Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians

TSPP LEADERS

Executive Council Voting Members

TSPP Executive Committee:

  • President – Melissa Deuter, MD
  • President Elect – Derek Neal, MD
  • Secretary/Treasurer – Esteban Gonzalez, MD
  • Past President – Phillip Balfanz, MD

Councilors:

  • Past President – Michael Arambula, MD, PharmD (2025)
  • Past President – Karen Dineen Wagner, MD, PhD (2026)
  • Past President – Brigitte Bailey, MD (2027)
  • At-Large – Richard Noel, MD (2023)
  • At-Large – Esteban Gonzalez, MD (2027)
  • At-Large – Matthew D. Jeffreys, MD (2028)

Representatives to the APA Assembly:

  • Debra Atkisson, MD (2028)
  • A. David Axelrad, MD (2026)
  • Phillip Balfanz, MD (2027)
  • Richard Noel, MD (2027)

Executive Council Voting Members

Committee Chairs:

  • Academic Psychiatry Committee – Derek Neal, MD
  • Chapter Leadership Forum – Melissa Deuter, MD
  • Children and Adolescents Committee –Phillip Balfanz, MD
  • Constitution and Bylaws Committee – J. Clay Sawyer, MD
  • Continuing Medical Education Committee –R. Andrew Harper, MD, John Casada, MD
  • Distinguished Fellowship Committee – Melissa Eshelman, MD
  • Ethics Committee – Daniel B. Pearson, III, MD
  • Finance Committee – Esteban Gonzalez, MD
  • Forensic Psychiatry – Joseph V. Penn, MD
  • Government Affairs Committee – Steven Pliszka, MD
  • Nominating Committee – Phillip Balfanz, MD, MBA
  • Professional Practices Management Committee – Richard Noel, MD
  • Public Mental Health Services Committee – Amber Pastusek, MD
  • Resident-Fellow Section – Hayley Lange, DO, Lydia Kong

Chapter Representatives:

  • Austin Chapter – Aurora Osteen, MD
  • Bexar County Chapter – Rene Olvera, MD/Phillip Balfanz, MD
  • Brazos Valley Chapter
  • Corpus Christi Chapter
  • East Texas Chapter
  • El Paso Chapter
  • Galveston-Brazoria Chapter – Derek Neal, MD
  • Heart of Texas Chapter
  • Houston Chapter – Daniel Garza, MD
  • Lone Star Chapter – J. Clay Sawyer, MD
  • North Texas Chapter – John Debus, MD
  • Panhandle Chapter – Wail Amor, MD
  • Red River Chapter
  • South Texas Chapter – Alcides Amador, MD/Esteban Gonzalez, MD
  • Southeast Texas Chapter
  • Tarrant Chapter – Daniel Goggin, MD
  • Victoria Chapter
  • West Texas Chapter – John Casada, MD

Representatives to APA Divisions:

  • APA Division of Government Relations – Leslie H. Secrest, MD (2023)

Executive Council Non-Voting Members

Resident-Fellow Representatives:

  • Baylor College of Medicine – Adult – Daniel Vener, MD* / Sana Younus, MD*
  • Baylor College of Medicine – Addiction Psychiatry – Hazem Shahin, MD
  • Baylor College of Medicine – Child and Adolescent – Kayla Balaj, MD / Raheel Memon, MD
  • Baylor College of Medicine- Consult-Liaison Psychiatry – Madhuri Jakkam Setty, MD*
  • Baptist Hospitals of SETX — Hobab Aslam, MD
  • John Peter Smith Health Network- Psychiatric Residency – Mehreen Khan, MD*/ Chelsea Angelocci, DO
  • Texas A&M College of Medicine – Scott and White – Adult Christa DeFries, MD / Jonathan Artz, MD
  • Texas A&M, Scott & White – Child/Adolescent – Grace Kang, DO
  • Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso – Adult – Enrique Murillo, MD
  • Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso – Child and Adolescent – Fernando Doval, MD
  • Texas Tech University Lubbock – Kerala Saugh, MD
  • University of Incarnate Word / TIGMER – Lydia Kong, MD / Ivelisse Figueroa, MD
  • University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School – Adult – Taylor Baskin, MD* / Natasha Gambhir, DO / Brad Unroe, MD
  • UT Austin Dell Medical School, Child & Adolescent
  • UT Austin Dell Medical School, Psychosomatic Medicine
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School-  Psychosomatic Medicine – Michael Jennings, MD
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Tope Adedolapo, MD; Sarah Elmer, MD
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School- Child & Adolescent – Panna Patel, DO
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Forensic Fellowship – Ankit Parmar, MD
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School- Addiction – Stephanie Joseph, MD
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School- Geriatric
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – Adult – Blake Henchcliffe, MD / Carolina Olmos Garcia, MD*
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – Child and Adolescent – Van Nguyen, MD
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio – Adult – Mayra Valdivia Carlisle, DO* / Amritpaul Chatrath, MD*
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio – Child/Adolescent
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio – Geriatric
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler – Adult – Chhavi Chaudhary, MD / Roxanne McClung, MD
  • University of Texas Health and Science Center at Tyler — Rural Psychiatry — Faiz Khan, MD
  • University of Texas Medical Branch- Galveston – Alyssa Shaffner, MD / Paul Brindley, M.D. / Allison Popovich, M.D.
  • University of Texas Medical Branch- Galveston – Child/Adolescent – Irene Pedraza, MD
  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – Christopher Nerio, MD

