Eric Lawitz, MD
Texas Liver Institute (San Antonio)
VP, Scientific and Research Development
Professor of Medicine UT Health San Antonio
Dr. Eric Lawitz is Vice President of Scientific and Research and founder of the Texas Liver Institute. Prior to joining Texas Liver Institute, Dr. Lawitz spent 11 years at Brooke Army Medical Center in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology where he served in many teaching and academic positions.
Dr. Lawitz has conducted extensive research in Hepatology, authored over 300 publications and presented his work at both national and international medical meetings. He is internationally recognized for his work in liver disease research and teaching.
Dr Lawitz also serves as a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center as a member of the hepatology faculty. He attends outpatient clinics.
Fred Poordad, MD
Texas Liver Institute (San Antonio and Austin)
VP, Academic and Clinical Affairs
Chief, Hepatology University Transplant Center
Professor of Medicine UT Health San Antonio
Dr. Fred Poordad is Vice President of Academic and Clinical Affairs and founder of the Texas Liver Institute. Dr. Poordad spent 11 years as the Chief of Hepatology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center prior to joining TLI in 2012.
Dr. Poordad sits on many national committees for the AASLD and ACG, and has authored over 300 papers and book chapters. He is internationally recognized for his work in liver disease research and teaching.
Dr Poordad also serves as a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and as Chief, Division of Hepatology in the Liver Transplant Center. Dr. Poordad attends both inpatient and outpatient services at UTHSCSA.
Carmen Landaverde, MD
Texas Liver Institute (Austin)
Director, Metabolic Liver Disease Program
Assistant Professor of Medicine UT Health San Antonio
Dr. Carmen Landaverde is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at University of Texas Health San Antonio. She also serves as the Director of the Metabolic Liver Disease Program at The Texas Liver Institute (TLI).
Prior to joining TLI, Dr. Landaverde completed her Gastroenterology and Hepatology fellowships at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and her Transplant Hepatology fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Landaverde has tremendous experience in all forms of liver disease and is a highly regarded physician leader, educator, and mentor. She has close to 15 years of clinical experience in transplant hepatology. Her research interests include fatty liver disease, autoimmune liver disorders, drug induced liver injury, end-stage liver disease and liver transplantation. She has authored and co-authored review articles on the management of fluid retention and cirrhosis, NAFLD and nutrition, outcomes in liver re-transplantation and the optimization of hepatitis C treatment.
Dr. Landaverde is fluent in Spanish and has been doing medical missions in Central America for close to 10 years. On a personal note, she’s an avid cyclist. In her free time, Dr. Landaverde enjoys cycling, traveling volunteering in community-based organizations through her church.
Kermit “Vince” Speeg, MD
Texas Liver Institute Faculty
Medical Director, Adult Liver Transplantation University Transplant Center
Professor of Medicine University of Texas Science Center
Dr. Speeg received his graduate degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas and his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, Texas. He completed his internship, residency and gastroenterology training at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, TN. He manages the pre-operative assessment of liver transplant candidates and post-operative phases including medical follow-up in the outpatient settings.
Juan Guerrero, MD
Texas Liver Institute Faculty
Hepatologist, Adult Liver Transplantation University Transplant Center
Assistant Professor of Medicine University of Texas Science Center
Dr. Guerrero received his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in 1999. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association. Dr. Guerrero is currently conducting several clinical trials to help improve the care of post-transplant patients.
Fabian Rodas, MD
Texas Liver Institute (San Antonio)
Director, Transplant Services
Assistant Professor of Medicine UT Health San Antonio
Dr. Rodas received his medical degree from the University of Cuenca in Ecuador. After graduating, he became the director of a rural health center in Cuenca and was responsible for the medical care of patients locally and as well as the coordination of referrals to subspecialists. Dr. Rodas completed his internal medicine training through the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York and his transplant hepatology training through the Carolinas Healthcare System in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dr. Rodas has a special interest in liver transplant outcomes as well as the study of portal hypertension and decompensated liver disease. While at the Carolinas Healthcare System, his research included studying the natural history of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Dr. Rodas’ fluency in Spanish, international medical outreach experience and strong medical training are highly regarded and we are thrilled to have him as part of our medical team.
Eugenia Tsai, MD
Texas Liver Institute (San Antonio)
Transplant Hepatologist
Assistant Professor of Medicine UT Health San Antonio
Dr. Tsai completed her internal medicine residency at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, followed by a gastroenterology fellowship at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a transplant hepatology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, New York.
