USA Department of Psychiatry Faculty
Academic Faculty
Sandra Parker, M.D.
Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Professor of Psychiatry
Chief Medical Officer, AltaPointe Health
Dr. Parker graduated from the University of Alabama in 1982 with an Honors degree in Biology. She attended medical school and completed residency training in psychiatry at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham. She completed her fellowship in child/adolescent psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for the Health Sciences in Little Rock. As a second year resident, she was awarded her department's Most Outstanding Resident Award, and as a fellow, she was awarded her department's Most Outstanding Child Fellow Award. She is dual certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in adult psychiatry and child/adolescent psychiatry. In addition to her role as vice-chair for the department of psychiatry, Dr. Parker also serves as chief medical officer for AltaPointe Health. During her tenure, the organization has grown from 300 employees to more than 750 employees. Dr. Parker has received numerous honors and awards throughout her career. She has served as president of the Alabama Psychiatric Physicians Association, a district branch of the American Psychiatric Association. In 2007, she was named an Alabama Health Care Hero by the Alabama Hospital Association. She was appointed by Alabama Governor Bob Riley to serve as a member of the Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council, a position she still holds. She serves as an adjunct faculty member in the USA College of Allied Health Professions, Department of Physician Assistant Studies, and in the USA College of Nursing. She has served as a member of the USA Center for Healthy Communities Advisory Committee. Past appointments include the Mercy Medical Advisory Board, the Mayor's Transitional Task Force on Healthcare, and the Mobile Ballet Board of Directors. Dr. Parker's major psychiatric interests are in the fields of autism related disorders, healthcare disparities and telepsychiatry. She and her family do mission work in Ecuador and participate in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program.
J. Luke Engeriser, M.D.
Psychiatry Residency Program Director
Addiction Medicine Fellowship Director
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, AltaPointe Health
Dr. Engeriser attended medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois where he was a recipient of an NIH research grant in Molecular Biology and Environmental Pathology. His psychiatry residency training was at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. During his final year of residency, Dr. Engeriser received the Al Glass Award, the military's highest psychiatry resident research award, for his paper exploring the psychological effects of warfare. Dr. Engeriser served an additional three years in the Army at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he held the position of Chief, Department of Behavioral Health. After separating from the Army, Dr. Engeriser was Medical Director of Mid-Coast Mental Health Center/PenBay Psychiatry in Rockland, Maine. Prior to attending medical school, he completed a Master of Arts in Divinity at the University of Chicago in the History of Religions and worked as a teacher of English at the Teacher Training College in Torun, Poland. Dr. Engeriser is a past President of the Alabama Psychiatric Physicians Association and is currently the President-elect of the Alabama Society of Addiction Medicine. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is board certified in Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. Dr. Engeriser received the Red Sash Award from the USA medical student classes of 2013, 2014, and 2016 for making significant contributions to their medical education, and he was awarded the American Psychiatric Association Assembly Resident-Fellow Section Mentor Award in 2014.
J. Clint Moore, D.O.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Director
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Moore attended the University of Alabama for his undergraduate studies where he received a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology. He then obtained a master’s degree from the University of South Alabama in applied psychology. Dr. Moore attended medical school at the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of Pikeville where he served as class president. His residency training was at the University of South Alabama where he served as chief resident and completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. He has served on the executive council for the Alabama Psychiatric Physicians Association and served for several years on the Board of Censors for the Medical Association of the State of Alabama while a resident. He is board certified in general psychiatry.
Kevin Putinta, M.D.
