Addiction Psychiatry Fellows
Dr. Simratdeep Sandhu
2023–2024
Born and raised in Punjab, India, Dr. Sandhu received her medical degree from Government Medical College, Patiala, and completed psychiatry residency training at Charleston Area Medical Center, West Virginia, where her interest in addiction psychiatry came from seeing a vast overlap of patients with psychiatric illnesses and substance use.
She aspires to advocate for mental health care for patients with dual diagnoses.
Dr. Joshua Walther
2023–2024
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Dr. Walther studied public health at the University of Austin and completed his medical degree at UT Health San Antonio and his public health degree at University of Texas School of Public Health. He then did his psychiatry residency at UT Southwestern. Community and public psychiatry and addiction have always been strong interests of his. Seeing how intertwined substance use disorders are with psychiatric and medical disorders--and how debilitating they can be--convinced him to pursue further training and specialization in addiction psychiatry. Outside of psychiatry, he enjoys hiking, camping, running, biking, playing with his dog, and listening to audiobooks.
Dr. Mingxu Zhang
2023–2024
Born and raised in Shandong, China, Dr. Zhang received her M.D. from Taishan Medical University, China, and Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Iowa, USA. During her psychiatry residency training at Texas Tech University Health Science Center at Permian Basin, she developed a strong interest in treating patients with dual diagnoses of mental health and substance use disorders. This passion has inspired her to pursue the addiction fellowship and a future career as a general and addiction psychiatrist in acute hospital settings.
Previous Fellows
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2011
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
2000-2001
Mark Laty, M.D.
Dr. Laty practices in Virginia.
2001-2002
Maureen Onuaguluchi, M.D.
Dr. Onuaguluchi completed the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program.
2002-2003
Hisham Ibrahim, M.D.
Dr. Ibrahim is Associate Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Ambulatory Services at UT Southwestern.
Sidarth Wakhlu, M.D.
Dr. Wakhlu is the Associate Chief of the Addiction Division and the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Director for the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern.
2003-2004
Muneeza Hayee, M.D.
Dr. Hayee works at the Bonham VA residential treatment program.
2004-2005
Arvind G. Singh, M.D.
Dr. Singh is in practice at Prince County Hospital, Summerside, Prince Edward, Canada.
Christopher Lord, M.D.
Dr. Lord has a thriving clinical practice in Charlotte, NC, where he regularly consults with the McLeod Addictive Disease Center and the Dilworth Center for Chemical Dependency and serves as a forensic consultant.
2005-2006
Glenn M. Horwitz, M.D.
Dr Horwitz is in private practice in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
2007-2008
John Christian Cather, M.D.
Dr. Cather has a psychiatric practice in Dallas, Texas.
2008-2009
Anthony Mazzarulli, M.D.
Dr. Mazzarulli practices at Green Oaks Behavioral Healthcare in Dallas, conducts research at the University of North Texas, and teaches Behavioral Science for the USMLE for Falcon Physician Reviews.
2009-2010
Soo Young Chong, M.D.
Dr. Chong practices at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.
Padmaja Puppala, M.D.
Dr. Puppala worked on the Addiction Team at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center and is now at Central Texas Healthcare System.
2010-2011
Phil Chung, M.D.
Dr. Chung is an outpatient Addiction Psychiatrist for the Puget Sound VA Health Care System.
Julie (Ross) Pittman, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Pittman is the medical director for Nexus Recovery Center and part of the UT Southwestern Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Faculty.
2011-2012
Xingchun Tang, M.D.
Dr. Tang is a staff psychiatrist at the Austin VA Community Based Outreach Clinic.
2012-2013
Julie Brown, M.D.
Dr. Brown is a staff psychiatrist at an outpatient clinic for veterans in Oregon.
Nathan Carter, D.O.
Dr. Carter has held many different professional roles since graduating from the fellowship.
2013-2014
Spencer Lee, M.D.
Dr. Lee is in private practice and is an Adjunct Faculty Member at UT Southwestern Medical School.
Jin Li, D.O.
Dr. Li is a staff psychiatrist at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX.
2014-2015
Yusra Benhalim, M.D.
Dr. Benhalim works as a medical director for Optum.
Nicholas Piotrowski, M.D.
Dr. Piotrowski is Medical Director of Addictions at Wabash Valley Alliance.
Qingman Ruan, M.D.
