The psychiatry residency program at MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center) was created to address the critical need for psychiatrists in rural and Western North Carolina, where all 16 counties have been federally designated as mental health professional shortage areas. Our mission is to train excellent psychiatrists who can work with rural, underserved populations and who are experts at providing consultation in primary care settings.
Our outpatient clinic, the Center for Psychiatry and Mental Wellness, opened on MAHEC's campus in July 2019 and our expanded clinic space opened in fall of 2021. In recognition of our success to date, ACGME approved expanding our class size to six residents effective July 2020.
Our outpatient psychiatry clinic is located in the UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC building, our academic health center that is a unique collaboration with MAHEC, the University of North Carolina, Western Carolina University, and regional community partners. In addition to our psychiatry residency program and outpatient clinic, this academic health center houses the UNC School of Medicine Asheville campus, a master of public health program jointly led by UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and UNC Asheville, and research initiatives affiliated with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. An inter-professional learning café and incubator spaces facilitate innovative research and clinical practices.
Asheville continues to grow and become more interesting and vibrant with each passing season. We look forward to each and every interview season and hope you will consider MAHEC Psychiatry for the next step in your training!
Our Team
Susan Whitley, MD Director, Psychiatry Residency Program
Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
For more information or questions about our program, please contact psychres@mahec.net.
4th Year Medical Student Rotations
MAHEC offers a variety of student rotations in Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Surgery, Rural Medicine, and Psychiatry for both in-state and out-of-state students interested in our residency programs. Learn more about our 4th year medical student rotations
Our Culture & Values
Excellence: We are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-informed services and activities that meet the evolving needs of our communities and partners.
Belonging: We actively foster environments where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
Integrity: We lead with transparency, fairness, and a strong ethical foundation in all our decisions and actions.
Collaboration: We embrace partnerships across professions and communities to drive collective impact.
Innovation and Growth: We remain agile and forward-thinking, continuously improving through learning, creativity, and responsiveness.
Civility: We uphold a culture of mutual respect, empathy, and professionalism in all interactions.
Empowerment Through Accountability: We cultivate ownership, engagement, and shared responsibility in fulfilling MAHEC’s mission and stewarding its resources.
Our Commitment
MAHEC is committed to inspiring and equipping the next generation of healthcare professionals and expanding access to care for all. Our vision is to create a healthier community in Western North Carolina and beyond.
PGY1
First-year residents work in two inpatient psychiatric hospitals: The Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center, and the Charles George VA Medical Center.. Residents also have two months of Inpatient medicine and one month of inpatient neurology at Mission Hospital. The remainder of the first-year primary care requirement will be completed in a combination of family medicine and internal medicine ambulatory care clinics.
PGY2
All second-year residents rotate through an established set of outpatient psychiatry settings, including a treatment resistant clinic that includes TMS, a first-episode psychosis clinic, an IDD clinic, a university counseling center, a child safety/forensic pediatrics team, and a short term psychiatric consultation clinic for both adults and children. In addition to their rotations, second-year residents spend one full day per week in both a child and an adult continuity clinics, one half day per week in a geriatric psychiatry clinic, and one half day per week seeing psychotherapy patients.
PGY3
Third-year residents return to the inpatient setting with more specialized psychiatry rotations including child and adolescent, geriatrics, and consultation/liaison with electroconvulsive therapy, as well as a substance use disorder rotation at the Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center (ADATC). The third-year resident also returns to the general adult psychiatry inpatient unit as a junior resident. Adult and child continuity clinics are one half day each every week in addition to the one half day spent seeing psychotherapy patients. The basic requirements for residency are completed after the third year, allowing residents to fast-track into a child/adolescent fellowship if desired.
PGY4
Fourth-year residents have a one-month forensics rotation at Broughton State Hospital, two months in MAHEC Psychiatry’s IOP/PHP program, as well as two months at the VAMC doing a combination of consultation/liaison, substance use disorder, and integrated care clinic outpatient psychiatry. One half day per week is spent doing collaborative and integrated care consultations with rural primary care physicians as part of the Rural Health Initiative. Adult continuity clinic and psychotherapy are one half day each every week. The remainder of the fourth-year resident’s time is elective, allowing them to create a personalized curriculum as they prepare to begin their career in psychiatry.
All residents have one afternoon each week protected for didactics. This includes an ongoing Journal Club, case conference, resident presentations, research, and ongoing lectures overviewing the psychiatric field of knowledge with an emphasis on evidence-based care.
Our residency program is located on the same campus with our dental, family medicine, transitional year, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pharmacy, and surgery residencies, which provides an optimal environment for cross-fertilization of ideas and collaboration.
Director, Psychiatry Residency Program
Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
Susan Whitley, MD, was raised in New York City, but has deep roots in Western North Carolina. She is passionate about partnering with individuals to set goals toward improving their total health—including mental health, substance use, and physical health challenges.
Dr. Whitley is a graduate of the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, followed by a combined Residency in Family Medicine and Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, NY. Throughout her training, she remained intrigued by the interplay between physical and mental health and the role of substance use. She decided to pursue subspecialty training in Addiction Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY, to further hone her expertise in the management of addictions.