Some of Dr. Tsai’s interests within liver disease include management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), complications of cirrhosis and nutrition in liver disease. She has authored and co-authored publications and abstracts on liver disease topics.
Dr. Tsai is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).
Dr. Tsai is excited to be in San Antonio and to practice her passion for treating individuals with liver disease.
Maria Theresa Castillo, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Theresa joined TLI in 2010. Prior to joining TLI, Theresa had extensive training in gastroenterology and hepatology while working for a total of six years at San Antonio Gastroenterology Associates and Brooke Army Medical Center.
Theresa teaches and is involved in TLI educational initiatives to educate other health care providers and trainees. She is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and licensed by the Texas Medical Board.
Rossalynn Salcido, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Rossalynn joined TLI in August 2014. She is a graduate from the UTHSCSA PA Studies Program and is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Prior to becoming a physician assistant, she worked as a medical assistant in cardiology for over 3 years.
Emma Pham, MPAS, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Emma Pham, PA-C, is a certified physician assistant and the Program and Physician Services Manager at the Texas Liver Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
In 2009, Emma received a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University in followed by a Bachelors in Nursing from the UT Health San Antonio in 2011. She remained in San Antonio as an adult and pediatric critical care nurse at University Health Systems. In addition to her nursing duties, Emma was responsible for mentoring nursing students and training newly hired nurses.
Emma continued her medical training and in 2015 received a Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from UT Health San Antonio. She is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and licensed by the Texas Medical Board. Since May 2015 she has been caring for patients at the Texas Liver Institute. She also serves as the Program and Physician Services Manager and works in partnership with UT Health San Antonio and University Transplant Services in program building.
Emma is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). She enjoys teaching and has served as faculty at multiple conferences.
Emma is fluent in English and Vietnamese.
Christy Rosas, MPAS, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Christy Rosas joined TLI in 2015. She works in the hepatology clinic and as a Sub-Investigator in the clinical research department. Christy is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and licensed by the Texas Medical Board.
Christy attained a Bachelors Degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences as well as her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She is an active member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA).
She is bilingual, fluent in both in English and Spanish.
Julissa Flores, MPAS, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Julissa joined TLI in 2015 as a Physician Assistant. She has been caring for patients in the San Antonio area since 2011 after she graduated from University of Texas Health Science Center receiving a Masters of Physician Assistant Studies. Julissa uses her previous experience working in Family Medicine to provide her patients at TLI a full spectrum of care.
Julissa is fluent in Spanish and says her favorite part of her job is assisting patients in reaching their health goals.
Amanda Betancourt, MPAS, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Amanda joined TLI in 2017 as a Physician Assistant. In 2009, Amanda received a Bachelors of Science in Nuclear Medicine from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. After graduation, Amanda worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center for 3 years where she honed in on her patient care skills. In 2013, she attended the University of North Texas Health Science Center, where she received a Masters of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. Prior to joining TLI, Amanda worked in Family Medicine where was able to manage acute and chronic disease in patients of all ages. Amanda looks forward to providing quality care to her patients here at TLI. She sees both pediatric and adult patients.
Amanda is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish.
Anthony Derencius, MPAS, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Anthony is a certified Physician Assistant and clinical provider that joined TLI in July 2017. He was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, IL and is a former US Army medic. He is a 2010 graduate of the Interservice Physician Assistant Program and received his B.S. and Masters of PA Studies through the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is an awardee of the 2018 AASLD Foundation NP/PA Clinical Hepatology Fellowship. His interests include managing complications of portal hypertension and helping patients navigate the multi-disciplinary treatment approach for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). He is an active member of the AAPA, Bexar County Society of PA’s, and the AASLD.
Meredith Cook, MPAS, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Meredith is a Physician Assistant who joined the Austin team in 2017. She received her Bachelors of Science in Allied Health at Texas A&M and went on to obtain her Masters in Physician Assistant Studies at UTMB in Galveston. She is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and licensed by the Texas Medical Board. She has worked in health care for over two years with experience primarily in women’s health, however she has found her passion in providing detail-oriented care within the field of hepatology. Meredith has a special interest in working patients with fatty liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver.
