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CHAIR      Merry N. Miller, MD, MS (Biochemistry), Professor, Chair.  Dr. Miller is board certified in both General and Adolescent Psychiatry. She specializes in mood and eating disorders in both adults and adolescents. She received her degrees from the University of Tennessee at Memphis in Medicine and Biochemistry. She trained at Duke University during her residency and was a partner in a successful Chicago area private practice group for 7 years prior to coming to academia.  Achieving tenure in 2000, she took on the role of chair in 2002.  She continues to be involved in the clinical supervision of residents and maintains an active research program relating menstrual variations and mental health, causes for depression, eating disorders and autoimmune causes for psychiatric disease.

ASSOCIATE CHAIR     George Brown, MD, Professor,  ETSU Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences  and CHIEF of Psychiatry, Mountain Home VAMC.  Dr. Brown is a University of Rochester School of Medicine graduate who subsequently did residency at Wright State University as an officer in the USAF.  He is board certified in General Psychiatry.  He joined the faculty of the University of Texas Health Science Center, coming to East Tennessee and joining this department in 1994.  He has been very active in academic psychiatry, having published over 110 papers and abstracts as well as 15 book chapters, participating in research in trans-sexualism and gender identity disorders, schizophrenia, and HIV.  His areas of expertise include: gender identity disorders and psychopharmacology.  Dr. Brown supervises resident research electives at the VA and is encourages residents to develop a better understanding of the potential contributions of research on clinical practice through evaluation of journal articles.  He enjoys competitive handgun sports, hunting, farming, and craft-brewing specialty ales.

TRAINING DIRECTOR (Psychiatry and Med/Psych)    Hetal Brahmbhatt, MD, Assistant Professor.   A graduate of Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College in India, he came to Johnson City in 1996 as a resident physician in the ETSU psychiatry training program. Graduating in 2000, he went on to complete a second residency program in internal medicine and is now double boarded in General Psychiatry and Internal Medicine.  He held chief resident positions with both programs. Dr. Brahmbhatt accepted a dual faculty appointment with ETSU in the departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Internal Medicine, his responsibilities including being Director of Consultation Liaison Services for in-patient psychiatry at Johnson City Medical Center and for medical services at Woodridge Hospital and outpatient adult clinics through the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Internal Medicine.  In addition to his role as Training Director in Psychiatry and Med/Psych, he is the Assistant Training Director of the Internal Medicine residency program.  His areas of clinical interest include religion and spirituality in medicine, psychiatric aspects of medical illnesses, depression and primary care, and working with older adults.

Department of Psychiatry Faculty  (in alphabetical order):

Bird, Martha A., M.D.   Associate Professor  -  This entry is in the process of being updated.

Hetal Brahmbhatt, MD  (see Training Director, above)

Louis Cancellaro, PhD, MD (Anatomy), Professor of Psychiatry and Anatomy,  Retired Associate Dean for Veterans Affairs, former Chief of Staff, Mountain Home VAMC.  Dr. Cancellaro is board certified in General Psychiatry and has held 37 distinct Teaching and Administrative posts culminating in those listed above.

Paul R. Kelley, MD. Assistant Professor;  Attending Physician at Woodridge Hospital and instructor for psychiatry for second year medical students.   He is heavily involved in Psycho-drama as a teaching tool, which uses volunteers to act out the roles of psychiatric patients in skits designed to promote understanding of psychopathology to second year medical students.  He was awarded his MD from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 1982 and split his residency between the University of California at Irvine and the Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, finishing in 1986.  Prior to coming to ETSU he was medical director, geropsychiatric inpatient and intensive outpatient program Highlands Regional Medical Center, Prestonsburg, Kentucky and medical director of the geropsychiatric inpatient and partial hospitalization program, Tacoma Adventist Hospital in Greeneville, Tennessee.

Macmillan, Patrick, M.D.    Assistant Professor   -  This entry is in the process of being updated.

Ramsey McGowen, PhD (Clinical Psychology), Professor, Medical Student Course Director for Psychiatry I.  Specialities include: professional ethics, effects of gender in career differences, stress management for professionals and medical education. She obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Auburn University in 1981 after completing her internship at University of Tennessee Memphis Center for Health Sciences (Memphis Clinical Psychology Internship Consortium).

Barney E. Miller, PhD (Biochemistry), Associate Professor; Research Director, Department of Psychiatry and Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, ETSU.  Dr. Miller was trained in Biochemistry at the University of Tennessee at Memphis and completed post-doctoral training at Duke University in the Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine. He spent nearly 10 years in biotechnology corporations prior to coming to ETSU. His primary research interests include: Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and mood disorders. He has published over 30 original articles and book chapters. Dr. Miller operates the Psychiatry Core Laboratory Facility which is located in Stanton-Gerber Hall on the campus of the Mountain Home VA.