Dr. Whitley is Board Certified in Psychiatry and Family Medicine with added subspecialty certification in Addiction Psychiatry. She has over 20 years of experience including patient care, program administration, and the teaching of students and residents. She is an expert in the treatment of opioid use disorder, including multiple publications on this topic. Dr. Whitley has spent her career focusing on access to care for underserved populations with complex healthcare needs and is excited to join the MAHEC team.
Dr. Nicholls is a general and child/adolescent psychiatrist. Before attending UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, he was an active lawyer, working for a federal judge and then for large firms in North Carolina and Georgia. After medical school, he completed his residency in general psychiatry and his fellowship in child/adolescent psychiatry at UNC Hospitals where he remained on faculty as Medical Director for its child/adolescent inpatient units. Dr. Nicholls and his family moved to Asheville in 2012 and he has worked in a variety of inpatient, outpatient, and managed care settings. He is a native of Western North Carolina and when he is not working, he enjoys time with family, various sports, and all kinds of music.
I grew up in the small town of Black Mountain, North Carolina just outside the Asheville area and am fortunate to call the Blue Ridge Mountains my home. Medicine has always been a strong influence on my life because of my mother, a nurse practitioner, who taught me at an early age the meaning of caring for others. After graduating from Appalachian State University with a degree in chemistry, I chose to follow in the footsteps laid before me, and dedicate myself to the art and science of healing.
I attended medical school at the Campbell University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and trained further in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege to live and travel across this great state and to learn in depth about the variety of culture and history that define it. It is a tremendous honor to be able to return to my roots by joining the MAHEC family and to help provide for the very population that helped me become the person I am today.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
Hello and thank you for exploring Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC. I am originally from Eastern North Carolina, where I received degrees in biology and chemistry at East Carolina University (ECU). I then completed my medical degree at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine.
I am honored to now be a part of the MAHEC family for my psychiatry residency. I was drawn to this program for its blend of excellence in training with the unique collegial and benevolent atmosphere that I craved. I additionally chose the city of Asheville for its natural beauty, thriving social community, and incredible diversity of culture and thought.
A medical career was always within my plan, but psychiatry captured my interest more recently as I consider it to be the most interesting, challenging, and creative branch of medicine. As Pulitzer prize-winning political pundit and psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer said, psychiatry “combines the practicality of medicine and the elegance of philosophy.” Our residency was created to address the grave need for mental health services in Western North Carolina, and I personally hope to remain in this area for my career. My further interest is the changing economic and political landscape of medicine and I am completing a Master's in Business Administration to focus on this topic.
My interests include outdoor activities such as hiking, whitewater rafting, and mountain biking, which I have found in abundance around Asheville. I love all sports, though tennis is my favorite. I play piano and enjoy reading, film, and exploring Asheville’s thriving restaurant and beer scenes with friends and family.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency and Consultation/Liaison Fellowship
Dr. Fender completed his general psychiatry residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2013. He was selected as a chief resident for his final year of training. Since 2013, he has been practicing hospital-based psychiatry at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC. His clinical work at this time is predominantly consultation-liaison psychiatry and electroconvulsive therapy.
Dr. Fender works with residents throughout their time at MAHEC in the evidence-informed decision-making course. He supervises and provides didactic instruction for PGY3 residents during their time on the consultation-liaison service and electroconvulsive therapy rotation. He also coordinates the consultation-liaison case conference series.
My name is Luke, and I am originally from Cranberry, which is a small town in Western North Carolina. I received bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology from East Tennessee State University where I focused on behavioral neuroscience. I received my medical degree from Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus. I am excited to be a member of the MAHEC family and their mission to address the mental health needs in Western North Carolina. Professional interests of mine include neuropsychiatry and forensic psychiatry.
Dr. Ladd is a native of Western North Carolina who completed his education throughout this region. He majored in Environmental Studies and Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Then, he attended medical school at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine because of its focus on serving rural Appalachia. In wishing to stay close to the community he wanted to serve, he completed his general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent fellowship at Wake Forest Baptist Health where he served as a Chief Fellow.
Since 2018, he has worked at MAHEC helping to grow the residency class size, starting satellite clinics, initiating an international psychiatry experience for residents/fellows, developing pediatric Collaborative Care, and helping to start the CAP fellowship. Clinically, he works as an outpatient psychiatrist providing direct patient care at MAHEC and a regional pediatric office. He also provides Collaborative Care consultation for regional pediatric offices.
Dr. Ladd is excited about helping to meet the needs of underserved children and families across Western North Carolina by training the next generation of compassionate psychiatric providers who will be equipped to serve community members throughout their life span.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
Dr. Nina Leezenbaum is a licensed psychologist. She received her PhD in developmental and clinical
psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed her APA Internship and post-doctoral
training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently an Assistant Professor at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Department of Psychiatry and serves as the
Clinical Director of the UNC TEACCH Autism Program in Asheville. Dr. Leezenbaum specializes in
diagnosis, assessment, and intervention for individuals on the autism spectrum. She provides clinical
supervision and mentorship to students, residents, and fellows and trains professionals worldwide
on the fundamentals of autism and evidence-based techniques. Her specific clinical and research
expertise is focused on autism in infancy and early childhood as well as parent child interactions. Dr.
Leezenbaum has authored several peer-reviewed publications in the field of autism and
developmental disabilities.
