Thomas Gratzer, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist with more than thirty years of experience in general and forensic psychiatry. Based in Minnesota’s Twin Cities region, he has worked with patients across hospitals, correctional facilities, and academic institutions throughout St. Paul and Minneapolis. His work combines clinical treatment, forensic evaluations, teaching, and research, making him a respected figure in both psychiatry and medical education.
Throughout his medical career, Dr. Thomas Gratzer has held several important clinical positions in Minnesota. He served as a Senior Forensic Psychiatrist at the Minnesota Security Hospital from 1995 through 2002. He later worked as a consulting psychiatrist for the Minnesota Department of Corrections at the Juvenile Detention Center. In that role, he provided psychiatric care to incarcerated adolescents who required specialized mental health treatment and long-term support.
Dr. Gratzer also spent more than twenty years as an attending psychiatrist at United Hospital in St. Paul. There, he treated individuals dealing with severe psychiatric illnesses and complex emotional conditions. His leadership experience included serving as medical staff president at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center in 1997, where he contributed to institutional policy discussions and improvements in patient care practices.
In addition to clinical medicine, Dr. Gratzer built a strong academic presence through teaching and mentorship. He served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School from 2002 until 2021. Throughout his academic career, he lectured medical students, psychiatry residents, and law students at institutions including DePaul Law School, the University of Manitoba, Regions Hospital, and Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Dr. Gratzer has remained actively involved in several professional organizations in psychiatry and forensic medicine. He is affiliated with the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, and the Minnesota Psychiatric Association. His committee work focused on issues involving psychopharmacology and sex offender treatment, reflecting his dedication to ethical standards and the continued advancement of psychiatric practice.
Outside of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas has an extensive background in computer science and software development. In 1991, he earned first prize at the Manitoba Science Fair for a computer program and later participated in Prince Philip’s International Science Fortnight in London, England. During college, he co-authored FAST BASIC: Beyond TRS-80 BASIC, a programming book that introduced advanced concepts to TRS-80 computer users and sold thousands of copies.
From 1984 through 1990, Dr. Gratzer participated in the development and design of VP Info, a database programming language created for IBM personal computers. Published by Paperback Software International in Berkeley, California, the software achieved major commercial success, selling more than 100,000 copies. His experience in software design contributed to the analytical, structured approach he later applied across his medical and forensic work.
As an author and researcher, Dr. Gratzer has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals focusing on forensic psychiatry, compulsive sexual behavior, impulse control disorders, and legal issues involving mental health treatment. His research and presentations earned several honors, including the Merrell Dow Psychiatric Research Award and the S. W. Prowse Memorial Award for Clinical Research at the University of Manitoba.
He also received national recognition through the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. These awards highlighted his contributions to forensic psychiatric research and his ability to connect legal issues with evidence-based psychiatric care. His published work has helped improve the understanding of treatment methods and challenges involving mentally disordered offenders.
Dr. Gratzer completed his medical education, residency in psychiatry, and postgraduate training at the University of Manitoba after graduating with distinction from Saint John’s Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg. He later completed a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Center in Chicago. His clinical training included experience in adolescent psychiatry, chronic care, outpatient treatment, geriatrics, consultation liaison psychiatry, and forensic evaluation.
Born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Dr. Thomas Gratzer comes from a family deeply connected to medicine and academics. His father taught mathematics at Penn State before relocating to Winnipeg, while his mother practiced dentistry for many years. He is married to Denise, a marketing professor and business owner, and his stepdaughter serves in the Navy’s JAG corps. In his personal time, he enjoys skiing, tennis, exercise, travel, and supporting educational causes through charitable contributions.