Merry N. Miller, MD, MS  (see Chair, above)

Norman C. Moore, MD., Professor, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Woodridge Psychiatric Hospital, Johnson City, Tennessee, Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist Outpatient Program, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee. He is interested in clinical research and is involved with many projects currently.  Just prior to coming to ETSU, Dr Moore was an External Associate Accredited Research Higher Degree Supervisor, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.

Michele Moser, PhD., Assistant Professor and Director State of Tennessee Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody.  She achieved her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Miami University, Oxford, OH.  Dr Moser teaches residents cognitive behavioral therapy.

Patel, Rakeshkumar, M.D.  Assistant Professor  -  This entry is in the process of being updated.

Thomas Schacht, Psy. D, ABPP, Professor, Director of Forensic Services, Director of Psychotherapy Training.  Board-certified in clinical psychology and forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Schacht teaches medical students and psychiatry residents in the areas of psychotherapy, psychopathology, psychological assessment, and forensic psychiatry. He provides forensic services to state and federal courts, prosecution and defense in criminal matters, plaintiff and defense in civil matters.  Doctoral degree from Rutgers University.  Internship and residency in medical and pediatric psychology at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center.  Two-year post-doctoral research fellowship at Vanderbilt University funded by a National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Steven M. Shulruff, MD, Associate Professor and Clinic Director.  Dr. Shulruff is a Board Certified Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst. After earning his M.D. from Chicago Medical School in 1975, Dr. Shulruff completed a Psychiatry Residency, as well as a Child Psychiatry Fellowship, at the University of Colorado Medical School in Denver, Colorado in 1979.  He finished his training in Adult and Child Psychoanalysis at the Denver Institute for Psychoanalysis in 1998.  Dr. Shulruff’s roles include Consulting Psychiatrist for The Center of Excellence, evaluations and treatment of children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families in the Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, inpatient treatment of children and adolescents, teaching and supervising psychotherapy for Psychiatry Residents, and teaching Medical Students.  He also has an interest in Psychiatry and Film and has taught Film Series on a variety of topics over the years.

Phillip Steffey, MSW       Instructor -  This entry is in the process of being updated.

VA Psychiatry Academic Faculty (in alphabetical order):

Christine Adler, PhD (Clinical Psychology), Assistant Professor, Assistant Chief, Psychology Service, JH Quillen VAMC.  Dr. Adler received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the State University of NY at Albany and completed an internship and postdoctoral fellowship in medical psychology at the Ohio State University Medical Center.  She specializes in geriatric and medical psychology, particularly care of the terminally ill.

Elizabeth Ahmad, M.D.  Assistant Professor, Medical Director Domiciliary Services, Psychiatry VA Medical Center.  Dr. Ahmad earned a BA in nursing at ETSU and worked as a registered nurse before going on to complete her medical degree at Ross University School of Medicine.  She completed residency at ETSU before joining the faculty here.

John S. Auerbach, PhD (Clinical Psychology), Professor, Coordinator of the Post-Traumatic Stress Program, JH Quillen VAMC. Dr. Auerbach is also a Research Affiliate in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. He completed his doctorate at the State University of New York at Buffalo and his internship at the West Haven VAMC. In addition to post-traumatic stress disorder, his interests include borderline disorders, narcissism, projective testing, attachment theory, and the relationships among representational processes, intersubjectivity, and the development of the self.

George Brown, MD  (see Associate Chair, above)

Richard C. Haaser, MD, Assistant Professor.  Director of Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry at the JH Quillen VAMC.  He is also a didactic instructor.  He is board certified in General Psychaitry and has completed a fellowship in Geriatric and Neuropsychiatry at the University of Rochester. He received his MD from Tufts and general residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Dianne Hansen, MD, Chief of the Psychiatric Emergency Clinic, JH Quillen VAMC, Assistant Professor, ETSU.  She instructs residents in safety and competency in an ER setting.  Completed her psychiatry residency at the University of California, San Diego, and is board certified in psychiatry. Areas of expertise include emergency room psychiatry, consultation liaison psychiatry, working with the chronically mentally ill, and management of chronic pain syndromes.

John Hendrick, MD., Assistant Professor. Dr. Hendrick was graduated from and trained in psychiatry at the Medical College of Virginia, Richmond. He is Board-Certified in General Adult Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.  He was in private practice for 18 years, initially in North Carolina for three years and then in the Chattanooga/Cleveland area of TN for 15 years prior to joining the faculty at ETSU. During this time he served as President of the Tennessee Psychiatric Association. He has been Medical Director of three large adult Psychiatric programs, and founded three Geriatric Partial Hospitals. He served on the Board of Directors of Parkridge Hospital in Chattanooga, TN and was on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of Chattanooga.  His expertise is in the areas of anxiety and affective disorders of adults and geriatrics, schizophrenia, substance abuse and forensics. He has extensive experience in community psychiatry liaison between inpatient psychiatric units and community aftercare, including mental health centers, attorneys, courts and jails, partial hospitals, geriatric specialty services and residential treatment units. He frequently lectures on a wide variety of psychiatric issues to the national audience.

