Child and Adolescent Services

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Children and young people are special, with unique needs and concerns. The doctors and specialists at UTMB's Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic, understand them, and we can help. Our caring physicians offer state of the art treatment in a nurturing environment. Let us help to overcome the problems that may be keeping your child or adolescent from blossoming during their critical developmental years. Let's begin healing. We offer a range of services including:

Evaluation and Diagnosis

Medical Management

Therapy

Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists

Denise Baughn, MD

Assistant Professor

Denise Baughn, MD

I am from Conway, Arkansas. I attended undergraduate at Baylor University and medical school at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. My hobbies/interests are anything Disney, particularly Disney World. I also enjoy reading and baking. I had a hard time narrowing down my interests in medical school. Ultimately, I chose a psychiatry as a field with multiple diverse practice settings. I felt I could make a difference in patients' lives and be able to see and do something new each day. I enjoy the challenge of diagnosis and complexity of patients with psychiatric illness. I choose UTMB because I was looking for a program with solid general psychiatry training and training that would allow me to feel confidant going directly into practice. I appreciated that the faculty members are approachable, and all want to participate in teaching residents. I chose to return to UTMB for Child Psychiatry training because of the expertise of the Child faculty and my positive experience during residency.

Melissa DeFilippis, MD

Director, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Melissa DeFilippis, MD

Dr. DeFiippis joined the psychiatry faculty at UTMB in 2011. She currently serves as the Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division at UTMB. She received her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and completed her general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Dr. DeFilippis directs and supervises the Department of Psychiatry’s Developmental Disorders clinic, assessing and treating patients with various neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder. She provides outpatient services to patients in the Galveston area, as well as providing services to children in underserved areas of Texas through UTMB’s telepsychiatry program. Dr. DeFilippis is active in the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association. She currently serves as the Treasurer and Secretary for the Texas Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has written several peer reviewed articles on pediatric mood disorders and on autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents, and she has been invited to speak both nationally and internationally about treatment challenges in these patient populations. Dr. DeFilippis is dedicated to residency education and teaching, and she received the excellence in resident teaching award for the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program in 2018.

Lisa Falls, MD

Associate Professor

Lisa Falls, MD

Specialties and Interests

Integrated Mental Healthcare, Tele‐psychiatry, and mental health disorders in children including ADHD, Mood
Disorders, and Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Certifications

Diplomate in Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Diplomate in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Education and Training

Undergraduate Education:
University of Texas at Austin, B.A., Biology, 1988

Medical School:
Meharry Medical College, M.D., 1994

Residency:
Ochsner Foundation Hospital, Adult Psychiatry, 1994-1997
Specialties/SubSpecialties:
University of Texas Medical Branch, Fellow, Child Psychiatry, 1997-1999

Clinic Locations

UTMB Psychiatry
Tele‐psychiatry with Alvin and Texas City Clinics
400 Texas Ave N, Suite A
Webster, TX 77598

Family Medicine, Galveston
400 Harborside Drive (3 month rotation)
Galveston, TX 77550

Family Medicine, Dickinson (3 month rotation)
2401 West FM 646, Suite C
Dickinson, TX 77539

Family Medicine, Island West (3 month rotation)
6710 Stewart Rd., Suite 100,
Galveston, TX 77555

Sayyeda Hasan, MD

Assistant Professor

Sayyeda Hasan, MD

Dr. Hasan completed her medical degree at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and went on to complete her general psychiatry residency from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Tyler. During her training, she developed an interest in childhood mental health and proceeded to complete her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UTMB.

Dr. Hasan joined the UTMB psychiatry faculty as an Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2023. She has provided telemedicine services to both children and adults during her training and is passionate about improving access to mental health care for under-served children and adolescents. In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Hasan also educates medical students, psychiatry residents and child and adolescent psychiatry fellows.

Robin Mallet, MD

Professor

Robin Mallet, MD

Undergraduate Education: Texas A & M University, left in 1984 for med school

Medical School: University of Texas Health Sciences Center- San Antonio 1984-1989

Internships: Emory University ‘89-‘90

Residency: Emory University ’90-‘91, UTMB ’91-‘92

Specialties/Sub-Specialties: UTMB’92-‘94

Medical Interests: Anxiety Disorders in Youth

Certifications: ABPN General and Child Psychiatry

Tracey Okwara, MD

Assistant Professor

Tracey Okwara, MD

Dr. Okwara graduated from Emory University with her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She received her Doctor of Medicine from Texas A&M College of Medicine and developed an interest in providing care with those struggling with their mental health. She completed her residency in General Psychiatry at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). In an interest to provide care to youth as well, she pursued and completed her fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UTMB.

