Faculty and Staff | Institute of Neuroscience

Faculty & Staff

UTRGV Institute of Neuroscience

Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, MD: Assistant Professor; (956) 296-3928; Ney.AllieyRodriguez@utrgv.edu

Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, MD

Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, MD
Assistant Professor
Email: Ney.AllieyRodriguez@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-3928

Kelsey Baker, PhD: Assistant Professor

Kelsey Baker, PhD

Kelsey Baker, PhD
Assistant Professor
Interim Assistant Dean of Educational Affairs, Pre-Clerkships Year 2

John Blangero, PhD: Professor; John.Blangero@utrgv.edu

John Blangero, PhD

John Blangero, PhD
Professor
Department of Human Genetics and Director of the Genomics Computing Center
Email: John.Blangero@utrgv.edu

Michael Dobbs, MD, MHCM: Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology; Medical Director, Institute of Neuroscience; Chief Medical Officer; Michael.Dobbs@utrgv.edu

Michael Dobbs, MD, MHCM

Michael Dobbs, MD, MHCM
Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology; Medical Director, Institute of Neuroscience; Chief Medical Officer
UT Health RGV
Email: Michael.Dobbs@utrgv.edu

Michael R. Dobbs, MD, MHCM, is the Chief Medical Officer, Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Professor and Chair of Neurology at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Kentucky and Harvard. He served with distinction in the US Air Force Medical Corps including an academic appointment at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. He has authored more than 50 publications including books, book chapters, journal articles, and abstracts. His book Clinical Neurotoxicology—Syndromes, Substances, Environments is a leading text in the field worldwide. He moved to UTRGV from the University of Kentucky in 2019 where he had most recently served as Associate Dean with responsibility for initiatives such as successful establishment of regional four-year medical school campuses. As program director he had led his hospital to become one of the busiest stroke centers in the United States while also building a 34 hospital Stroke Network that continues to grow and bring life-saving treatments to underserved regions in Appalachia.

As Neurology Chair, he is building a department that provides advanced clinical care, education, and research at the new Institute of Neuroscience located in Harlingen, TX. Dr. Dobbs teaches the Mind, Brain, and Behavior module for pre-clinical MS2s and it has been the highest rated module by the students for the last 3 years. He has been an institutional principal investigator on multiple clinical trials and has published original research in stroke outcomes and other topics. In early 2022, Dr. Dobbs was awarded an NIH Research Enhancement Award (R15) grant which will bring national recognition to the UTRGV School of Medicine, expose students to new research opportunities, and strengthen the overall research environment of the institution. In his spare time, he loves to explore the Rio Grande Valley with his family.

Xiaoqian Fang, MD, PhD: Associate Professor; Xiaoqian.Fang@utrgv.edu

Xiaoqian Fang, MD, PhD

Xiaoqian Fang, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Email: Xiaoqian.Fang@utrgv.edu

Alan Francis, PhD: Assistant Professor; (956) 296-3929; Alan.Francis@utrgv.edu

Alan Francis, PhD

Alan Francis, PhD
Assistant Professor
Email: Alan.Francis@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-3929

Noé Garza, DDS, MPH, DPH: Associate Research Scientist; (956) 296-1482; Noe.Garza@utrgv.edu

Noé Garza, DDS, MPH, DPH

Noé Garza, DDS, MPH, DPH
Associate Research Scientist
Department of Neuroscience
HCEBL 2.136.18
Email: Noe.Garza@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1482

Deepu George, PhD: Associate Professor and Division Chief of Behavioral Medicine

Deepu George, PhD

Deepu George, PhD
Associate Professor and Division Chief of Behavioral Medicine
Department of Family Medicine

Christine Gerin, PhD: Associate Professor; Christine.Gerin@utrgv.edu

Christine Gerin, PhD

Christine Gerin, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience
Email: Christine.Gerin@utrgv.edu

Mario Gil, PhD: Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience; (956) 882-8297; Mario.Gil@utrgv.edu

Mario Gil, PhD

Mario Gil, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
BMAIN 1426
Email: Mario.Gil@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 882-8297

Frank Gilliam, MD, MPH: Professor; Frank.Gilliam@utrgv.edu

Frank Gilliam, MD, MPH

Frank Gilliam, MD, MPH
Professor
Department of Neurology
Email: Frank.Gilliam@utrgv.edu