Medical Student Clerkship Director
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Putinta graduated from the University of Alabama in Birmingham Summa Cum Laude with a degree in psychology. Following this, he attended medical school at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Putinta completed residency training at the University of Florida, where he served as both an administrative chief resident and moonlighting chief resident. During his residency training, he received the Outstanding Resident Instructor Award as well as the John E. Adams Memorial Academic Achievement Award for the highest PRITE score all four years of residency. Following completion of his residency training in 2021, Dr. Putinta completed a neuromodulation fellowship at the University of Florida, where he specialized in transcranial magnetic stimulation, intranasal esketamine, and electroconvulsive therapy as well as deep brain stimulation. His interests include electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, esketamine, psychosis, and treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Putinta is board certified in general psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
William Billett, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Billett attended a 6 year combined BS/MD program at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in 1987. Dr. Billett spent one year in General Surgery at SUNY Stony Brook, and then completed Psychiatry Residency at University of Florida where his training emphasized biological psychiatry but was also well rounded. Dr. Billett was Board Certified in General Adult Psychiatry in 1992. Dr. Billett has a strong clinical background and has had 16 years post graduate practice experience. During his career Dr. Billett has treated patients in a variety of settings including private practice, acute care hospital units, consultation and liaison, nursing homes, state hospitals, and community mental health based out patient clinics. Interests currently are focused on anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. He received the Red Sash Award from the USA medical student classes of 2014 and 2015 for making significant contributions to their medical education. Outside work, Dr. Billett is interested in aviation and is a private pilot.
Lucas Boone, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Boone graduated from the University of South Alabama Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. He attended medical school and completed residency training in psychiatry at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. During his residency training, he received awards for Resident Teacher of the Year and the PRITE Award for top score on the residency’s in-training exam. He served as chief resident in his final year of training. Dr. Boone began working for AltaPointe Health during his residency training and officially joined the medical team full-time in Summer 2021. Dr. Boone is board-certified in adult psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Bradley Brooks, D.O.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Brooks graduated summa cum laude from Saint Leo University with a degree in biological sciences. He attended medical school at Nova Southeastern University. His residency training in general psychiatry was completed at the University of South Alabama and was followed by a fellowship in Addiction Medicine. Dr. Brooks earned several accolades during his training, including resident teacher of the year and achieving the highest score on the Psychiatry Resident-In-Training Exam (PRITE). He has published on the topic of opioid prescribing practices. Dr. Brooks served as chief resident and fellow for his respective programs. He is board certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Mary Cohen-Colson, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Colson received her undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Delaware and attended medical school at Penn State University. She completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Virginia. During residency she received awards for humanitarianism and her research on cancer mortality rates in patients with schizophrenia. Since completing residency she has worked in a variety of psychiatric settings including adult and geriatric inpatient units, consultation/liaison, nursing homes and outpatient psychiatry. She remains board certified in both Internal Medicine and Psychiatry.
Robert Detrinis, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Robert Detrinis, who goes by Dr. D. graduated from the University of Texas Medical School, completed a pediatric internship at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston in the Department of Pediatrics, completed his adult psychiatric residency at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston in the Department of Psychiatry, completed a Child and Adolescent Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, and then completed a postdoctoral year in the Department of Child/Adolescent Psychiatry studying sleep disorders in children and adolescents. He is board certified in Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry. Throughout his career he has worked in several capacities including being a medical director for two psychiatric facilities, medical director of a child/adolescent residential unit, medical director of a community mental health clinic, consultant to the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners and the Louisiana Compensation Board. He has been faculty/attending at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the University of Texas Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry, MD Anderson Hospital, and most recently at Tulane School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He has been active in medical student education throughout his career and teaching psychiatric residents while receiving the Educator of the Year four times while teaching at Tulane. His areas of expertise and interests are psychopharmacology and integrating spirituality in the care of his patients. His clinical work includes taking care of the chronically mentally ill and treating outpatients with a particular focus on helping his patients find meaning and purpose in their lives. He continues to attend on the acute psychiatric units at EastPointe, has an active outpatient practice treating patients of all ages, and continues to enjoy teaching staff, medical students, and residents.
Cindy Gipson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Gipson has a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a 30-year career in mental health. Dr. Gipson has worked in the Alabama state psychiatric hospital system, and as a first responder in Central Texas doing mobile crisis outreach, assessment for commitment, and forensic evaluations. Dr. Gipson has been with AltaPointe Health for the past ten years, developing crisis and criminal justice diversion services to address the growing disparity in treatment for people living with mental illness and co-occurring disorders. Dr. Gipson has written and implemented grants for Assisted Outpatient Treatment in Mobile and Baldwin Counties and several Bureau of Justice Assistance Police Mental Health Collaborative grants. Dr. Gipson is the associate director of crisis services and heads up the Behavioral Health Crisis Center, located in Mobile, providing, 23-hour and extended observation for individuals in a behavioral health crisis. Dr. Gipson has received awards from NAMI Mobile, NAMI Baldwin, and NAMI Alabama for advocate of the year and champion for mental health.