My name is Ron and I am overjoyed to be a part of the MAHEC family and participate in the tremendous work they are doing here in vibrant Asheville and western North Carolina in general.
I was born in Providence, RI, but my family moved around to Massachusetts, Minnesota, Colorado, and Ohio. I went to college at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, where I fell in love with the vast beauty that is the Blue Ridge Mountains. During college, I tutored children at local elementary schools and delivered food to families in need in the surrounding community. I also spent a summer volunteering in the Dominican Republic and putting my Spanish major to good use. After completing my medical school education at Brown University, I am elated to live in the mountains once again and serve the people that live there.
I chose psychiatry because of the wonderful and unique communication that psychiatry encourages between caregiver and patient. I also seek to play a large role in increasing access to mental health resources so that patients from all walks of life may receive the care they need. With its emphasis on reaching the underserved, evident warmth, and scenic location, MAHEC was definitely the right choice for me. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!
My name is Audrey, and I’m excited to be joining the MAHEC family and serving the Western North Carolina community.
I’m from Atlanta and received my bachelor’s degree in biopsychology at Oglethorpe University. I then went on to medical school at the Medical College of Georgia. I have been interested in psychiatry since high school and went into medical school knowing I wanted to be a psychiatrist. My specific interests within psychiatry are treatment-resistant depression, psychotic disorders, and neurostimulation.
Outside of psychiatry, I enjoy traveling and experiencing different cultures. I spent five months studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, and one month volunteering at a medical clinic in Cusco, Peru. At home, I enjoy cooking, exercising, and playing with my dog, Bella.
My name is Joseph, and I am originally from Jackson, Mississippi. I grew up vacationing in Western North Carolina every July for as long as I can remember, and it is hard to believe that I will now be living here 365 days a year! I am relocating with my wonderful wife of three years, Regan, who has also matched at MAHEC in family medicine. We are a sappy pair of high school sweethearts and cannot wait to begin our new exciting life together in beautiful Asheville. We are also accompanied by our two sister kitties, Ygritte and Sansa.
I first developed a conscious fascination with the human mind as an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi while pursuing degrees in biology and psychology. At the same time, I began to realize how much I love communicating with people, friends and strangers, listening to their stories and learning about their lives and what makes them who they are. As I prepared for the transition back down to Jackson for medical school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, I had a strong feeling that I would ultimately end up in the field of psychiatry. Five years later, it turns out I was right! Additionally, Regan and I have both developed a passion for rural practice, and I know that MAHEC is the perfect place for us to develop the knowledge and skills required to thrive as rural providers.
I look forward to soaking up everything Asheville and the surrounding area has to offer from craft beer to whitewater kayaking to bluegrass music and everything in between! When I’m not occupied with my clinical duties, you may find me laboring in our garden, reading a good book, or out hiking one of the many peaks in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
Danielle is originally from Tucson, AZ, and completed her undergraduate degree in neuroscience at the University of Florida. She continued her graduate studies at the University of Florida College of Medicine with a focus on psychoneuroimmunology, specifically researching the role of inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophic factors on the septohippocampal system.
During that time, she discovered her love of teaching through her work as a neuroanatomy teaching assistant and later developed a behavioral neuroscience course for the precollegiate science training program. After earning a doctoral degree in biomedical sciences, she volunteered at a free clinic for indigent and underserved populations, which inspired her interest in community medicine.
During medical school, Danielle continued to teach neuroanatomy, her work at the community clinic, and was elected by her peers to serve as president of their psychiatry interest group. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature camping, hiking, and kayaking. She also enjoys travel, attending festivals, and the arts.
Associate Program Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
Dr. Dustin Patil is an Addiction Psychiatrist at the Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. He earned his medical degree at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He completed his general psychiatry residency training at Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine, where he also completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry. He is board certified in addiction psychiatry, general psychiatry, and addiction medicine.
Despite an undistinguished pseudo-academic career, bereft of any honors, he enjoys his work treating patients with substance use disorders and teaching trainees about addiction.
Dr. Pohl is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been working with a variety of populations for the past 30 years. She specializes in psychodynamic psychotherapy working with client populations experiencing trauma, eating disorders, dissociative disorders, emotional dysregulation and mood disorders.
She is keenly focused on the physician/patient relationship and works with the residents to establish appropriate therapeutic rapport with an emphasis on understanding transference, countertransference, establishing boundaries, and how to deepen the therapeutic relationship and therapeutic interventions to achieve psychological healing. Her motto is "Every interaction with a patient is a psychotherapeutic intervention." She works with the residents to understand their impact and opportunity in every patient interaction.
Training Director Rural Integrated Behavioral Health Psychology Fellowship
Katie Rowe is a licensed psychologist who joined the MAHEC team as a therapist for the clinic-based therapy team as well as faculty member for the psychiatry residency program. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from East Tennessee State University in 2017. She went on to complete her predoctoral internship at the University of Kansas Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship through the Colorado Health Foundation in Denver, both of which focused on providing integrated behavioral health services for underserved and underrepresented populations within primary care and health psychology. Dr. Rowe previously worked at Denver Health in which she served in the role of postdoctoral supervisor and clinician within internal and family medicine clinics.
