The AMC Executive Committee

Bruce Adcock, MEd, RRT-NPS is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Respiratory Care in the School of Health Professions. He received a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care from Texas State University and a Master of Science in Instructional Technology from Texas Tech University.

Mr. Adcock primarily worked in pediatrics, pediatric transport and clinical instruction prior to arriving at UTMB.

Department of Internal Medicine, SOM

Masood Ahmad, MD, FRCP(C), FACP, FACC, FAHA, FASE, Edward D. and Sally M. Futch Endowed Professor in Cardiology, and Director, Echocardiography Laboratory received his medical degree from Kashmir Medical College in Kashmir, India. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Euclid General Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio and at Long Island Jewish/Queens Hospital Center in New York. Dr. Ahmad completed his fellowship in cardiology at Southwestern medical School in Dallas, Texas. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and in cardiovascular disease. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Prior to coming to UTMB, Dr. Ahmad was a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri Medical Center and served as Director of Noninvasive Laboratories and Chief of the Cardiology Section at the Harry S. Truman VA Hospital in Columbia, Missouri.

Dr. Ahmad’s research interests are in noninvasive cardiovascular imaging and he is an expert in 3D echocardiography. Dr. Ahmad is a board member of the Houston Chapter of the American Society of Echocardiography. At the national level, Dr. Ahmad serves on the FASE committee of the American Society of Echocardiography. In addition, he serves on the editorial board of Echocardiography, a journal of cardiovascular ultrasound and allied techniques.

Pediatric Cardiology, SOM

Ashraf M. Aly, MD, PhD, received his MD with honors from Cairo University School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt.  He completed his Pediatric residency at Penn State University, Hershey Medical Center, Hershey Pennsylvania and Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.  He received his PhD in Genetics from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Dr. Aly and is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology.  Before joining UTMB, Dr. Aly was in private practice in Michigan.

Dr. Aly specializes in Pediatric Cardiology and sees patients with possible congenital heart diseases from the fetal life throughout adulthood.

He is on the Editorial Board of Journal of Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatrics and Child Care and Journal of Pediatric Genetics. Honors include Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society; recipient of the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award; established by UTMB John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine; Elected for the UTMB School of Medicine Faculty Senate Representative; University of Texas System Distinguished Teaching Professor and elected as a member of the Academy of Master Teachers at the UT System; Pediatric Educator Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education; Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Mentorship of a Resident Scholarly Project, Department of Pediatrics.

Dr. Aly is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, Texas Medical Society, Arab American medical Association and Egyptian Medical Syndicate.

Department Occupational Therapy, SHP

April C. Cowan, OTR, OTD, CHT, received her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. She obtained specialty certification in Hand Therapy from the Hand Therapy Certification Commission. She completed her clinical doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah.

Dr. Cowan’s scholarly interests include the use of standardized tests and measures to assess hand function following thermal injuries and reconstructive procedures. She teaches interventions using evidence-based practice, with a focus on musculoskeletal disorders and conditions. She acts as advisor for the Nu Chapter of Pi Theta Epsilon, the national occupational therapy honor society. Additionally, she maintains active clinical practice in an out-patient hand clinic and in a pediatric burn hospital setting.

Dr. Cowan is a board certified Hand Therapist and Occupational Therapist. She is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions. Honors include Academy of Master Clinicians (lifetime member); Scientific Session Reviewer at the Texas Occupational Therapy Association Mountain Central Conference, Section Moderator during the 18th Annual Conference on Innovations in Sports Medicine, Examination Reviewer Course panel participant at the Texas Occupational Therapy Association, and Pi Theta Epsilon Occupational Therapy Honor Society (lifetime member).

Dr. Cowan holds professional membership in American Occupational Therapy Association, American Society of Hand Therapists, Texas Occupational Therapy; Texas Society for Hand Therapy, and the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy.