Maria Hamilton, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Maria Hamilton graduated from Spring Hill College Cum Laude with an honors degree in biology. She attended and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Alabama, College of Medicine. Hamilton completed her residency training and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry from USA as well. During her residency, she received the Narahari Award, an award given to the student who achieves the top score on the PRITE. She is board-certified in child/adolescent psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She is board-certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Maridith Hollis, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Hollis earned a bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, TX with honors in history and psychology. She attended and completed medical school and residency training in psychiatry at University of South Alabama. During residency, Dr. Hollis served as co-chief resident and was honored with the PRITE award for the highest score on the annual residency psychiatry exam. She is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in adult and child and adolescent psychiatry. Her major psychiatric interests include treatment of psychotic and bipolar disorders, advocating for integrated care, and overcoming healthcare inequalities.
James LePage, D.O.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. LePage attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for his B.S. in Mathematics and M.S. in Math Education, after which he taught math at the college and high school level. He later attended medical school at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine where he was founder of the Neurology/Psychiatry Student Interest Group and served as President of the national Psychiatry Student Interest Group Network. He completed his residency training in Psychiatry and fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of South Alabama. During Residency, he served as the American Psychiatric Association Area 5 Resident-Fellow Member Representative, and as Chair of the Assembly Council of Resident-Fellow Members. He has a special interest in childhood trauma.
Marianne Saitz, D.O., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Saitz is originally from Pittsburgh, PA. She received a Master's of Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University in 1996 and graduated from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2000. She graduated from her Adult Psychiatry training at East Carolina University in 2004. She is board certified in Adult Psychiatry. She is board certified in adult psychiatry and addiction medicine. She has a special interest in substance abuse and is the medical director for the methadone clinic at Alta Pointe.
Christina Talerico, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Christina Talerico graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. She continued her studies at the USA College of Medicine, and graduated with her medical degree in 2012. She completed her residency training and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry from USA as well. She is board-certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
J. Hays Todd, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Todd attended Tulane University for his undergraduate studies, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and a minor in Public Health. He completed medical school at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in 2017. Dr. Todd then completed Psychiatry residency training at Tulane University School of Medicine where he was the recipient of the School of Medicine’s annual award for best Psychiatry resident instructor in 2018, as well as the award for the highest PRITE score in the residency program in 2019. He completed a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in 2022, where he served as Chief Fellow. He is board-certified in General Psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Adjunct Faculty
J. Christopher Buckley, M.D., FAPA
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Buckley is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry within the Forensic Neuropsychiatry division of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Tulane University School of Medicine, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. He is the Associate Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Buckley graduated cum laude from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology. He earned his medical degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. Dr. Buckley returned to Tulane and completed a residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in forensic psychiatry. Dr. Buckley is board certified in Psychiatry and board certified in Forensic Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Buckley has multiple publications in The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL). He is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (FAPA). His primary clinical duties include providing competency restoration treatment and long-term care of irrestorably incompetent defendants and insanity acquittees at Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System, the state forensic hospital of Louisiana. Dr. Buckley performs competency to stand trial evaluations and not guilty by reason of insanity evaluations in East Baton Rouge Parish, Lafayette Parish, and Vermilion Parish. Dr. Buckley is an active member of AAPL, serving on the Ethics Committee (2023 to present). Dr. Buckley has served on the Executive Council of the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association since 2017, where he currently serves as LPMA President-Elect (2024-2025), after serving as Treasurer (2023-2024), Secretary (2022-2023), Early Career Psychiatrist Representative (two terms, 2020-2022), Resident/Fellow Physician Representative (2018-2020), and Resident Physician Deputy Representative (2017-2018). In his free time, Dr. Buckley is active in volunteering for charitable organizations in Florida and Alabama that provide authentic summer camp experiences for children with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Rajesh Gujjula, M.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Gujjula earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Vikas Junior College in Guntur, India, and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Kakatiya Medical College in Warangal, India. Dr. Gujjula completed his residency in Family Medicine at Louisiana State University Health Science Center – Shreveport in Monroe, Louisiana. He has more than six years of experience in primary care and wound care. He has also worked in both the urgent care and inpatient settings. He is board-certified in Family Medicine.