Dr. Okwara was appointed faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of UTMB Psychiatry, within the division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2024. Clinically, she provides primarily outpatient services, as well as care to youth in underserved communities in the State of Texas via telepsychiatry.

Joseph Shotwell , MD

Associate Professor

Joseph Shotwell , MD

Dr. Shotwell received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). He subsequently completed his general psychiatry residency as well as his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training at UTMB. Dr. Shotwell joined the UTMB faculty in 2018. Dr. Shotwell is currently an Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Shotwell provides care to children in a variety of clinical settings including UTMB outpatient clinics, school-based clinics, and hospital consultations. His primary role at UTMB is serving as medical director of the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program delivering telemedicine services to Texas youth in the school setting. He is involved in medical student education, advising, and clinical supervision. He also serves as a clinical supervisor to psychiatry residents and fellows completing their training at UTMB.

Dr. Shotwell is active in the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as well as the Texas Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is involved in researching the effects of trauma on youth through the Texas Childhood Trauma Research Network.

Angeline Trinh, MD

Assistant Professor

Angeline Trinh, MD

Dr. Trinh joined the psychiatry faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2019. She received her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed her general psychiatry training at Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. She completed her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship training at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Dr. Trinh provides outpatient services to patients in Webster. She is involved in medical student education, advising, and clinical supervision. Dr. Trinh also serves as a clinical supervisor to psychiatry fellows completing their training at UTMB. Additionally, she provides care to children in the underserved areas of Texas via telepsychiatry.

Karen Wagner, PhD, MD

Titus H. Harris Chair, Harry K. Davis Professor, Professor & Chair Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Karen Wagner, PhD, MD

Karen Dineen Wagner, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Wagner received her medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia. She completed her residency in psychiatry with Harvard Medical School at Beth Israel Hospital and completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry with Harvard Medical School at McLean Hospital.

Dr. Wagner is an internationally recognized expert in the pharmacological treatment of childhood mood disorders. Her work has contributed to the development of evidence-based treatments for children and adolescents with major depression and bipolar disorder.

Dr. Wagner is the recipient of numerous honors, including an Honorary Doctorate from State University of New York; Distinguished Alumnus, State University of New York School of Medicine at Stony Brook; Psychiatric Excellence Award from Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians; the Klerman Senior Investigator Award from Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance; the Blanche F. Ittleson Award for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association; the Colvin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorders from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation; the Mood Disorders Research Award from the American College of Psychiatri sts; and the Edward A. Strecker Award from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Wagner has served in leadership positions in professional organizations and has been a member of the National Advisory Mental Health Council of the National Institutes of Health. She is editor of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry's Child and Adolescent Section. Dr. Wagner is President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and past President of the American Association of Directors of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Cindy Wigg, MD

Professor, Director of Residency Training Program

Cindy Wigg, MD

Undergraduate Education:
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California, B.S., Chemistry, September 1972 - June 1976 (Magna Cum Laude)

Medical School:
St. Louis University Medical School
St. Louis, Missouri, M.D., August 1976 - May 1980

Residency:
University of Texas Medical Branch
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Galveston, Texas 77550, July 1980 - June 1983

Fellowship: University of Texas Medical Branch
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Galveston, Texas 77550, July 1983 - July 1985

Specialties/SubSpecialties:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Medical Interests:
Mood and anxiety disorders in children

Certifications:
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Certificate No. 38534, November 1993
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Certificate
No. 4444, September 1997. Completed recertification, June2007.

Prior Experience Associated with other Medical Centers:
1986-87 UTHSC, San Antonio, TX

Dwight Wolf, MD

Vice Chair, Medical Director of Ambulatory Services

Dwight Wolf, MD

Dr. Wolf is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Child and Adolescent Division, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at UTMB, the Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, and an Osler Scholar in the McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine at UTMB. He attended Lamar University in Beaumont, TX, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry. Dr. Wolf attended Medical School at UTMB graduating in 1986, completed his residency in General Psychiatry in 1993 and his fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 1995. He joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry upon completion of his fellowship. He has served as the Department’s Outpatient Medical Director since 2000 and has been the Chairman of IRB‐2 since 2010. He was appointed to be the Vice Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry in 2015. He maintains an active private practice and provides clinical supervision of the Child Psychiatry fellows and medical students in the UTMB Psychiatry clinics and the St. Vincent’s Clinic. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, in General and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Wolf’s areas of research interest include Team Based Learning in Medical Student Education and the use of popular cinema in Medical Student Psychiatry Education.