In her current role, Katie offers individual therapy, ongoing supervision and training to psychiatry residents and psychology practicum students, and engagement in program development and evaluation for the department. Katie works primarily with adults who are experiencing concerns with mood (e.g., major depression, adjustment issues, anxiety-related disorders); individuals with medically complex needs; issues associated with age-related changes; individuals facing difficult interpersonal challenges, and individuals in the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Katie practices primarily from an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy lens and actively utilizes other modalities such as DBT-informed and Trauma-informed care.
Assistant Training Director Rural Integrated Behavioral Health Psychology Fellowship
Meagan Tucker-Wiles (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist who earned a PhD from UNC, Greensboro and received advanced training with the VA healthcare systems in Albuquerque, NM and San Diego, CA. Dr. Tucker-Wiles’ career has focused on reducing access barriers to high quality behavioral healthcare through direct patient care and program development and evaluation. She provides short term psychotherapy to OBGYN patients with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, utilizing primarily cognitive behavioral and third wave therapies. Dr. Tucker-Wiles offers precepting and consultation to OBGYN medical residents and faculty. She is a faculty member for the Psychiatry Residency Program and regularly contributes to psychiatric resident didactics and provides clinical supervision to student learners.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
Sarah Wells Slectha, MD, received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a Morehead Scholar. She participated in medical volunteer work abroad immediately after college and then completed an AmeriCorps service program before beginning medical school at the UNC School of Medicine. Dr. Wells completed her general psychiatry residency and a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UNC Hospitals. While there, she developed a love for teaching and was awarded the Kaiser Permanente Excellence in Teaching Award for Residents.
Sarah is currently an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine as well as the course director for the longitudinal curriculum of the psychiatry third-year clerkship at the Asheville campus. She is a full member of the UNC School of Medicine’s Academy of Educators and is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Wells enjoys providing medication management and psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings. She has a special interest in working with girls in a therapeutic boarding school setting. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys travel, hiking, dance, and spending time with family.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency Program
Faculty, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
Stephen A. Wyatt, DO, is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist with added subspecialty certification in Addiction Psychiatry. He practiced emergency medicine for 12 years prior to entering a psychiatry residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland. He was then accepted into the NIDA clinical research fellowship in addiction psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. He is an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. He is a past president of the AOAAM. He is the current Chairman of the NC Psychiatric Associate Addiction Psychiatry Committee and Vice Chair of the Coalition on Physician Education in Substance Use Disorders a national organization focused on addiction medicine medical school education. He was a Co-Chair for the 2020 focused update of the ASAM Clinical Guidelines for Office-Based Opioid Treatment. He is a clinical expert for the SAMHSA-funded Provider Clinical Support System (PCSS); Medication-Assisted Treatment and Implementation Projects.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency and Consultation/Liaison Fellowship
Dr. Freeman is a graduate of Eastern Tennessee State University Quillen School of Medicine and completed his general psychiatry residency at Virginia Commonwealth University (formerly Medical College of Virginia) in Richmond, VA. He was a PGY4 chief resident and then completed a consultation and liaison psychiatry fellowship at VCU.
Since 2015, he has lived in Asheville, NC, with his wife and three children. His primary role is that of clinician, managing one of the adult Copestone units, and providing emergency room and consultations as needed. He is an adjunct assistant professor at UNC Chapel Hill and provides instruction for medical students and MAHEC psychiatry residents. He enjoys working with learners at all levels. When not at the hospital, he is home with family or eating popcorn in one of our local independent theaters.
My name is Hussein Ahmad and I am from Raleigh, NC. I am incredibly excited to be joining the MAHEC Psychiatry family and to live in Asheville! I went to the University of North Carolina, where I studied Public Health as a Morehead-Cain Scholar. After college, I worked as a healthcare management consultant in Chicago for two years before coming back to Chapel Hill to attend the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. I was especially drawn to the field of psychiatry after rotating through my third-year clerkship and seeing the incredible results my treatment teams were able to achieve and helping patients work through severe mental illnesses. I am passionate about general psychiatry and expanding mental health resources to minority groups.
Outside of psychiatry, I like to spend my free time biking, hiking, spending time with family, and working on home renovation projects.
My name is Maheen Islam and I was born in Pakistan and raised in West Palm Beach, FL. After receiving my Bachelor of Science in Biology at Florida State University (FSU), I stayed there for another five years to complete my master’s and medical degree. You can say I am a lifelong Seminole!
I was first introduced to psychiatry during my second year in medical school when I conducted research on personality changes in dementia patients. I worked closely with a psychiatrist, who set the precedence for my passion for psychiatry. My psychiatry clerkship only further solidified this passion. It also shined a light on mental health care disparities, even at a local level. It led me to create a mental health initiative to inform the local public about these disparities and break down the stigma associated with mental health. Not only do I want to practice psychiatry, but I want to practice it in an underserved area.
When I am not talking about psychiatry, I enjoy sketching, practicing calligraphy, working out, and cooking healthy recipes. I am also into beauty and skincare. I have a beautiful baby cat named Chicken Wing. She can do tricks like “lay down” and “roll over” and provides me with a lot of entertainment.
I am excited to join the MAHEC family and begin a new chapter in Asheville, N.C. I get to trade the beaches for the mountains! I cannot wait to practice my passion at a wonderful program and serve the area.