Michelle King, MD, Assistant Professor. Associate Medical Director, PTSD Program, JH Quillen VA Medical Center. Dr. King completed her medical degree at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, KY and residency in psychiatry at ETSU in Johnson City, TN. She is additionally a manuscript reviewer for the Federal Practitioner periodical. Her interests include dressage equestrian events, painting, reading fiction, and caring for her animals.

Lee Ellen Naramore, M.D., Staff Psychiatrist, Veterans Administration Hospital, Clinical Assistant Professor.  She earned her MD from ETSU, Quillen College of Medicine and finished residency from the ETSU, Quillen College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.  Prior to returning to Johnson City, she was a Blount Memorial Hospital Staff Psychiatrist and Parkway Psychiatric Service.

Shantha Pandian, MD, Assistant Professor, ETSU.  Dr. Pandian completed her psychiatric residency at ETSU after having done her medical studies at Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, India. She currently is Chief of the Mental Health Clinic at the JH Quillen VAMC.  Her research interests include the impact of religious and cultural beliefs and traditions on mental health.

Francisco Rodriguez, MD., Assistant Professor, Attending Psychiatrist Mental Health Clinic James H. Quillen VAMC.  He completed his Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida in 2004.  He attended medical school at the University Autonoma of Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican  Republic and finished residency at East Tennessee State University, James H. Quillen College of Medicine  Johnson City, Tennessee, in 2002.

Pramod Shah, MD, FAPA. Professor, Staff Psychiatrist of the Psychosocial Recovery & Treatment Program, James H. Quillen VAMC, Board certified in General and Geriatric Psychiatry.  He received Medical Degree from University of Bombay, India 1972 and completed his residency in psychiatry at Chicago Medical School/University of Health Related Science, North Chicago, Illinois. Special interest in psychopharmacology, treating schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, clinical and didactic teaching. Other interests in ECT and sleep disorders.

Patrick Sloan, PhD., Professor. Dr. Patrick Sloan is currently serving as Chief of Psychology at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center (VAMC).  He has served as Acting Mental Health Services Manager for the VA Mid South Healthcare Network (VISN 9).  Dr. Sloan is a nationally recognized leader in VA mental health, is a graduate of the VHA Clinical Managers' Institute, and has served in various mental health leadership capacities in VISN 9 since the inception of the Network. He chaired the Mental Health Advisory Group and other mental health task forces prior to this appointment. Dr. Sloan received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Ohio University. He served his internship with emphasis in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Florida and Gainesville VAMC. He arrived here as a Staff Psychologist at the James H. Quillen VAMC and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is one of the original faculty members of the College of Medicine still teaching here. Dr. Sloan has served as Chief, Psychology Service since 1993 at Mountain Home, where he directs the Clinical Neuropsychology Program and is Chair of the Ethics Advisory Committee. Dr. Sloan is a member of several professional organizations, including a Fellow of the Society for Personality Assessment. He is recognized nationally for his published research in assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder and his authorship of a several funded VA program grants.

Andrew Spitznas, MD., Assistant Professor; Psychiatrist, Post-Traumatic Stress Program, James H. Quillen VAMC; Instructor, ETSU/Quillen Psychiatry Residency Training Program.  He was awarded his MD from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA and did his residency at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine Psychiatry.

Vermette, Heidi, M.D.,  Assistant Professor  -  This entry is in the process of being updated.

The Department Full-Time Staff (in alphabetical order):

Judy Adams, Graduate Medical Education Coordinator (Psychiatry and Med/Psych)

Linda Adams, Secretary III

Kathy Bailey, Center of Excellence, Clinical Coordinator

Jennifer Cooke, Research Assistant I

Sherry Kidner, Technical Clerk

Chris Loveday, Office Manager

Janice Lyons, Coordinator,  Chair’s Secretary

Pam Moffett, Secretary III

Susan Wallace, PARC House Secretary II

Jennifer Wilson, Research Assistant

Tracy Wilson, Research Assistant, Gwen Fleming Psychiatry Laboratory

Wanda Young, Coordinator

MEAC Psychiatry Staff (in alphabetical order):

Wendy Davis, Receptionist for ETSU Physicians and Associates, Psychiatry

Susan Elaine, LMFT, Clinical Staff, Psychiatry

Mary Haun, Receptionist for ETSU Physicians and Associates, Psychiatry

Pam Higginbotham, Receptionist for ETSU Physicians and Associates, Psychiatry

Mabel A Yates, Office Manager for ETSU Physicians and Associates, Psychiatry

Clinical and Adjunct Faculty:

The training provided by the program is greatly extended by the services provided by our active Clinical and Adjunct Faculty which includes over 50 members of the Medical Community as well as Faculty of other Medical and Basic Science departments.

Clinical and Adjunct Faculty provide Resident and Medical Student Clerk Supervision and/or participate in various lecture presentations for a minimum of 20 hr/year each. This group brings to our Department the additional experience of numerous other health care professionals which include: Institutional Practice Physicians, Private Practice Physicians, Psychologists, Social Workers, & Pharmacists.