Faculty ScholarsJohn P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine

Dr. Lem, as he is commonly known, is a Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Pediatric Hospitalist Physician whose clinical practice is focused on General Pediatric Inpatient Care, improving the efficiency and quality of care of children hospitalized with common, serious infections, including pneumonia, meningitis and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. He frequently travels overseas with various health organizations, including UTMB Global Health. He received his medical degree from Central America Health Science University, Belize.

He completed his residency in Pediatrics at Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois. He went on to complete fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Disease at the University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville. Upon completing his fellowship, he joined UTMB as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics in 2008.

Medical/Professional School: Medicine, Central America Health Science University - Ladyville, Belize, MD, 2001

Residencies: Pediatrics, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine - Maywood, IL, 2005

Fellowship: University of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida- 2008

Dr. Ashraf Aly is a professor of in the departments of Pediatrics and Ob/Gyn at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston Texas. He is the director of Pediatric Cardiology and fetal Cardiology programs. He received his M.D. from Cairo University School of Medicine in Cairo, Egypt and completed his Pediatric residency at Penn State University, Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania and Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship at Michigan Children’s Hospital, Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He received his Ph.D. in Genetics from the George Washington University in Washington DC. He also received two master’s Degrees in Biochemistry and Microbiology.

Since his arrival at UTMB in 2003, Dr. Aly has been busy rebuilding a thriving Pediatric and fetal Cardiology programs that provide clinical services to patients with congenital heart diseases from fetal life throughout adulthood. He is very passionate about teaching medical students and pediatric residents many of whom choose a career in Pediatric Cardiology and are currently practicing throughout the country. He received many teaching awards such as:  Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award; established by UTMB’s John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine, Educator of the Month Award, Excellence in Medical Student Education Award and Outstanding Mentorship of Resident Scholarly Project Award. He is also one of America’s Top Pediatric Cardiologists. He has about 40 peer reviewed publications and over 100 presentations in national and international conferences. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Echocardiography. 

Dr Aly is a member of both the UTMB Academy of Master Teachers and the Academy of Master Clinicians, in addition to the faculty Senate, admission and academic progress committees. He is well travelled to the four corners of the world and had been involved in many medical and educational missions in Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, and other countries. He was recently inducted and a faculty scholar in the John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine.

Dr. Farr is a native of Louisiana, graduating from Louisiana State University with a degree in Finance and an Internal Audit minor. He worked in business prior to completing his M.D. / MPH Dual Degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He completed his residency through the Harvard Medicine-Pediatrics program at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Farr is an Assistant Professor practicing Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and plans to pursue research in health care delivery models in community settings and practice medical education.

Medical/Professional School:

University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston, TX, MD, 2011

Public Health, University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston, TX, MPH, 2011

Residencies:

Internal Medicine - Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard - Boston, MA, 2015

Certifications:

American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine

American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatrics

Dr. Sandra “Sunny” Hatch, joined UTMB in 1997 and currently serves as the professor and chair ad interim for the Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Hatch’s practice is centered on the care of patients with breast and gynecological malignancies, with her research focused primarily on minimizing toxicity and enhancing the quality of care and outcomes for these patients. Prior to joining UTMB, she was in private practice in Houston for six years. Dr. Hatch received her undergraduate degree in engineering from Tennessee Technological University, her doctorate in medicine from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and spent a transitional year at Central Texas Medical Foundation at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin before completing her residency training at UTMB and Baylor.

In 2003, Dr. Hatch was awarded the Ruth Levy Kempner Professorship in Breast Cancer, and in 2007 she was named to the Irma Labardini Mendoza and Jesse Jesus Mendoza Chair in Breast and Gynecologic Malignancies, which was established to recognize the care Dr. Hatch delivered. In 2012, this endowed position was elevated to Distinguished Chair by Mrs. Delores Mendoza, further honoring the family and the patient-centered approach to care by Dr. Hatch. Dr. Hatch continues to hold the Mendoza chair and in 2017 she was named the John Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair in Radiation Therapy. She was inducted as part of the first group of clinicians to the UTMB Academy of Master Clinicians, where she currently serves as director of the Executive Committee.