Professor and Chief, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery

Dr. DeAnda is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Heart Association. He is actively involved in a number of national societies, including the American Heart Association, where he serves on the Surgical Council Leadership committee; the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He also has committee responsibilities with the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and serves as Chairman of a Drug Safety Monitoring Board for a current FDA trial. He also currently sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Dr. Hassan Harirah is a Professor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Education , division of Maternal Fetal Medicine.  Dr. Harirah specializes  in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine.  His clinical interests include Fetal Prenatal Diagnosis, Fetal Therapy, Preterm Birth, Management of High-Risk Pregnancies, and Teaching Operative Vaginal and Breech.  Some of Dr. Harirah's research interests include Multicenter Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units and Obstetric-Fetal Phramacology Research Units.

Dr. Harirah received his medical degree with honors from Tanta University of Medicine in Tanta, Egypt.  He completed his residency at The New York Univeristy of Medicine at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY and at the New York Medical College, Lincoln Medical Health Center in the Bronx, NY.  Dr. Harirah completed a fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT.

Dr. Hassan Harirah is a member of the Academy of Master Teachers and is the recipient of the Golden Apple Award for outstanding faculty teacher at the University of Texas Medical Branch among many other honors.

Pediatrics - Neonatology, SOM

Sunil Jain, MD, received his M.B.B.S. from Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, India. He completed his Pediatric Residencies at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL. He completed a Neonatal Fellowship at the Royal Women's Hospital & Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, Australia and B.C.'s Children's Hospital, Vancouver & Foothills Hospital, Calgary, Canada.

Dr. Jain is board certified with the American Board of Pediatrics and Subspecialty Board in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Honors at UTMB include the Golden Rattle Award – Excellence in Clinical Teaching; Special Recognition - Outstanding Mentorship of a Resident Scholarly Project; Pediatric Educator Award Excellence in Residency Education, Excellence in Clinical Teaching – John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine and Educator of the Month – January 2015 Academy of Master Teachers.

Dr. Jain holds professional membership in the Society or Pediatric Research, Texas Pediatric Society and Southern Society of Pediatric Society.

Public Health, SON

Cheryl A. Juneau, DrPH, RN, FNP-C, received her BSN from the University of St. Thomas, her MPH in International and Family Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health, her MSN in Advance Practice Nurse/Family from the University of Texas Medical Branch and her DrPH in International and Family Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health.

Dr. Juneau has conducted research and authored and co-authored journal articles in The Online Journal of Advance Nursing Practice and The Journal of Nurse Practitioners.

Dr. Juneau is a board certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners as a Family Nurse Practitioner and Texas Board of Nurse Examiners as a Register Nurse.

Dr. Juneau holds professional membership in the Texas Nurse Practitioners. Honors include Faculty of the Year 2011 and 2013 and was awarded the Jesse and Alicia Dunn Endowed Professorship in Nursing.

Pediatrics, SOM

William Mize, MD, earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine, where he also completed his pediatric residency and a one-year fellowship in developmental pediatrics. He also completed an additional three years of fellowship training in behavioral and developmental pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Mize is interested in complementary medicine, nutrition and neuro-feedback as adjuncts to traditional care. His research interests include nutrition and essential fatty acids in brain development, brain biofeedback treatments for children with ADHD, and screening for learning disabilities.

Dr. Mize is certified in the subspecialty of developmental and behavioral pediatrics. Prior to joining UTMB, Dr. Mize was in clinical practice at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine in Peoria, caring for children with developmental delay, ADHD with co-morbidities, autism spectrum disorders, behavior problems and psychosomatic problems.

He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of a number of professional organizations, including the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders.

Obstetrics/Gynecology and Anesthesiology, SOM

Luis D. Pacheco, MD is Associate Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Anesthesiology. Dr. Pacheco received his medical degree from the University of Costa Rica in 1996. He completed his internship and residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 2000,where he also earned fellowships in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Anesthesia Critical Care. 

His specialties include Anesthesia Critical Care and Maternal Fetal Medicine (OB/GYN). He is board certified in both Obstetrics & Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology and also in Critical Care Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology Examination/American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Pacheco has been a UTMB faculty member since 2008. He is a member of the Donor Council Committee and is the Director of the Residency Education Program, Surgical Intensive Care Unit. He is the Departmental Director of Obstetrical Patient Safety and Chair of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Clinical Competency Committee.

