Service Line and Support
Kala Bailey, M.D., M.B.A.
Executive Clinical Director of Neurosciences
Holder of the Drs. Anne and George Race Professorship of Student Psychiatry
Kala Bailey, M.D., M.B.A., has served as Executive Clinical Director of Neurosciences since July 2025. In her role, Dr. Bailey provides operational oversight of clinical performance for the service line. In collaboration with other executive leaders, Dr. Bailey drives strategies that promote growth, advance neuroscience initiatives, enhance performance and quality, and ensure that service and program priorities align with Health System goals.
Dr. Bailey joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2014 and serves as an Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry. She holds a secondary faculty appointment in the Department of Neurological Surgery. Her clinical expertise is in interventional psychiatry, utilizing neurostimulation and other innovative methods to treat medication-refractory mental disorders.
Dr. Bailey earned her medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School and completed her residency in psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. She is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Joshua A. Beckman, M.D., M.S.
Executive Clinical Director of Cardiovascular Service
Chief, Division of Vascular Medicine
Endowed Title: Gayle and Paul Stoffel Distinguished Chair in Cardiology
Joshua A. Beckman, M.D., M.S., has served as Executive Clinical Director of Cardiovascular Services since May 2025. Dr. Beckman provides oversight of clinical performance and is also responsible for ensuring the service line’s alignment with major Health System initiatives. He also promotes smooth coordination of activities across the system, operating units, and regional centers.
Dr. Beckman joined UT Southwestern in 2022 as the inaugural Division Chief of Vascular Medicine and is a Professor of Internal Medicine. Under his leadership, the Division of Vascular Medicine has expanded its clinical footprint and developed collaborative programs across the heart and vascular space. Dr. Beckman’s clinical expertise spans the breadth of cardiovascular and vascular disorders, including peripheral artery disease, venous thromboembolism, aortic disease, and vasculitis.
Dr. Beckman earned his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine. He completed his internship, residency, and chief residency in internal medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, followed by postgraduate fellowships in cardiovascular and vascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Scott Bennett, M.H.A.
Associate Vice President of Solid Organ Transplant
Scott Bennett is the Associate Vice President of Solid Organ Transplant at UT Southwestern Medical Center. His career spans nearly 25 years in academic medicine and 17 years in transplant leadership at UT Southwestern.
Mr. Bennett is the current President of the Texas Transplantation Society. He also serves on the board of directors of Taylor’s Gift Foundation and on the planning faculty for the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance.
Mr. Bennett holds a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio.
Mara Cunningham, D.O.
Executive Clinical Director of Primary Care
Mara Cunningham, D.O., serves as the Executive Clinical Director of Primary Care at UT Southwestern, overseeing operations for the service line and driving efforts to grow the network across the region. Dr. Cunningham leads initiatives to expand patient access, improve quality and performance, and ensure clinical excellence and patient-centered care across all primary care sites.
Dr. Cunningham joined UT Southwestern in 2022 as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and is the Medical Director of UT Southwestern Medical Center at Coppell. Before joining the faculty, she spent more than a decade in community practice. She is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and is an active member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.
She earned her medical degree at Western University of Health Sciences - College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and completed her residency training at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Priya Dandekar, M.B.A., M.H.A.
Associate Vice President of Neuroscience Clinical Programs
Priya Dandekar, M.B.A., M.H.A., is Associate Vice President for Neuroscience Clinical Programs. In coordination with the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute (OBI) and neuroscience clinical leaders, Ms. Dandekar provides administrative oversight of the clinical programs of the OBI. She collaborates closely with OBI physicians and administrative leaders to develop strategies to build and design positive patient-care experiences and outstanding care delivery.
Ms. Dandekar joined UT Southwestern in 2013 as the Associate Vice President of Surgical Services and Digestive Diseases. During her tenure in this role, she led all administrative, financial, and operational efforts in these areas. This included guiding the implementation of new technology aimed at improving patient safety and leading the surgical services design and planning efforts for the construction and subsequent expansion of William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital (CUH).
She received her Master of Healthcare Administration and Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She currently serves as a preceptor and a mentor for the UT Southwestern Administrative Fellowship Program.
Kajal Desai, M.P.A.
Associate Vice President of Radiation Oncology Services
Kajal Desai, M.P.A., joined UT Southwestern in 2016 and currently serves as Associate Vice President for Radiation Oncology Services. Ms. Desai provides operational oversight for all radiation oncology services across UT Southwestern care sites. Ms. Desai leads strategies to improve patient access to care and clinical trials, optimize care delivery, and advance our innovative treatment programs.
