Faculty & Staff

Psychiatry Faculty

Lubnaa Abdullah, PsyD, HSP: Assistant Professor of Psychiatry; Lubnaa.Abdullah@utrgv.edu

Lubnaa Abdullah, PsyD, HSP

Lubnaa Abdullah, PsyD, HSP
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Email: Lubnaa.Abdullah@utrgv.edu

Dr. Abdullah is an assistant professor of Psychiatry at UTRGV. She is a clinical neuropsychologist and serves as a behavioral health consultant for the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program. Dr. Abdullah trained in clinical psychology and neuropsychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the American Psychological Association accredited program, Wasatch Mental Health in Provo, UT and received post-doctoral training in clinical neuropsychology at ARCC Neuropsychology in Chicago, IL.

Alcides Amador, MD: TCHATT Medical Director, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Grand Rounds Committee Chairman; Alcides.Amador01@utrgv.edu

Alcides Amador, MD

Alcides Amador, MD
TCHATT Medical Director, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Grand Rounds Committee Chairman
Psychiatry
Email: Alcides.Amador01@utrgv.edu

Dr. Alcides Amador is a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the UTRGV School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. He is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist in both Adult and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Amador is also the Medical Director of the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) under the Texas Child Mental Health Consortium at UTRGV. Where he provides telemedicine-based behavioral health services.

Diana Chapa, MD: Interim Department Chair, Assistant Professor of Medicine; Diana.Chapa@utrgv.edu

Diana Chapa, MD

Diana Chapa, MD
Interim Department Chair, Assistant Professor of Medicine
Psychiatry
Email: Diana.Chapa@utrgv.edu

An RGV native and recently relocating to her hometown from Minnesota, Dr. Chapa obtained her MD at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1995. She is an assistant professor of Psychiatry at the UTRGV School of Medicine and is double boarded in Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Chapa completed her Psychiatry internship and residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Affiliated Hospitals from July 1995 to June 1998. She then trained in the same institution for a Child and Adolescent Fellowship from July 1998 to June 2000. With her return to the RGV, Dr. Chapa’s goal is to make a positive impact to our community through her resident teachings and supervision.

Dernay Coley Torres, LCSW-S: SOM Instructor; Dernay.Coley@utrgv.edu

Dernay Coley Torres, LCSW-S

Dernay Coley Torres, LCSW-S
SOM Instructor
Psychiatry
Email: Dernay.Coley@utrgv.edu

Ms. Dernay Coley-Torres is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of clinical, supervisory, teaching, and management experience. She received her master’s in social work from the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham University in New York City, and is licensed in New York, Missouri, and Texas. Her areas of clinical expertise include medical and behavioral health. She has extensive experience working with patients with acute and chronic medical and behavioral health conditions to increase their treatment adherence, engage in behavioral changes that support their health and wellbeing, and access psychosocial and concrete supports. She has conducted individual, couples, and group therapy in a variety of settings, from medical settings and substance abuse programs to schools and Employee Assistance Programs. Ms. Coley-Torres has served as a Social Work Field Instructor and has supervised bachelors’ and masters’ students in social work for almost 20 years.

Michael Escamilla, MD: Professor; Michael.Escamilla@utrgv.edu

Michael Escamilla, MD

Michael Escamilla, MD
Professor
Psychiatry
Email: Michael.Escamilla@utrgv.edu

Michael Escamilla, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry and Department Chair. He is board certified in Psychiatry and is also a Jungian Analyst (member of the International Association of Analytical Psychology). He completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard, his M.D. at UT Southwestern, and his Psychiatry training at the University of California at San Francisco. He was an American Psychiatric Association Fellow in Psychiatric Genetics, also at UCSF, and has conducted seminal studies in the genetics of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in Latino populations, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. He has also worked to teach Recovery oriented psychiatric practice across the state of Texas. Dr. Escamilla completed his training in Analytical Psychology at the C.G. Jung Institute of Zurich. He has published over 100 journal articles and is the author of the book Bleuler, Jung and the Creation of the Schizophrenias (2016, Daimon Verlag publisher). His clinical treatment areas are analytical psychology, Jungian psychotherapy, and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.

Cynthia Garza, PsyD: Psychologist, Assistant Professor of Medicine; Cynthia.Garza1@utrgv.edu

Cynthia Garza, PsyD

Cynthia Garza, PsyD
Psychologist, Assistant Professor of Medicine
Psychiatry
Email: Cynthia.Garza1@utrgv.edu

Dr. Garza is an assistant professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry at UTRGV. She is a clinical psychologist and serves as a behavioral health consultant for the UTHealth Laguna Vista primary care clinic, Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program and as a research co-principal investigator for the UTRGV Texas Child Health Care Consortium, research projects on child trauma, depression and suicide.

Alfonso Mercado, PhD: Associate Professor, Licensed Psychologist; Alfonso.Mercado@utrgv.edu

Alfonso Mercado, PhD

Alfonso Mercado, PhD
Associate Professor, Licensed Psychologist
Phychiatry
Email: Alfonso.Mercado@utrgv.edu

Dr. Alfonso Mercado is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science and Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and supervises residents in outpatient psychotherapy and assists with didactic instruction. Dr. Mercado’s current research lab focus on Latino mental health, trauma and immigration, personality, substance abuse, and multicultural interventions. He is a Board of Trustee for the Texas Psychological Association where he also serves as the Diversity Division Chair and elected to the Committee on Rural Health at the American Psychological Association.

Rebecca Resendiz Rodriguez, PsyD: Psychologist, Assistant Professor of Medicine; Rebecca.Resendizrodriguez@utrgv.edu

Rebecca Resendiz Rodriguez, PsyD

Rebecca Resendiz Rodriguez, PsyD
Psychologist, Assistant Professor of Medicine
Psychiatry
Email: Rebecca.Resendizrodriguez@utrgv.edu

Dr. Rebecca Resendiz Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UTRGV. She is a Licensed Psychologist and serves as a Behavioral Health Consultant for the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program as well as a research investigator for the UTRGV Texas Child Health Care Consortium research projects on child trauma, depression, and suicide. Throughout her clinical training and employment, Dr. Resendiz has dedicated herself to working primarily with underserved and underserved populations of all ages in several settings, including academic, medical, psychiatric, correctional, primary care, and community mental health.

Ihsan Salloum, MD: Interim Psychiatry Residency Program Director SOM Professor; Ihsan.Salloum@utrgv.edu

Ihsan Salloum, MD

Ihsan Salloum, MD
Interim Psychiatry Residency Program Director SOM Professor
Psychiatry
Email: Ihsan.Salloum@utrgv.edu

Lozano Long Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience, Founding Chair, Department of Neuroscience and Director, Institute for Neuroscience at UTRGV School of Medicine. 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 current 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. Dr. Salloum is Board certified in Psychiatry and Neurology and Addiction Psychiatry.