A faculty member at the University of South Florida since 1989, Dr. Otto's primary appointment is in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, with adjunct appointments in the Department of Psychology and Department of Criminology. He was awarded a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Florida State University in 1987 and completed a National Institute of Mental Health-funded fellowship in the College of Law and Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska in 1989. The focus of Dr. Otto's research and writing is forensic psychological assessment. He has developed two tests for use in evaluations of trial competence, and his work in this area was cited by the US Supreme Court in Indiana v. Edwards (2008). Dr. Otto has co-authored and co-edited a number of books devoted to forensic psychological assessment including Psychological Evaluations for the Courts: A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers (2008/2018), Ethics in Forensic Psychology Practice (2017), Forensic Reports and Testimony: A Guide to Effective Communication for Psychologists and Psychiatrists (2014), Handbook of Forensic Psychology (2013), and Handbook of Violence Risk Assessment (2010/2021). Dr. Otto has served as president of the American Psychology-Law Society, the American Board of Forensic Psychology, and the American Board of Professional Psychology. He chaired the American Psychological Association's Committee on Legal Issues and the APA Committee that revised the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, and he was a member of the American Bar Association committee that revised that organization's Criminal Justice Mental Health Standards (2016). Dr. Otto is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 41) and has received awards for his career contributions to the field of forensic psychology from both the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (2008) and the American Psychology-Law Society (2021).