During her tenure, the Radiation Oncology Department clinic has expanded to over 130,000 square feet and has become one of the largest facilities of its kind in North Texas, delivering cutting-edge radiotherapy treatments. The clinic has some of the highest patient satisfaction scores at UT Southwestern. Radiation Oncology’s expansion to the Fort Worth Medical District is projected to be completed in 2028. Ms. Desai is committed to promoting quality and service and delivering demonstrable results in patient-centric care.
She earned a Master of Public Administration in Health Policy Management from New York University.
Karen Dowling, D.H.A., M.B.A.
Associate Vice President of Women’s and Infants Services
Karen Dowling, D.H.A., M.B.A., joined UT Southwestern in May 2021 and currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Women’s and Infants’ Services. In this role, she works with department chairs, clinical leadership, and executive colleagues at partner hospitals to advance clinical programs and strategic priorities. In addition, Dr. Dowling is the primary administrative lead for the Health System as part of the Joint Pediatric Enterprise for Children’s Health and UT Southwestern, in relation to maternal-child programs and neonatal network development. Her role is integral in the development and execution of programs and service development related to the new pediatric campus. Ms. Dowling has spent more than 20 years in leadership roles focused on building programs, setting standards, and developing processes that meaningfully impact patient populations.
She holds a Doctor of Health Administration from the University of Mississippi, a Master of Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University, and a Master of Speech-Language Pathology from Louisiana State University. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist and is a certified Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Jason B. Fleming, M.D., M.B.A.
Deputy Director for Clinical Affairs at Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Jason B. Fleming, M.D., M.B.A., is Deputy Director for Clinical Affairs at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC), where he directs all clinical operations and drives strategies to advance cancer care across the Health System. Dr. Fleming additionally helps to promote SCCC as a national leader in multidisciplinary, evidence-based patient care, cancer clinical trials, and novel treatment approaches.
Dr. Fleming is an internationally recognized surgical oncologist specializing in pancreatic cancer and is a Professor in the Department of Surgery. After completing training in general surgery and surgical oncology, Dr. Fleming dedicated the next 25 years of his career to caring for cancer patients at UT Southwestern, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.
Dr. Fleming earned his medical degree at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and received his Master of Business Administration from the Miami Herbert Business School.
Ashley Holroyd, Ed.D., M.Ed., B.S.I.E.
Associate Vice President of Health System Quality and Operational Excellence
Ashley Holroyd, Ed.D., M.Ed., B.S.I.E., has served as Associate Vice President of Health System Quality and Operational Excellence at UT Southwestern since March 2020. In this role, Dr. Holroyd leads strategies to advance quality, performance, and safety across the University Hospital and all ambulatory sites.
She joined UT Southwestern in 2018 after 20 years at Duke Health, where she developed extensive experience in healthcare operations, quality improvement, and performance excellence.
Ms. Holroyd earned a Doctor of Education in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University, a Master of Education in Performance and Change Management from North Carolina State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering.
A National Master Baldrige Examiner and Team Lead, Ms. Holroyd is also a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer and holds certifications as a certified professional in patient safety (CPPS), a certified patient experience professional (CPXP), and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB). She is recognized nationally for her expertise in advancing organizational performance, high reliability, and patient-centered care.
Kelly Kloeckler-Thornton, M.B.A.
Associate Vice President of Revenue Cycle Operations
Kelly Kloeckler-Thornton, M.B.A., is Associate Vice President of Revenue Cycle Operations and Assistant Health System Chief Financial Officer. The Revenue Cycle Operations team delivers strategic leadership and operational excellence across all patient services, including hospital, physician, home health, and retail pharmacy.
Ms. Kloeckler-Thornton joined UT Southwestern in 2012. During her tenure, she has led initiatives to unify facility and professional billing operations, and drives greater efficiency, accountability, and standardization across the Health System. These efforts have enhanced patient satisfaction, streamlined billing processes, and ensured that patients receive high-quality, transparent financial care.
Ms. Kloecker-Thornton holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Renuka Sundaresan, M.H.S.A.
Associate Vice President of Ambulatory Initiatives and Primary Care Services
Renuka Sundaresan, M.H.S.A., serves as Associate Vice President of Ambulatory Initiatives and Primary Care Services. Ms. Sundaresan provides strategic oversight for the Primary Care service line. In her role, she is responsible for leading strategies for primary care expansion across the region, efforts to improve patient access, and initiatives to advance uniform quality and performance.
