BOARD MEMBERS
TOBIAS WASSER, MD
President
Tobias Wasser, MD obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology at Wesleyan University and completed medical school at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He completed all of his psychiatry training at Yale, first the psychiatry residency program and then fellowships in both forensic and public psychiatry. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the department with faculty appointments in both the Public Psychiatry and Law and Psychiatry Divisions. He is one of the Associate Program Directors for the Yale Psychiatry Residency Program and works clinically and administratively as the Chief Medical Officer of Whiting Forensic Hospital, Connecticut's only state-operated forensic hospital.
LUMING LI, MD
Secretary-Treasurer
Luming Li, M.D. is an Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, and also currently serves as the Associate Medical Director of Quality Improvement of the Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital. Her clinical focus is on patients with severe psychiatric conditions which require complex systems of care.
She works clinically as an inpatient psychiatrist at the transitional age and dual-diagnosis psychiatric/substance disorder units at the Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, and also serves as a consultant psychiatrist in the Nathan Smith Clinic for patients with HIV. She has research and educational interests in healthcare policy, hospital management, clinical redesign, leadership development, operational efficiency, and quality improvement.
Dr. Li completed a 7-year B.A./M.D. program at Rutgers/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and residency training at the Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. She has also served on national committees within the American Psychiatric Association (APA), including the Health Systems and Financing Committee (2017-2018), and was an APA Public Psychiatry Fellowship recipient. She is a 2019-2020 Health and Aging Policy Fellow, and American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow.
Victor Buwalda, MD, PhD
Immediate Past President and Chair of Nominating Committee:
Dr Victor J.A. Buwalda was educated in Amsterdam at the Academic University Medical Center Former Vrije Univeriteit) and became psychiatrist in 2002. As psychiatrist his interest always has been Psychiatric Administration and leadership what resulted into his That resulted in his PhD-research in the field of psychiatric administration and leadership: The HORVAN Study Part I on the use of measurement instruments in daily clinical practice in the outpatient clinic (2002-2004) and HORVAN Study Part II were he investigated the use and implementation of feedback reports during treatment and the attitude of the therapist and patient (2006-2011). Together with prof. Jan Vissers (Institute of Health Policy & Management (iBMG), Rotterdam) he also published the organizational challenges that he met during his research.
JAMES RACHAL, MD
President-Elect
James C. Rachal, MD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Academic Chair for the Department of Psychiatry at Atrium Health and also serves as the medical director for the Behavioral Health Charlotte campus. He is a board-certified Psychiatrist and Family Physician who has over 15 years of clinical experience and administrative experience. Dr. Rachal graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Arts from Miami University. He then graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and trained in both Family Medicine and Psychiatry in the United States Air Force at the National Capital Consortium in Washington DC. Dr. Rachal is a Veteran of the Operation Iraqi Freedom and was deployed to Kuwait. He spent 7 years at the University of Pittsburgh Medical center and developed the states only inpatient trauma program. He was awarded Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic’s physician of the year in 2014 for this work. At Atrium Health Dr. Rachal helped lead the team, that created the community psychiatry residency program that mixes state of the art technology with an emphasis on scholarly work. Dr. Rachal is married and has 3 children.
JOHN ELGIN WILKAITIS, MD, MBA, CPE, DFAPA, DFAACAP, FASAM
Councilor
Dr. John Elgin Wilkaitis completed medical school at The University of Mississippi Medical Center and residency in general psychiatry in 2003. He completed a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 2005. Following this, he served as chief medical officer of Brentwood Behavioral Healthcare a private 105 bed hospital system for 10 years. During this time, he founded a successful private group practice, Children’s Psychiatric Solutions, which operated for 11 years prior to sale to another group. He is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in child and adolescent psychiatry, general psychiatry, and consult-liaison psychiatry. He is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is also board certified in addiction medicine by the American Board of Addiction Medicine and a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He has been active in multiple societies related to physician leadership, including presidency of the American Association for Psychiatric Administrators, The Mississippi Psychiatric Association, and The Mississippi Council of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists. He is a Vanguard Member of the American Association of Physician Leadership. He has received multiple awards in the past, including America’s Top Physicians, by the Consumer Research Council, in 2018.
WAYNE CREELMAN, MD
Councilor
Boarded Physician Executive in both medical management and psychiatry with over 25 years of progressively responsible medical management experience in the behavioral/medical care arena. Demonstrated strengths in strategic planning, leadership, financial decision-making, communication, quality assurance and risk management, physician recruitment, credentialing, training and supervision of staff physicians, regulatory and accrediting agency survey preparation, budgeting, technology assessment, marketing, clinical pathway and research development, utilization management, and patient satisfaction.