Dr. Ruan is an attending psychiatrist at the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD NeuroPsychiatric Center.
2015-2016
Lindsay Chapman, D.O.
Dr Chapman is a Staff Psychiatrist within the VISN 20 Health Care System.
Adriane dela Cruz, M.D.
Dr. dela Cruz is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical School, as well as Associate Program Director, General Psychiatry Residency Program; Assistant Director, Academic Colleges; and Co-Course Director, Brain and Behavior. Additionally, Dr. dela Cruz has hosted the "Yeah, No Journal Club."
Jessica Hutto, M.D.
Dr. Hutto is working at the North Texas VA Health Care System/Tyler Community Based Outpatient Clinic.
2016-2017
Nicholas Heyne, M.D.
Dr. Heyne is in private practice.
Austin Lin, M.D.
Dr. Lin is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
2017-2018
John Coleman, M.D.
Dr. Coleman works as an Army Psychiatrist in El Paso.
Paige Marnell, M.D.
Dr. Marnell is the Director of Addiction Services for Gateway Behavioral Health in Savannah, Georgia.
Zakaria Zayour, M.D.
Dr. Zayour is the head of the psychiatry department in Dar Al Shifa Hospital, Kuwait, and has an Adjunct Faculty appointment at UT Southwestern Medical School.
2018-2019
Fabrizzio A. Delgado, M.D.
Dr. Delgado is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Site Director for Fellow Pain rotation at Parkland.
Ivanshu Jain, M.D.
Dr. Jain is working as a staff psychiatrist at Terrell State Hospital.
Radha Tripuraneni, M.D.
Dr. Tripuraneni joined the VA North Texas Healthcare System, working in the outpatient Grand Prairie clinic, primarily seeing addiction patients as well as patients with psychiatric disorders.
2019-2020
Ryan Mals, M.D.
Dr. Mals is a clinical addiction psychiatrist at Presbyterian Medical Group in Albuquerque, NM, serving in a broad range of settings including IOP, inpatient, outpatient clinic, research and community outreach/education throughout the state of New Mexico.
Amit Mistry, M.D.
Dr. Mistry is an addiction psychiatrist at the Substance Treatment and Recovery Clinic in the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System.
Veronica Perez, M.D.
Dr. Perez is the Division Director of Addiction Medicine at Baylor Scott & White in Temple, TX.
2020-2021
Devin Dunatov, M.D.
Dr. Dunatov will be joining a private practice in Phoenix, AZ, doing outpatient and residential substance use treatment.
Daniel Lavin, D.O.
Dr. Lavin will be working as an addiction psychiatrist for Baylor Scott and White in Temple, Texas.
Vivek Shah, M.D.
Dr. Shah will be working as a Staff Psychiatrist at North Texas State Hospital, Wichita Falls, Texas.
2021-2022
Dr. Arqam Abdali
Staff Psychiatrist, Michael DeBakey VA Health System Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Conroe, Texas
"My clinical experiences in medical school and residency have shown me the devastation addiction brings to people's lives, and those closest to them. Meeting people where they are in their journey and helping them in the process of recovery is a very special experience. This experience is what drew me towards Addiction Psychiatry. My clinical experience in the UTSW Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship has been outstanding. I've been able to learn from wonderful faculty who have truly shown me how to care for patients with empathy, and compassion. I hope to carry this knowledge to my future clinical work."
Dr. Poorvanshi Alag
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry - Texas Tech Health Science Center, Lubbock, Texas
Dr. Vecheslav Fedorchenco
Heading Health (Treatment Resistance Depression Clinic, Private Practice)
Dr. Stephanie Joseph
Amen Clinic in Irving-Las Colinas, Texas area (Private Practice)
Dr. Timothy Saeed
Telehealth position with Talkitry
2022-2023
Dr. Rukhsar Ahmed, taking some time off before deciding on the next part of her journey in professional medicine.
Dr. Sukhmeet Bedi, working as Staff Psychiatrist at Grand River Hospital and St Mary’s General Hospital, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Jason Seymour, working at VA Outpatient Substance Use Clinic in Northern Florida.
Dr. Juan Sosa, is an Assistant Professor an UT Southwestern and on the Addiction Team at the Dallas VA.
Dr. Maria Velasco, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern, primarily working in the Parkland Outpatient Addiction Clinic.
