Office of Institutional Compliance Leadership and Attorneys
Toby Boenig, JD
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer
trboenig@utmb.edu
Tobin (Toby) R. Boenig, J.D., is responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining an effective compliance program at UTMB. He monitors and reports results of compliance efforts across the institution and provides guidance to executive management regarding compliance issues and requirements, as well as regulatory law advice.
Prior to UTMB, Toby served as a Compliance Attorney at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (M. D. Anderson) in the Institutional Compliance Office and was responsible for providing legal research and analysis in privacy and corporate compliance matters. Toby also chaired M. D. Anderson’s multi-disciplinary Privacy Compliance Committee. After finishing law school, Toby worked as an associate in the Health Section of Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P. He also co-authored “Research Institutions Under Scrutiny - Reimbursement, Compliance Issues, and the False Claims Act,” which was published in the October 2005 issue of Aspen Publishers’ Reimbursement Advisor. Toby received his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law.
Brad Willbanks, JD, MBA
Associate Vice President and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer
btwillba@utmb.edu
Brad T. Willbanks serves as the Associate Vice President and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer for the Office Institutional Compliance. He formerly was in private practice concentrating on healthcare law, contractual issues, and medical malpractice defense before going “in-house” for a large regional healthcare system in South Carolina where he served as the Chief Compliance Officer and In-House Legal Counsel.
Brad left South Carolina and came to the University in the fall of 2010. He assists Toby Boenig with the planning, implementing and maintaining of an effective compliance program at UTMB. He especially focuses on billing compliance issues but also monitors and reports results of compliance efforts across the institution. He provides guidance and regulatory advice to executive management regarding compliance issues and requirements. Brad holds a BS degree in Business Administration, a JD, and an MBA all from the University of South Carolina. Brad is licensed to practice law in both Texas and South Carolina, the United States District Courts, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Craig Conway, JD, LL. M
Associate Vice President, Institutional Compliance
craig.conway@utmb.edu
Craig Conway serves as an Associate Vice President for Institutional Compliance for The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). He focuses primarily on the areas of research compliance,ethics, and conflicts of interest. Craig left his private law practice in Mississippi to obtain an LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Health Law at the University of Houston Law Center. He subsequently served as a research faculty member and Health Law and Policy Analyst for the University of Houston's Health Law & Policy Institute and a contracts and compliance manager at Rice University prior to joining UTMB in 2011.
Craig holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law. Craig is licensed to practice law in Mississippi and Texas.
Roshann Cardenas, JD
Sr. Compliance Attorney
rscarden@utmb.edu
Roshann Cardenas, J.D. serves as a Sr. Compliance Attorney for the University of Texas Medical Branch. She is responsible for investigating allegations that come through the Fraud and Abuse Hotline as well as assisting with various other compliance matters.
Prior to joining UTMB, Roshann was a civil litigation defense attorney, specializing in the fields of personal injury defense, including products liability defense and premises liability defense. Roshann also has prior experience with various healthcare compliance issues.
Roshann holds a B.S. in Psychology from University of Houston Clear Lake and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law. Roshann is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas as well as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Morgan Gullatt, JD
Compliance Attorney
mrgullat@utmb.edu
Morgan R. Gullatt, J.D., serves as a Compliance Attorney for the University of Texas Medical Branch, focusing on the planning, implementing and management of the institution's conflict of interest program as well as assisting with the institution's research compliance program.
Prior to joining UTMB, Morgan practiced as a civil litigation attorney at a law firm in Houston. Morgan is a licensed attorney in Texas and Louisiana. She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in French from Louisiana State University and a J.D. and Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law from the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center. During law school, Morgan served as a Graduate Editor of the LSU Law Center’s Journal of Civil Law Studies.
Cecily G. Martinez, JDCompliance Attorney and Privacy Officer
cegmarti@utmb.edu
Cecily G. Martinez, J.D., serves as a Compliance Attorney and Privacy Officer for the University of Texas Medical Branch. She is responsible for providing legal advice to the UTMB workforce relating to HIPAA and FERPA compliance and investigates privacy incidents and complaints. Additionally, she is responsible for reviewing, drafting and implementing institutional policies and procedures to ensure that UTMB remains in compliance with federal and state law and UT System requirements, as well as assisting with various other compliance matters.
Prior to joining UTMB, Cecily served as a program manager in the Information Security Department at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She also held positions as assistant counsel with the Texas Education Agency and as a staff attorney with the Texas Department of Insurance primarily focusing on compliance in both agencies. Cecily has been an active member of the Association of Women Attorneys for several years and has served on the board in various capacities.
Cecily holds a B.B.A from Baylor University and a J.D. from Whittier Law School. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas.
Mari Robinson, JD
Sr. Compliance Attorney
mariobi@utmb.edu
Mari Robinson joined University of Texas Medical Branch in October of 2016. She currently serves as Sr. Compliance Attorney and provides legal advice and counsel regarding aspects of regulatory and administrative law for UTMB. Prior to joining UTMB, Mari worked at the Texas Medical Board as the Executive Director. Mari received her JD from University of Texas School of Law. She was licensed to practice law by the State of Texas in 1999.
Brenna Thiem, MHA, RHIT, CPC, COC, CPC-I
Executive Director, Billing Compliance
bthiem@utmb.edu
Brenna Thiem is the Executive Director of Billing Compliance. She has worked in healthcare for thirty years and has extensive experience in leadership, coding, documentation, provider education, billing, and denials management. She spent seven years at Texas Children's Hospital and is in her twenty-third year at UTMB. Brenna holds a master's in healthcare administration (MHA) and a bachelor's degree in healthcare services from the University of Houston Clear Lake. She holds coding certifications from the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). She has an in-depth knowledge of healthcare regulations and billing requirements, which helps her provide direct oversight of billing compliance at UTMB. One of her priorities is to scope audits strategically based on current risk analysis to ensure documentation and billing support regulatory and coding requirements. With audit outcomes, there is often opportunity; therefore, we focus on identifying the root cause of any audit finding and work collaboratively to communicate promptly to prevent future issues while working to implement corrective action. Brenna and her team strive to be one of the pillars of support for all staff and providers at UTMB. Please don't hesitate to contact bcaudit@utmb.edu for any coding, billing, or documentation questions.