Hello! My name is Sonia Koul and I was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. I attended the University of Florida in Gainesville for college, majoring in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. At UF, I had the unique opportunity to work as a volunteer crisis counselor which created a strong interest in psychiatry and mental health work. I moved back to Tallahassee for two years as I began school at the Florida State University College of Medicine. I completed my clinical training in Daytona Beach, Florida where my love of psychiatry only continued to grow. My professional interests include child and adolescent psychiatry and advocacy work.
Outside of psychiatry, I enjoy hiking, running, playing board games with friends, and watching sports! I am thrilled to experience the beauty of Asheville and serve the Western North Carolina community as part of the MAHEC team.
Hi there! My name is Jenny, and I am originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I attended the University of Michigan for undergrad and studied evolutionary anthropology and biopsychology. I knew that I wanted to have a career addressing health disparities, so I decided to obtain an MPH from Boston University before returning to Michigan for medical school at Michigan State College of Human Medicine.
I was immediately drawn to psychiatry during medical school and could not imagine myself doing anything else! My career interests include LGBTQ+ health, child and adolescent psychiatry, addressing access issues in healthcare and quality improvement.
Outside of medicine I enjoy creating music with friends, playing guitar & singing, trying out new breweries with my wife and hanging with our three pups. I’m so excited to be joining the MAHEC family and to explore all that Asheville has to offer!
My name is Julia Stephens, and I grew up in the Atlanta area with a large family (ten, if you can believe it!). I am a triple-dawg, earning my three degrees through the University of Georgia (Medical College of Georgia through the Joint Partnership at UGA): a degree in psychology, a master's in business administration, and a medical degree. I am excited to continue my education journey here at MAHEC and am looking forward to meeting new patients and colleagues in Asheville and the surrounding areas. I believe in equal access to healthcare for everyone and I am deeply committed to working with underserved populations and in underserved areas. My areas of interest include women’s mental health, transitional age, and chronic pain syndromes.
While not at work, you can find me hiking, lifting weights, enjoying photography, or playing with my two cats, Sasha and Toffee. I am very happy to have the opportunity to discover all the natural beauty that Western NC has to offer!
Howdy. My name is Angus, and I am excited to be joining MAHEC Psychiatry program. I grew up in Hendersonville, so this is a homecoming of sorts. I’ve done a few things before medicine, including working as both a high school English teacher and as a registered nurse. I graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (recently), and I also have a Master of Fine Arts from Iowa Writers’ Workshop (much, much less recently).
Psychiatry is about the story, the narrative of one’s lived life. Helping folks understand their own narratives and their power to change them is a pretty big draw for me.
In my spare time, I enjoy recounting in excruciating detail European football matches to my wife while we hike. I’m also a fan of pub trivia, dogs, and the good novel.
My professional interests include somatic psychiatry, first break psychosis, child and adolescent psychiatry, refugee mental health, and the intersectionality of mental health and the arts.
Dr. Jacobson joined the MAHEC psychiatry residency program after graduating from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, he attended the University of Utah and earned a doctorate degree in physical therapy. While working as an outpatient physical therapist, he completed additional training to obtain board certification as an orthopedic clinical specialist. His clinical interests include child and adolescent psychiatry, veteran mental health, and psychotherapy.
My name is Julia Jordan, a lifelong Tarheel originally from the Piedmont region. I grew up on my family’s farm, where horses, dogs, and myriad wildlife first fostered my fascination with behavior and my desire to care for other living things. At Davidson College, I studied biology and liberal arts, solidifying my love for science, research, and the application of each to better the lived human experience, in all its complexity. This foundation readily translated into my passion for human behavior, associated psychopathology and treatment, and patient care. I was fortunate to call Asheville and MAHEC home during my MS3 year at UNC, and I am honored to return as a psychiatrist-in-training.
When I’m not working with patients, you can find me outdoor adventuring with my American Lab, Finley, catch-riding horses, cooking up farmers’ market finds, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.
My name is Jay Kirby, and I am excited to be joining the team at MAHEC! I grew up in Greensboro, so I have lived in North Carolina pretty much my whole life. My journey into medicine began in middle school when I was diagnosed with leukemia. Going through chemotherapy treatment gave me a new perspective on life and sparked my passion for medicine. I earned my undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech studying medical biology, then came back to North Carolina for medical school at Campbell University.
Through my first years at Campbell, I thought that I would end up in internal medicine specializing in oncology, but my third-year psychiatry clerkship at Cherry Hospital changed my mind. I realized that I loved treating psychiatric disorders and seeing the difference that I could make in patients’ lives. After this, I knew that psychiatry is where I belong. Being a state hospital, Cherry saw the most severe pathology, which meant that the patients there were some of the most vulnerable to falling through the cracks in the healthcare system. Seeing this first-hand has inspired me to focus my career on being a bridge between psychiatric care and primary care medicine.
In my free time I enjoy hiking, playing board games, and reading science fiction books.
My name is Matthew Torres and I am from Raleigh, NC. I am excited to move to Asheville and begin at MAHEC psychiatry. I went to North Carolina State University for Human Biology. After college, I worked as a CNA and after that at a CRO in Cary, NC, before attending the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
I have always been drawn to the field of psychiatry since entering medical school as it was the one specialty that truly grabbed my interest and passion. I have a special interest in telepsychiatry and its implementation in emergency rooms and community-based psychiatry.