BARRY HERMAN, MD, MMM
Councilor and APA Assembly Liaison
Barry K. Herman, M.D., MMM is a duel Board Certified Psychiatrist in both Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Adult Psychiatry with over 30 years of medical executive experience. He is currently Chief Medical Officer of Atentiv Health, a digital health start up company. He previously held leadership positions at Pfizer, Inc., Sanofi, Sunovion, Shire, Ironshore Pharmaceuticals, and Tris Pharma, Inc.
Dr. Herman is a Distinguished Life Fellow of both the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). He is a Past-President of AAPAL. He is the author of over 100 scientific abstracts and publications. Dr. Herman is the recipient of the 2017 American Psychiatric Association Award in Administrative Psychiatry.
Dr. Herman received his Bachelor’s Degree from Clark University, received his Medical Degree from Tufts University School of Medicine, and completed a Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. He received a Masters Degree in Medical Management from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
William Narrow, MD
Councilor
William Narrow, MD
Councilor
Councilor
Layla Solimon, MD
Councilor
Layla Solimon, MD
Councilor
Lokesh Shahani, MD, PhD, MPH
Councilor
Lokesh Shahani, MD, PhD, MPH, is the Chief medical Officer of the UTHealth Behavioral Sciences campus and the Vice chair of inpatient clinical services and Associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and has his PhD in Healthcare management. He has over 70 publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented his work nationally.
William Narrow, MD
Councilor
SY SAEED, MD
Emeritus Member
Since 2004 Dr. Saeed has been serving as the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. He also serves as the Director of the Center for Telepsychiatry at ECU and as the Founding Executive Director of the North Carolina Statewide Telepsychiatry Program (NC-STeP), a state funded program covering over 65 hospitals and community-based sites in North Carolina. Prior to his appointment at East Carolina University, Dr. Saeed served as Professor and Chairman, Department of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (1995-2004) where he was also the Clinical Director for the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Service NetWork of North Central Illinois, a state-operated Network serving people with serious and persistent mental illness in 23 counties and covering 1.5 million lives in north central Illinois.
Dr. Saeed is a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is also certified in Psychiatric Administration and Management by the American Psychiatric Association and holds a MS degree in Counseling and Psychotherapy.
Dr. Saeed was the founding Editor of the American Association of Psychiatric Administrator's Journal, Psychiatrist Administrator (2000-2010). He then served as the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychiatric Administration and Management (JPAM) from 2011 to 2020. He serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals. He is a fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Health, London. He also serves on the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP), a think-tank for psychiatry dedicated to shaping psychiatric thinking, public programs, and clinical practice in mental health. In 2018 he was elected to the Governing Board of GAP. In 2014 Governor McCrory appointed him to the Governing Board of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. In 2016, he was reappointed to the board for a 4-year term by the governor.
Dr. Saeed has published extensively in the areas of evidence-based practices; anxiety and mood disorders; telepsychiatry; psychiatric administration and leadership; and psychiatric treatment integration. He has been involved in funded research both as a principal investigator and co-investigator, with over $16,000,000 in external funding since 2004. He has lectured and presented nationwide and internationally, including being an invited speaker at a White House Convening on telehealth in 2016. In 2019 he was the recipient of the prestigious Gov. Oliver Max Gardner Award, the highest UNC award, selected by the UNC Board of Governors, to recognize UNC system faculty who have “made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.”
FRANCES BELL
Central Office
Contact Information:
Frances Bell
PO Box 570218
Dallas, TX 75357-0218
972-613-5532
FAX: 972-613-5532
Email: frda1@airmail.net
Web address: www.psychiatricadministrators.org
CHADEN NOUREDDINE, MD
MIT Representative
Chaden is currently completing her psychiatry residency training at Mount Sinai in New York City. She completed her medical education at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and has recieved Bachelors of Arts degree from Rutgers, Newark, NJ where she majored in Biology and minored in Psychology, Chemistry, and Honors Studies. She hopes to further her knowledge and create an impact in the fields of addiction, as well as health justice, namely by impacting minority access to mental health, and reducing the stigma surround mental illnesses. She is also passionate about teaching, and advocating for victims of interpersonal violence, as well as members of the LGBTQA+. She is currently the Vice President and Treasurer at the NJMS psychSIG, and the region 3 chair for psychSIGN.
Sebastian Acevedo
Medical Student Representative
Sebastian Acevedo is a current third year MD/MPH student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Rutgers School of Public Health. He received a Bachelors of Arts from Rutgers University, New Brunswick in 2020 where he majored in Biological Sciences. Sebastian is a first generation Latino college graduate, and interested in pursuing a career in academic psychiatry with a focus on addiction medicine.