Gladys Maestre, MD, PhD: Professor; (956) 882-7495; Gladys.Maestre@utrgv.edu

Gladys Maestre, MD, PhD

Gladys Maestre, MD, PhD
Professor
Department of Neuroscience & Department of Human Genetics; Director, Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research
BROBL 106 (Brownsville)
Email: Gladys.Maestre@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 882-7495

Jesus Melgarejo, MD, PhD: Assistant Professor; Jesus.Melgarejo@utrgv.edu

Jesus Melgarejo, MD, PhD

Jesus Melgarejo, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Email: Jesus.Melgarejo@utrgv.edu

Linda Nelson, PhD: Sr. Director of Clinical Operations; (956) 296-1442; Linda.Nelson@utrgv.edu

Linda Nelson, PhD

Linda Nelson, PhD
Sr. Director of Clinical Operations
UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV
Email: Linda.Nelson@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1442

Ihsan M. Salloum, MD, MPH, DLFAPA: Sujata G. Krishnan Endowed Chair; Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Distinguished Professor; Director, Institute of Neuroscience; Founding Chair, Department for Neuroscience, UTRGV School of Medicine; Ihsan.Salloum@utrgv.edu

Ihsan M. Salloum, MD, MPH, DLFAPA

Ihsan M. Salloum, MD, MPH, DLFAPA
Sujata G. Krishnan Endowed Chair; Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Distinguished Professor; Director, Institute of Neuroscience; Founding Chair, Department for Neuroscience, UTRGV School of Medicine
Department of Neuroscience
Email: Ihsan.Salloum@utrgv.edu

Ihsan M. Salloum, M.D., M.P.H., DLFAPA is the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience, Founding Chair, Department of Neuroscience and Director, Institute for Neuroscience at UTRGV School of Medicine.

He previously served as the Chief of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Research Division and Director of the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and previously served as the Director of Research & Education, and Medical Director of the Addiction Medicine Services, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Salloum received a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bologna and a Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. He completed his psychiatry residency training at the Chicago Medical School/ Rosalind Franklin University and an NIH- sponsored Fellowship in Alcohol Research at UPMC’s Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Salloum’s research has focused on developing effective interventions for comorbid mood and addictive disorders and on addressing the diagnostic complexity of comorbidity. He has been the PI or Co-PI on multiple trials evaluating pharmacotherapies for several substance use disorders. Currently, his research focus includes the evaluation of potential benefit of stem cell therapy for alcoholism-depression comorbidity and on the utility of nutraceuticals in decreasing alcohol use in bipolar disorder. Additional interests include neuromodulation and neurophysiological biomarkers of brain diseases as well as introducing novel person-centered approaches to care. Dr. Salloum’s research has been supported continuously by the NIH for over two decades. He served as a member of the National Institute of Health Scientific Review Group and as an Examiner of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and serves on the American Psychiatric Association (APA)’s Workgroup on Research Training. Dr. Salloum is Board certified in Psychiatry and Neurology and Addiction Psychiatry and listed in America’s Most Honored Professionals. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA, an Honorary Member of the World Psychiatric Association and currently serves as President of the International College of Person-centered Medicine.

Andrew Tsin, PhD: Professor; Andrew.Tsin@utrgv.edu

Andrew Tsin, PhD

Andrew Tsin, PhD
Professor
Email: Andrew.Tsin@utrgv.edu

Jorge Zwir, PhD: Associate Professor; (956) 296-3930; Jorge.Zwir@utrgv.edu

Jorge Zwir, PhD

Jorge Zwir, PhD
Associate Professor
Email: Jorge.Zwir@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-3930

Faculty & Staff Research at ION Participate in a Research Study

Director

Ihsan M. Salloum, MD, MPH, DLFAPA
Director, Institute of Neuroscience

Contact

Ihsan M. Salloum, MD, MPH, DLFAPA
Sujata G. Krishnan Endowed Chair;
Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long Distinguished Professor;
Director, Institute of Neuroscience;
Founding Chair, Department for Neuroscience, UTRGV School of Medicine
Email:Ihsan.Salloum@utrgv.edu

Nora Campos
 Administrative Coordinator
Email:Nora.Campos@utrgv.edu
Phone:(956) 296-5525

Michael Dobbs, MD, MHCM
Professor & Chair, Neurology
Medical Director, Institute of Neuroscience
Chief Medical Officer, UT Health RGV
Email:Michael.Dobbs@utrgv.edu

Amanda Mercado
Administrative Analyst
Department of Neurology
Email:Amanda.Merchado01@utrgv.edu
Phone:(956) 296-1537

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