. “Working with patients on a daily basis inspires my work to provide the best care, while always looking at ways to improve the treatment process and outcomes whenever possible.”

About Butler Hospital

Butler Hospital, a member of Care New England, is the only private, nonprofit psychiatric and substance abuse hospital serving adults, seniors and adolescents in Rhode Island and southeastern New England. Founded in 1844, it was the first hospital in Rhode Island and has earned a reputation as the leading provider of innovative psychiatric treatments in the region. The Major Affiliated Teaching Hospital for Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in conducting cutting-edge research.