Psychologists

Cody Dodd, PhD

Assistant Professor

Cody Dodd, PhD

Dr. Cody G. Dodd is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Central Michigan University, after completing his clinical internship at Boys Town, one of the nation’s largest and longest-running residential treatment communities for troubled youth. He completed a two-year fellowship at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he specialized in the assessment and treatment of children and families affected by trauma and grief.

Dr. Dodd conducts applied research related to traumatic stress and its impact on children and families. His research aims to expand established treatment approaches that predominantly target features of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but do not address other common youth reactions to trauma, such as disruptive behavior problems and substance misuse. He is currently a site principal investigator on a multi-site longitudinal study of trauma-exposed youth funded by the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC), which is a statewide initiative supportive service development and research projects designed to advance the mental health care of youth in Texas. As part of this initiative, Dr. Dodd also provides remote psychotherapy services to youth and families through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program.

E'leyna Garcia, PhD

Assistant Professor

E'leyna Garcia, PhD

Dr. E’leyna Garcia (she/her), PhD is a Licensed Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Garcia received her doctorate in clinical child psychology from Howard University in Washington, DC. She completed her pre-doctoral internship, with a child trauma specialization, at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine Multicultural Clinical Training Program. Additionally, Dr. Garcia completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine, where she specialized in providing trauma and grief clinical services for youth and families in outpatient and foster care settings. She additionally conducted research on topics including posttraumatic stress, suicidal ideation, and sleep problems in children and adolescents.

Currently, Dr. Garcia provides evidence-based assessment and treatment for Texas schools through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) initiative. Dr. Garcia aims to advance the field of clinical psychology through clinical services, research, training, and teaching. She has a specialized interest in trauma-related sleep problems among Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) youth and is dedicated to improving access to mental health care for underserved youth and families.

Kim Gushanas, PhD

Assistant Professor

Kim Gushanas, PhD

Dr. Gushanas (she/her) is a licensed child clinical psychologist and registered health service psychologist. She started in 2020 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) after completing her predoctoral internship in Pediatric Integrated Care at the Texas Child Study Center, Dell Medical School in Austin, TX and her postdoctoral fellowship in Trauma at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX. Dr. Gushanas completed her doctorate degree in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin with a specialization in child-clinical and pediatric psychology.

Dr. Gushanas’s unique experience and training background in psychology has provided opportunities to improve access to evidence-based and culturally sensitive mental health services across various populations and settings, including pediatric primary care, schools, inpatient and emergency healthcare, tertiary and specialty care, residential treatment centers, community and outpatient clinics, and telemedicine. She loves working with youth exposed to trauma, LBGTQIA+ and Transgender/Non-Binary youth, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, suicide and self-harm prevention, and parents trying to figure out how to help their kids with difficult behaviors. Her research interests have led to peer-reviewed publications and presentations in suicide prevention, health equity, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, and traumatic stress. Dr. Gushanas is excited to provide services to our patients through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) initiative as well as research investigation within the Texas Youth Depression & Suicide and Childhood Trauma Research Networks.

Dr. Gushanas is also the Chair of the Early Career Psychology Division at the Texas Psychological Association and an active member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Society of Pediatric Psychology, among others. In addition to patient services and volunteerism, Dr. Gushanas is committed to improving the quality of care for Texas youth through training and education, consultation, and public speaking. You’ll often find her talking to podcasters and media outlets about the important work she and her colleagues are doing to improve mental healthcare in Texas.

Claire Kirk, PhD

Assistant Professor

Claire Kirk, PhD

Dr. Kirk is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UTMB. She joined the psychiatry faculty at UTMB in 2021. Dr. Kirk received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Mississippi State University, and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Auburn University. She completed her predoctoral internship in Child Clinical Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Department of Psychiatry, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Trauma and Grief at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Kirk’s primary role at UTMB is providing evidence-based assessment and treatment for the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program, which delivers telemedicine services to Texas youth in the school setting. She engages in clinical work, research, teaching, and training, with the aim of advancing the field of clinical psychology, particularly as it relates to childhood trauma. She is also dedicated to improving access to mental health care for vulnerable and underserved youth.