Dr. Pacheco has received numerous teaching awards for Excellence in Medical School Training. He is a journal reviewer for the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology; American Journal of Perinatology Repertory Care Journal, Anesthesia & Analgesia, and the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is also a reviewer for Obstetrics, Maternal Fetal Medicine and Obstetrical Critical Care for Oak Stone Medical Publishing Continuous Medical Education Program – OB/GYN Practical Reviews.

Dr. Panchbhavi is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with a special interest in Foot and Ankle Surgery. He qualified as a physician in 1986, and obtained a postgraduate degree, Master of Science in Orthopedics, from the Osmania University, Hyderabad, India, in 1989. He received five years of additional postgraduate training in Orthopedics and Trauma in the United Kingdom. He completed a one-year subspecialty fellowship in Foot and Ankle Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA

He earned additional credentials awarded by the certifying bodies of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and England, namely, FRCSEd (Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh), FRCS (Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons, England) and by the American College of Surgeons, namely, FACS (Fellow, American College of Surgeons). He is currently Board Certified with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS).

Linda G. Phillips, MD, Truman G. Blocker, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Chair; Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery, attended medical school at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. She completed her residency program at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (Plastic Surgery); and Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois (General Surgery).

Dr. Phillips’ special interests are the healing of difficult wounds; body contouring after massive weight loss; reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgery; and cosmetic facial and body contouring of all types. Research projects are biology of surgical infection; use of pharmaceuticals to decrease post-operative nausea and vomiting; and complications/outcomes in body contouring after massive weight loss.

Throughout her career, Dr. Phillips has received a number of accolades. She has been included in the Best Doctors in America database, was listed in the Guide to America's Top Surgeons, was named a Texas Top Doc and was recognized by Texas Monthly as a Texas Super Doctor. She was honored with the Young at Heart award from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Distinguished Service Award from the Plastic Surgery Foundation.

Dr. Phillips is a member of 25 professional organizations, including the American Surgical Association, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the American Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons, the Society of University Surgeons, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Association for Hand Surgery, the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons and the Singleton Surgical Society. She is a fellow of both the American Association of Plastic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. She has served as President or Chair of the Association of Women Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the Plastic Surgery Foundation, the American Council of Academic Surgeons and the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Department Physical Therapy, SOM

Jeanne Smith, PT, DPT, OSC, SCS, MTC, STC, is a senior physical therapist in the Galveston Outpatient OT/PT Clinic. Dr. Smith completed her Masters in PT from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY and her transitional DPT from the University of St. Augustine (Florida). 

She is the Clinical Coordinator and a faculty member for the Orthopedic Residency Program. She conducts labs for the spine components of the residency program and mentors throughout the program. She performs running video analysis for both patients and healthy runners to improve form efficiency.

She attained her Orthopedic Certified Specialist (OCS) credentials through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, her Sports Certified Specialist (SCS) through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, her Manual Therapy Certification through the University of St. Augustine (Florida) in 2009, and her Sports Therapy Certification (STC) from North American Sports Medicine Institute. Honors include UTMB 2014 Foster Boston Memorial Award-Physical Therapy Department Annual Award.

Dr. Smith holds professional membership in the American Physical Therapy Association, the Texas Physical Therapy Association and Current APTA Section Membership: Orthopedic Section, Sports Section.

Department of Surgery, SOM

Laith Alzweri, MD, MRCS, FERCSM, is the Director of Men's Health and Assistant Professor of Urology at the Division of Urology, Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He graduated from the school of medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan and completed internship, general surgery and urology residency in the UK.

Following residency, he completed three fellowships, Sexual Medicine and Reconstructive Genitourinary Surgery at the Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, Andrology and Prosthetic Urology at Tulane University Medical Centre, New Orleans, LA and Endourology and Robotics at Tulane University Medical Centre, New Orleans, LA. He is also a Fellow of the European College of Sexual Medicine (FECSM) and a member of the University of Texas Medical Branch Provost Academy of Master Clinicians.

Dr Alzweri has authored several publications in the fields of sexual medicine and andrology, he is also a member of the American Urological Association (AUA), Royal College of Surgeons of England, Society of Sexual Medicine North America (SMSNA) and the International Society of Sexual Medicine (ISSM).