Dr. Hatch also has been listed in multiple venues for her patient care, including Best Doctors in America, Texas Monthly’s Super Doctors, Houstonian Magazine’s Top Doctors and Consumer’s Research Council of America: Top Oncologists and Top Radiologists.

This year, she was also honored as a recipient of the Roberto Logano MD Award and Lectureship for Professionalism in Medicine and has received honorary fellowship in the American College of Radiology, an honor which places her in the Top 10 percent of radiation oncologists in the U.S.

In addition to her exceptional work in patient care and research, Dr. Hatch is also a respected and much-beloved educator. She has been honored multiple times as Educator of the Year by the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology and has previously received the Excellence in Teaching Award from this Academy.

Dr. Lee joined UTMB in 2002, and is a professor of surgery and the director of the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program, while also practicing at Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston and UTMB. Over the past 16 years, Dr. Lee has worked tirelessly for burn patients and has been involved in every aspect of burn care. Over the past decade, he’s also been co-investigator for numerous clinical studies, focusing especially on nutrition, resuscitation and wound healing as they relate to burn recovery. Prior to joining UTMB, he completed his residency in general surgery at Temple University in Pennsylvania, earned his medical degree from the Temple University School of Medicine and his bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan. In addition, he’s served as EMT Medical Director for the 433rd Medical Squadron of the U.S. Air Force Reserve at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

Working tirelessly to improve the health and lives of the local community and for people around the world—especially children, Dr. Lee takes great personal care for his patients. As a skilled and dedication surgeon, Dr. Lee has most distinguished himself from his peers in the great care taken to preserve tissues that can durably remain alive for his patients, one of the many complexities presented by burn surgery. In addition, he makes time daily to teach medical students the principles of burn care and surgery, encouraging their participation in all aspects of burn care including in the operating room. His work to teach others has led to numerous honors and accolades over the years, including being recognized with the Department of Surgery’s Outstanding Teacher Award five different years. On several occasions, Dr. Lee has also traveled across the globe—on very short notice—to the scene of disasters to help treat burn victims.

Dr. Premal Patel is a board-certified Physician and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. She also serves as the Associate Director of the Global Health Education Program at UTMB and is co-coordinator of the Global Health Inter-Professional Core Course. She earned an M.D. degree from UTMB and completed her Residency and Internship from the Warren Alpert School of Brown University. She has received accreditation though the American Academy of HIV Medicine as an HIV Specialist. She also holds a master's degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics.

Dr. Patel's special interests include HIV/AIDS in the developing and developed world, Preventive Care for HIV-Infected Patients, Patient Centered Medical Home and global health. Prior to joining UTMB, Dr. Patel served as an internist in the Pediatric AIDS Corps in Gaborone, Botswana through the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative and Baylor College of Medicine.

Richardson has served UTMB as an instructor, clinician, administrator and researcher for more than 26 years.

She maintains an active schedule at the university, serving as medical director for Inpatient Services of UTMB hospitals, vice chair of the Pediatrics Department , director of the Neonatology Division and medical director of the Infant Special Care Unit and Newborn Nursery. Richardson is also the UTMB institutional emergency preparedness officer and holds the John Sealy Centennial Chair in Neonatology and is a professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology.

She has been honored for her teaching enthusiasm, receiving the Golden Rattle Award for Excellence in Teaching, Pediatrics Department, in 1979 and 2000. Richardson received the Nicholas and Katherine Leone Award for Administrative Excellence in 1996 and was listed among the "Best Doctors in America, 1996-1997." She also was the keynote speaker for the 1999 UTMB "White Coat Ceremony," when incoming students receive white coats to symbolize the start of their medical education.

Dr. Arsalan Saleem is an Assistant Professor in the department of Radiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He is the Program Director of the Integrated Interventional Radiology Residency Program and Associate Program Director the Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program respectively.

Dr. Saleem earned his medical degree in Punjab, Pakistan. He completed his General Surgery Internship at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation before joining the Radiology Residency program at UTMB in 2016. During his time at UTMB, Dr. Saleem has been awarded many honors, including but not limited to: The John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine Thayer Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award (2021), John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award (2022).