Outside of psychiatry, I spend my free time with my wife hiking, going to art galleries, listening to symphonies, spoiling our cat Willow, and exploring all the food/beer Asheville has to offer!
Hello! My name is Taylor Camiliere, and I am from Chandler, Arizona. I am very excited to be joining the MAHEC Psychiatry team and to be moving to Asheville, NC! I attended Arizona State University, where I received bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and psychology. After graduation, I worked in behavioral healthcare for 4 years before attending Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. I have a broad range of interests in psychiatry including personality disorders, eating disorders, reproductive care, and neuromodulation.
Outside of academics, I spend most of my time adventuring outdoors or traveling with my husband and our two adorable yorkies, Rex and Macie. I also enjoy country-swing dancing, horseback-riding, and gardening.
Hi! My name is Mackenzie Chandler (she/her). I was born and raised in Cary, NC and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and French. Before medical school, I worked as both a medical assistant for a Family Medicine practice and later as a Research Associate at RTI Health Solutions. For medical school, I attended the Lincoln Memorial University—DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, TN where I developed a passion to work with people with psychiatric conditions.
I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the MAHEC community! It has been a long-held dream to become a MAHEC Psychiatry Resident and to learn from my colleagues and mentors within the MAHEC programs. The Asheville area has also held a special place in my heart since childhood when I would visit my great-grandfather’s tobacco farm in Burnsville where they raised 13 children. My father and his family still live on this land.
My husband and I are high-school sweethearts and now enjoy watching our toddler explore the newness of life and introducing him to the great outdoors – hiking, camping, and climbing and hopefully later-on ultimate frisbee, soccer and biking. We are looking forward to many happy years as a part of the Asheville community!
My name is Jordan Eidson, and I am a native of the Carolinas. I grew up in a small town called Leesville, SC before making my way up to Clemson University for undergrad, where I studied Bioengineering. Following my time at Clemson, I went straight into medical school at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, SC, and now I am excited to start the next part of my journey in Asheville!
My experiences thus far in psychiatry have been wonderful and have filled me with a passion to make a difference in my community. The relationships that I have been able to foster with patients are rewarding in their own right, and the impact that I have been able to make in their lives feeds my passion further. I am especially interested in caring for patients with treatment resistant conditions, and I am looking forward to seeing the impact that I can make on the communities that MAHEC serves.
Beyond psychiatry, I love to travel, hike, and explore with my wife. We also enjoy music, trying new foods, and spending time with our two wonderful cats, Wolfgang and Bertram.
Hello! My name is Ariana Morales, and I am a Queer, Puerto Rican, first-generation college student native to Greenville, SC. I am a lover of breakfast foods, my dog Dex, and of course psychiatry. For my educational career, I obtained a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and biomedicine from Clemson University, and shortly thereafter I attended the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville for my medical degree. My choice to practice psychiatry comes from my fascination with the human condition and human connection as well as my passion for increasing accessibility to healthcare for marginalized populations. I believe one of life’s greatest gifts is to understand and be understood. I am passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, where my interests include mentorship and training in medical education and community service. My interests in the field of psychiatry include substance use disorders, personality disorders, and geriatrics. When I am not at work, you can find me at the park writing poetry, out for a run, crocheting, or singing along to my favorite Broadway tune.
I’m Carol, so excited to meet ya’ll! I’m from Charlotte, NC and did my undergraduate and medical studies at UNC Chapel Hill. Go Heels! My family is from Vietnam, I’m proud to be bilingual, and my mom makes the best egg rolls. For many years before medical school, my heart had already chosen psychiatry so it is an amazing opportunity to be serving the population in Western NC now as a resident at MAHEC. My goal as a physician is to bring mental health to where we need it most such as in rural, urban, and immigrant communities. When I am not daydreaming or working, you can find me in a coffee shop with a fruity pastry writing in a journal. I’m an amateur poet and (a very new) screenwriter, but chances are I’m just doodling the cool graffiti S that we all learned for some reason.
My name is Ony Uzor, and I am thrilled to be part of the psychiatry residency program at MAHEC-Asheville! I was born and raised in Colorado, spent middle school in Nigeria, my country of ancestral heritage, and moved to South Carolina during high school. I graduated from Clemson University in 2016 with a degree in Microbiology, and took a few years off to support my family, including my now 8 year-old daughter. I received my medical education at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine- Greenville.
My favorite hobbies include fitness training, reading philosophical literature, and enjoying the great outdoors with my family. As a native of the Rocky Mountain State, I absolutely love the Blue Ridge mountains and am excited to continue my medical training in the mountain area. After my transitional year, I hope to continue my training in psychiatry. In the meantime, when I’m not practicing medicine, you can find me road tripping with my favorite allies on the Blue Ridge Parkway, soaking up a good book in a local brewery, or hiking through the many trails that Asheville and the mountain area have to offer.
My name is Ellen, and I am originally from Smithfield, North Carolina. My great-grandmother lived in Asheville, and I have fond childhood memories of visiting her. I am thrilled to be returning to the area.
I attended East Carolina University for my undergraduate degrees in Biology and Philosophy. I stayed at ECU for my master’s degree in Biology. I continued on to study medicine at Brody School of Medicine. During my undergraduate years, I spent some time working for the Autism Society of North Carolina, which really fueled my interest in psychiatry.