In 2024, she helped launch UTSW’s first Executive Health Program, which she continues to oversee. Ms. Sundaresan is focused on continued innovation to ensure the service line provides exceptional service to patients and engenders their loyalty to the Health System. She is also responsible for developing strategic initiatives under Ambulatory Services leadership to help improve operational efficiencies and financial performance across UT Southwestern’s ambulatory practice.
Ms. Sundaresan joined UT Southwestern in 2019 and formerly held the role of Director of Ambulatory Services, in which she helped launch and manage several regional medical centers. Prior to joining UT Southwestern, she was an executive leader at Jefferson Health System in Philadelphia.
She earned a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan. She also holds a master’s in cell and molecular biology.
Kyle A. Taylor, M.H.S.A.
Associate Vice President of Clinical Cancer Programs
Kyle A. Taylor, M.H.S.A., serves as the Associate Vice President of Clinical Cancer Programs at UT Southwestern’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Since joining UT Southwestern in 2021, he has provided executive leadership and oversight of oncology operations across the main campus and regional sites, ensuring integration of cancer care services and programs.
Mr. Taylor is recognized for driving sustained growth in patient access, clinical activity, and key performance outcomes, while advancing the patient and caregiver experience. He partners closely with faculty and Health System leaders to strengthen the Simmons Cancer Center’s position as a national leader in high-quality, patient-centered cancer care. Simmons is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas.
Prior to joining UT Southwestern, Mr. Taylor spent more than a decade at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, most recently serving as executive director of ambulatory operations for all Houston-area locations.
He holds a Master of Health Services Administration from Georgetown University. Dedicated to health equity and cultural acumen, Mr. Taylor is passionate about leading high-performing teams and ensuring every patient and caregiver receives compassionate, world-class care.
Laura Thielemann, M.P.A.
Associate Vice President, Cardiovascular Services
Laura Thielemann, M.P.A., joined UT Southwestern in 2019 and currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Cardiovascular Services. In this role, Ms. Thielemann provides operational leadership and drives strategic initiatives aimed at advancing cardiovascular services across the Health System. She collaborates closely with fellow Health System executives to expand cardiovascular programs and enhance care delivery. Her leadership ensures the coordination and optimization of cardiovascular care, supporting excellence in clinical outcomes and the patient experience.
During her tenure, the Heart and Vascular service line earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval as a Comprehensive Cardiac Center (CCC) – a distinction held by only 24 hospitals nationwide.
Ms. Thielemann holds a Master of Public Administration from Eastern Washington University.
DuWayne Willett, M.D., M.S.
Associate Vice President and Chief Health Informatics Officer
Endowed Title: Haberecht Family Chair in Medical Informatics, in Honor of DuWayne Willett, M.D.
DuWayne Willett, M.D., M.S., is Associate Vice President and Chief Health Informatics Officer. Dr. Willett guides the Health System’s technology strategy to ensure integrated tools help advance clinical processes. He and his informatics team focus on improving the clinician and patient experience by using the electronic health record system to leverage artificial intelligence for both clinical care and intelligent automation systemwide, and to iteratively enhance the quality of electronic health data to support clinical-translational research and real-time clinical decision support. As part of his early work, he led teams developing the information systems and database for the groundbreaking Dallas Heart Study and the beginnings of the university’s Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW).
Dr. Willett is a board-certified cardiologist and Professor of Internal Medicine. He specializes in general and noninvasive cardiology.
Dr. Willett graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Boston Medical Center and gained advanced training through a fellowship in cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He additionally holds a Master of Science in Information Systems from Drexel University and a Master of Medical Management from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Parsia A. Vagefi, M.D.
Executive Clinical Director, Solid Organ Transplant
Endowed Title: Ernest Poulos, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Surgery
Parsia Vagefi, M.D., has served as Executive Clinical Director for Solid Organ Transplant since January 2025. The SOT program at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital has been the largest transplant program in North Texas since 2020. In his role, Dr. Vagefi ensures services are aligned with key Health System priorities by collaborating closely with respective clinical chairs and external clinical partners to maintain seamless integration of activities across the Health System, operating units, and regional centers.
Dr. Vagefi joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2018 as Chief of the Division of Surgical Transplantation. Dr. Vagefi also serves as Professor and Executive Vice Chair of Strategy and Finance in the Department of Surgery. His clinical expertise is in liver transplantation, complex hepatobiliary surgery, and the development of patient-centric, value-based care models in transplantation.
Dr. Vagefi earned his medical degree at Yale School of Medicine and completed a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellowship at Harvard Medical School. He completed his residency in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and gained advanced training through a fellowship in abdominal transplant at the University of California, San Francisco.