Josh Pingleton, MSN, FNP-C
Texas Liver Institute
Josh is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner from Kansas City, Kansas. He joined the team at TLI in 2019. Josh received his Bachelor’s Degree from Emporia State University and Master’s Degree, in nursing, from Research College of Nursing. He already had extensive work within the field of liver disease working in liver transplant for the past 2.5 years at the University of Kansas Health System in the hepatology department. In 2018, he was selected for the American Association of the Study of Liver Disease’s fellowship program. Josh emphasized the joy and passion he has taking care of patients before and after liver transplantation.
Emily Kenney, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Texas Liver Institute
Emily is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who joined the Austin team in 2018. An Austin native, she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas at Arlington. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing at The Texas Woman’s University at Dallas. She worked as a Registered Nurse for 5 years on a medical-surgical unit where she gained invaluable knowledge and skills. Her past experience has provided a well-rounded foundation to grow in the field of hepatology and research.
Jessica Jennings, MSN, FNP-C
Texas Liver Institute
Jessica is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who joined Texas Liver Institute in 2020. She completed her Associates in Science of Nursing at San Antonio College in 2009. She then graduated from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing in 2015 and later went on to complete her MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner’s program there in 2019. She worked at San Antonio Military Medical Center as a Registered Nurse from 2010 to 2020, first on a Cardiac unit, then on a trauma/surgical progressive care unit.
Melissa Ousley, MSN, FNP-C
Texas Liver Institute
Melissa is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who joined the TLI team in 2019. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Her experience as a registered nurse in the emergency department over the last several years provided a strong foundation in treating diverse patients from different backgrounds and communities.
Melissa has a special interest in the study and care of patients with autoimmune liver disease, as well as pre and post-transplant care. She has a strong commitment to helping patients achieve optimal wellness through prevention, early diagnosis, and successful management of disease.
Melissa is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
Chasity McDonald-Rocha, APRN, FNP-C, CCRN
Texas Liver Institute
Chasity received her Bachelor’s degree from UT Health Science Center San Antonio in 2002. During her last semester of school, she completed an immersion program in the Transplant ICU at University Hospital where she began to work and spent the next 15 years caring for post operative liver, kidney and lung transplants. During this time Chasity spent time orienting new nurses, running the ICU as a charge nurse and improving employee recognition. Chasity is very proud of leading, organizing and receiving the first Beacon award given to the first ICU in San Antonio by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.
Chasity also spent 2 years caring for combat burn casualties, and civilian emergencies at the sole burn facility for the Department of Defense located at Brook Army Medical Facility in San Antonio. Recently Chasity continued her training and received her Master of Science from the Family Nurse Practitioner program at Texas Tech University in 2018. She is excited to continue her medical career in the inpatient setting caring for pre and post-op transplant patients.
Anthony Esquivel, MPAS, PA-C
Texas Liver Institute
Anthony joined TLI in 2021. He received a Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from UT Health San Antonio. He is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and licensed by the Texas Medical Board. During his clinical clerkship, he rotated with the liver transplant team at University Hospital and developed a strong interest in the field of hepatology. He is dedicated to not only managing but educating patients affected by liver disease in order to help them achieve their goals and become more engaged in their care.
Aaron Tay, MSN, FNP-BC
Texas Liver Institute
Aaron is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who joined Texas Liver Institute in 2021. He received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2016. Aaron worked at University Health System as a neurosurgery/neurology registered nurse for 5 years and earned his Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Houston Baptist University in 2020. Aaron’s focus is outpatient and inpatient services. He is excited to learn all there is to know about transplant hepatology and be able to provide continuity of care for our patients.
Rachel W. de Leon, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
Texas Liver Institute
Rachel is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who joined Texas Liver Institute in 2021. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) in 2009 from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2021. Rachel worked in the Baptist Health System in San Antonio for >18 years including serving as Emergency Department RN Shift Supervisor. In her leadership role, she was instrumental in performance improvement activities including identifying ways to increase efficiency in patient care. In addition to involvement in leadership and education initiatives, Rachel loves caring for patients and their families. She is fluent in Spanish and is excited to be a part of the clinical research team in San Antonio.
Lance Gutierrez, MSN, RN-BC, APRN-CNP
Texas Liver Institute
Lance is a board-certified nurse practitioner who joined Texas Liver Institute in 2021. He received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014 from the Schreiner University and his Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Prior to his current position, Lance worked at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center for 6 years. His focus is outpatient services in the Austin office. Lance is excited to be a part of the provider team in Austin.