I am married to a wonderful man who I met while I was obtaining my master’s degree. We have been inseparable ever since. We live with our two cats, Hagrid and Fat Severus. I started riding horses when I was seven years old, so in my spare time you can find me hanging out with my mare, Dodi, and my one eared rescue donkey, Flossy.
Hi! I’m Bryan Dobbs (he/him) and I am very excited to start my career in psychiatry at MAHEC. I grew up just outside of Charlotte in Concord, NC and lived there until I moved to New York City where I got my undergraduate degrees in neuroscience and music at NYU. After college, I continued to live in the city as I worked in clinical research and prepared to apply to medical school. While I loved my time in New York, I was happy to return home to attend medical school at UNC Chapel Hill. I was lucky enough to spend my third-year clinical rotations in Asheville and am looking forward to returning to the mountains for residency.
I went to medical school with the intention of becoming a psychiatrist and am happy to finally begin realizing that dream. My interest in psychiatry is rooted in my desire to understand and help people. There is something very special about someone sharing their story with you, and being able to then provide them with the tools to live their best life is such a rewarding position to hold.
In my free time I enjoy playing music, gardening, and cooking. I also love games of all kind, particularly board games and tabletop roleplaying games like D&D.
Hi there! My name is Clay, and I originally hail from Sylva, NC. While my entire family was born and raised here, I moved around in the Air Force for much of my childhood. It is an honor to return to Western NC at MAHEC and give back to the people who helped make me who I am today.
I attended Texas A&M University for undergraduate where I received my bachelor’s in civil engineering. However, it wasn’t long until I realized that I enjoyed the complexity of people and pursued a career in medicine instead! I went to medical school at Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel School of Osteopathic Medicine in Florida, and though the sunny weather and beaches were lovely, I ultimately couldn’t ignore the mountains calling me home.
Before medical school I was always fascinated with psychiatry. I believe our mental health is a precious resource – it’s what makes us truly “human” after all, and restoring that human experience is paramount. My interests include community mental health, marginalized/underserved communities, addiction psychiatry, LGBTQ+ healthcare, interventional psychiatry, and those with severe mental illness. My goal is to always meet people where they are and treat every patient with dignity and respect.
In my spare time I can likely be spotted hiking around the mountains, being near water, spending time with family, exploring the city, trying new restaurants/eating in general, going to concerts, looking at weird art, playing instruments, watching crime documentaries, hanging out with my cat Carol, and buying way too many plants.
Greetings! My name is Matt Hooks (Matthew if you really must be formal, which I won’t hold against you). I am a WNC native, having spent the vast majority of my life in the Smoky Mountains. I was born and raised in Sylva, NC. I earned my undergraduate degree in psychology at UNC Chapel Hill. After which, I was first introduced to the world of behavioral health as a mental health technician in Waynesville, NC. During that time, I was blessed to be mentored and influenced by many wonderful human beings. They supported me through a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Wake Forest that I earned while continuing to work full-time. It was these same fine folks that gave me more perspectives into caring for mental health than I could have asked for and ultimately pushed me towards medical school, which I attended LMU-DCOM for.
I am a collector of more hobbies than I care to count (photography, video games, philosophy, cinema, and cooking are some of the mainstays though), have an unending affection (and deep indebtedness to) the communities of WNC, and am a lover of parenthetical expressions (wherever I can fit them).
Having another opportunity to serve WNC through joining MAHEC is truly a dream come true, an ambition that I have held for many years. It is also a dream that I am doubly blessed to live out alongside my wife, who is joining MAHEC as an internal medicine resident. We are happy to be relocating to Asheville with our two cats, Artie and Wally (Arthur and Walter for those of you still feeling formal), and are looking forward to what adventure awaits.
My name is Anna Lowery, and I am from Mountain Home, Arkansas. I received my Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences from the United States Air Force Academy, after which, I was commissioned into the Air Force. After several years on active duty, I continue to serve as a reservist. Ultimately, I decided to pursue a career in medicine and began that journey at Georgetown University where I completed a Master of Science in Physiology with an emphasis in Complementary & Alternative Medicine. While there, I had the incredible opportunity to work with the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine, which cemented my desire to treat every patient as a whole person. I began medical school at A.T. Still University, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, and completed my clinical training at the University of Missouri, School of Medicine in Columbia, Missouri. My professional interests include lifestyle medicine, integrative medicine, positive psychology, neuropsychiatry, and interventional psychiatry.
Outside of medicine, I love hiking, traveling, flying the occasional kite, and spending time with friends and family. I am excited to join the MAHEC family and live in this gorgeous area!
Hello everyone! My name is Eli Morey, and I am thrilled to be joining the MAHEC Psychiatry program in Asheville this summer! I grew up in a small town called Mousie, in deep Kentuckian Appalachia, an area not unlike WNC. I attended the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Central Kentucky and am eager to come back to the mountains for residency.
While I have many interests in behavioral health and psychiatry, I am particularly fascinated by the neuroscience underlying new interventional and neuromodulation therapies, as they relate to substance use and mood disorders.
When I’m not at work, I’m always outdoors or on the road. I love to hike and travel, as well as discovering new places to eat and drink with my significant other. I also enjoy cooking and trying to learn about different cultures’ cuisines, as well as other outdoor activities such as kayaking and fishing.