    * Not yet a member

Training Program Directors:

  • Baylor College of Medicine – Daryl Shorter, MD*
  • Baylor College of Medicine – Addiction Psychiatry – Daryl Shorter, MD*
  • Baylor College of Medicine – Child and Adolescent – Laurel Williams, DO*
  • Baylor College of Medicine – Geriatric – Ali Asghar-Ali, MD
  • Baylor College of Medicine – Consult-Liaison Psychiatry – Mauro Garcia-Altieri, MD
  • John Peter Smith Health Network – Cheryl Hurd, MD
  • Texas Tech University Lubbock – Yasin Ibrahim,MD*
  • Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso – Silvia Tonarelli, MD
  • Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso – Child and Adolescent – Cecilia De Vargas, MD*
  • Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso/Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus – Moataz M Ragheb, MD, PhD
  • Texas A&M College of Medicine – Scott and White – Virginia Flores, MD*
  • Texas A&M College of Medicine – Scott and White- Child and Adolescents – Kyle Morrow, MD
  • Texas Tech University Health Science Center Permian Basin – Shailesh Jain, MD*
  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – Michael Escamilla, MD
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Adam Brenner, MD
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Addiction Psychiatry – Sidarth Wakhlu, MD*
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Child and Adolescent – Kathlene Trello-Rishel, MD*
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Forensic Psychiatry – Kehinde Obikoya, MD
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Geriatric Psychiatry – Rajbir Bakshi, MD*
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – Psychosomatic Medicine – Catherine Orsak, MD
  • University of Texas Medical Branch –  Cindy Wigg, MD*
  • University of Texas Medical Branch – Child and Adolescent – Christopher Thomas, MD
  • University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School – R. Lowell McRoberts, MD
  • University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School – Child and Adolescent – Gabriel Garza, MD
  • University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School – Psychosomatic Medicine – Joseph Kugler, MD
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio – Jason Schillerstrom, MD*
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio – Child and Adolescent – Brigitte Bailey, MD
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio – Geriatric Psychiatry – Jeffrey Cordes, MD
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – Vineeth John, MD, MBA*
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – Child and Adolescent – Taiwo Babatope, MD
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler – Arunditi Xantus, MD*
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler/UT Health Pittsburg – Brandon Riley, MD*
  • University of Incarnate Word / Texas Institute for Graduate Medical Education and Research (TIGMER) – Jason Miller, MD*

Other Representatives:

  • Federation of Texas Psychiatry – Daniel Pearson, MD
  • Texas Academy of Psychiatry – Ken Hopper, MD
  • Texas Society of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry – Laura Stone, MD
  • Texas Foundation for Psychiatric Education and Research – Melissa Eshelman, MD
  • TMA Interspecialty Society Committee – Richard Noel, MD/J. Clay Sawyer, MD
  • TMA Board Representative – Rishi Sawhney, MD

DONATE

TO MAKE A CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE TSPP RESIDENT-FELLOW MEMBER SCHOLARSHIP, click here.

DONATE

TO MAKE A CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE TSPP RESIDENT-FELLOW MEMBER SCHOLARSHIP, click here.