Adrianne Lona, M.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Lona completed her undergraduate studies in Biology and Public Policy at the University of Chicago, and completed her degree in medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She completed her Adult Psychiatric residency at The Harvard Longwood Psychiatric Training Program (Brigham and Women's / Beth Israel Deaconess Hospitals). During her Child and Adolescent fellowship at Stanford University, she focused on Autism and Anxiety Disorders. Dr. Lona was a fellow at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and greatly enjoys providing direction in psychodynamic therapies to residents and fellows. Her interests include advanced psychopharmacology for children, and providing training in Cultural Psychiatry and the History of Psychiatry. She is honored and humbled to work with the incredibly talented and highly skilled Medical Students, Psychiatry Residents and Child and Adolescent Fellows at the University of South Alabama Department of Psychiatry. She is board-certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She previously had the pleasure of working as an outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with Altapointe’s Bayview Clinic in Fairhope, and is now acting as a Team Lead Psychiatrist for Lyra Health.
Sean Sinclair, M.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Sean Sinclair joined AltaPointe as a child and adolescent psychiatrist in July 2018. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and cell biology from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, and graduated summa cum laude and was named valedictorian. He earned his doctorate from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and received the Excellence in Psychiatry Award, given to one graduating medical student who through scholarship, patient care, motivation and interaction with faculty and house staff, has demonstrated excellence in psychiatry. Sinclair completed residency training and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the USA Department of Psychiatry. He is board-certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Phillip Smith, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Smith received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Texas Tech University, including a year-long pre-doctoral internship at the Southwest Consortium (University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and New Mexico VA Hospital). Dr. Smith also completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. His research and clinical interests center on the understanding, assessment, and treatment of suicidal patients.
James "Tres" Stefurak, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Stefurak received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Georgia and is a licensed psychologist in the state of Alabama. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at the University of Virginia Elson Student Health Center. At USA he holds an appointment as an Associate Professor in the Department of Professional Studies, College of Education. Dr. Stefurak serves as the Practicum/Internship Coordinator for the Community Counseling M.S. program and is on core faculty of the Community Counseling M.S. and Combined-Integrated Clinical/Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at USA. Dr. Stefurak's research and clinical interests are primarily in the area of adolescent mental health and psychological assessment and intervention practices within the juvenile justice system. He is the coordinator of the Mobile County Juvenile Court Collaborative, a research/service/training collaboration with the local juvenile court. He also has research interests in the psychology of religion as it relates to coping and help-seeking behavior. Dr. Stefurak maintains a small caseload of psychotherapy clients at the USA Psychological Clinic, and works from an integrative-prescriptive therapy approach with en emphasis on Cognitive-Behavioral and Interpersonal therapy approaches.
David Williamson, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. David Williamson is a graduate of the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL with a Ph.D. specializing in neuropsychology and medical psychology. He completed a clinical neuropsychology fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK and a neuropsychology/behavioral neurology fellowship at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Dr. Williamson has also earned an MBA from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Williamson trains residents on experimental design, evidence-based psychiatry, and neuropsychology. Dr. Williamson is board certified in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.
Kim Zlomke, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Zlomke obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in child/pediatric psychology, from Louisiana State University. She complete her pre-doctoral clinical internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in child/adolescent psychology at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital. Dr. Zlomke is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, with special interests in the areas of children, youth, and families. She has several areas of clinical interest and has expertise in assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, childhood anxiety disorders, behavioral treatment of child problems such as sleep, toileting, and habit disorders; treatment of psychosocial concerns related to pediatric chronic illness; individual and family behavioral treatment of disruptive behavior disorders and autism spectrum disorders; cognitive and achievement testing; and behavior analytic treatment and consultation. Her current research program focuses on behavioral family interventions for children with disruptive behavior and autism and investigating the role that parenting plays in young adult stress, anxiety, and loneliness.