The Asheville area has always been one of my favorite areas to vacation with my family growing up. To get to live in such a place and contribute to the culture of MAHEC psychiatry feels like a dream come true!
My name is Mary Quaile, and I am excited to be joining the MAHEC team! I was born and raised in Pittsboro, NC on a small farm. I attended UNC Chapel Hill for undergrad where I studied cultural anthropology and first became fascinated with the range of human behavior. After college, I was accepted to be a MedServe Fellow, and I worked as a medical scribe at a rural health center in Western NC. I fell in love with the NC mountains and made friends for life in that community. I also learned much about rural and underserved healthcare that has become the foundation of my “why” in medicine. I attended medical school at East Carolina University. Originally, I planned on becoming a family doctor like the ones I admired during my work as a scribe, but over time my interest in the behavioral health side of family medicine evolved into a passion for a career in psychiatry. I am looking forward to exploring my interests in rural psychiatry, peripartum psychiatry, and first episode psychosis while training at MAHEC.
Outside of work, I am often at the rock-climbing gym with my husband, hiking Asheville’s trails, painting when the inspiration takes me, or snuggling with my cats.
Application Requirements
We invite you to apply to our program via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We will review your application and contact you if we are able to offer you an interview. Typically, our interview season runs from October through January and includes ~11 total interview dates.
A complete ERAS application is required, including:
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Photo
Personal statement
Three letters of recommendation from faculty who have directly supervised clinical performance (at least one letter should be from a psychiatrist)
Medical school transcript(s)
Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
USMLE, COMLEX, or Canadian licensing exam completion (Step 1 or COMLEX 1 required, Step 2 or COMLEX 2 preferred)
Questions regarding the application process should be directed to the Residency Program Coordinator at psychres@mahec.net.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
The Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs will select from among eligible applicants on the basis of residency program-related criteria such as their preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity.
Minimum Requirements
An applicant must meet or exceed the following minimum qualification(s) to be eligible for selection and appointment to MAHEC’s GME residency programs:
Be a graduate of a medical school in the United States or Canada, accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME); or
Be a graduate of a college of osteopathic medicine in the United States, accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA); or
Be a graduate of a non-LCME- or AOA-approved medical school who also meets one of the following additional qualifications:
holds a currently-valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment; or
holds a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a United States licensing jurisdiction in his or her current ACGME specialty/subspecialty program; or
has graduated from a medical school outside the United States and has completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by a LCME-accredited medical school.
Passed USMLE Steps 1 and 2 or COMLEX 1 and 2 within three attempts, as required by the North Carolina Medical Board.
Be eligible for a NC resident training license.
Be eligible to work in the U.S. (citizen, permanent resident, eligible visa including J1). MAHEC does not sponsor H1B or other visas.
VISA Sponsorship
MAHEC does not directly sponsor residents or fellows that need a J-1 Sponsorship VISA. Non-U.S. citizen applicants needing visa sponsorship must secure this directory from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The ECFMG is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor foreign national physicians for the J-1 Exchange Visitor visa for the purpose of participating in U.S. programs of graduate medical education or training. ECFMG is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a BridgeUSA sponsor for J-1 exchange visitor physicians enrolled in accredited programs of graduate medical education or training, or advanced research programs (involving primarily observation, consultation, teaching, or research). Although many universities and research institutions in the United States are authorized to sponsor exchange visitors as research scholars, ECFMG is the sole sponsor of J-1 physicians in clinical training programs.
Questions regarding VISA Sponsorship should be directed to the GME office at 828-232-2946 or gme@mahec.net.
Susan Whitley, MD
Symone Simmons
Ben Vockery
John Nicholls, MD, JD
Hunter Edwards, DO
Matt Edwards, MD
Trace Fender, MD
Luke Johnson, DO
Nick Ladd, DO
Nina Leezenbaum, PhD
Ronald Magee, MD
Audrey Martinez, MD
Joseph Maxwell, MD
Danielle Meola, MD, PhD
Karin Nylund, MD
Dustin Patil, MD
Judith Pohl, PhD
Lori Raney, MD
Catherine (Katie) Rowe, PhD
Meagan Tucker-Wiles, PhD
Brittany Vasquez, MD
Sarah Wells Slectha, MD
Stephen Wyatt, DO
David Freeman, MD
Sarah Volk, MD
Hussein Ahmad, MD
Maheen Islam, MD, MS
Sonia Koul, MD
Jennifer “Jenny” Ondreyka, MD, MPH
Julia Stephens, MD, MBA
Angus Bennett, MD, MFA
Alexander “Alex” Coburn, MD, PhD
Garett Jacobson, MD, DPT
Julia Jordan, MD
Jay Kirby, DO
Matthew Torres, MD
Taylor Camiliere, DO
Mackenzie Chandler, DO
Andrew “Jordan” Eidson, MD
Ariana Morales, MD
Carol Tran, MD
Onyedikachi “Ony” Uzor, MD
Ellen Williams, MD
Bryan Dobbs, MD, MPH
Clay Ginn, DO
Matthew “Matt” Hooks, DO, MA
Anna Lowery, MD
Eli Morey, MD
Mary Quaile, MD