The psychiatry residency program at Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) 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
Elena Perea, MD Director, Psychiatry Residency Program
Director, Rural Psychiatry Residency Program
Faculty, Consultation/Liaison 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
Values Statement
Excellence: We deliver quality activities and services that our customers and partners value.
Diversity: We promote equity and inclusivity.
Integrity: We act with fairness, transparency, and the highest level of ethics.
Collaboration: We value partnerships and support interprofessional approaches.
Improvement: We continuously innovate and improve our work.
Foundational Principles
Civility: We treat all people with respect and kindness, all the time.
Inclusivity: We value the contribution of people different than ourselves and the merits of an
organization that reflects differences in our teams and our community.
Empowerment: We value engagement, commitment, and ownership of MAHEC’s mission, work, and
budget.
Our Commitment
MAHEC is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive place to work, learn, and receive care. We actively recruit physicians, staff, and students from underrepresented minorities, and we strive to implement policies and procedures that value and support diverse backgrounds and experiences. MAHEC does not discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, spiritual practice, geography, disability, or age.
PGY1
First-year residents work in a variety of inpatient Psychiatry settings, including Pardee Hospital, Mission Hospital, Broughton State Hospital, and the 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 MAHEC’s school-based therapy team, a treatment resistant clinic at MAHEC Psychiatry that includes TMS, clozapine and ketamine treatments, the Asheville Bridge Collaborative for the unhoused and psychiatric consults with MAHEC OB/GYN and Project CARA. Second-year residents also have multiple elective opportunities to spend time at various sites which may be of interest to them including a university student health center, an assertive community treatment team (ACTT), outpatient consults at the Cherokee Indian Hospital, emergency psychiatry at Mission Hospital, ride-alongs with the post-overdose opioid response team (PORT), and several others! In addition to their rotations, second-year residents spend one full day each week in both child and adult continuity clinics, and one half day each 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 as well as three 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.
Dr. Buie is program chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Wellness. He treats adults with all psychiatric conditions with particular interests in bipolar disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders. He is trained in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a treatment for severe depression. Dr. Buie attended the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill as an undergraduate on a Morehead Scholarship. He obtained his medical education at the University of the North Carolina School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at a Columbia University training hospital in New York and a psychiatry residency at Cornell Medical College, also in New York. Dr. Buie is an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the UNC School of Medicine. He is a past president of the North Carolina Psychiatric Association, is president of the North Carolina Psychiatric Foundation, and is a member of the American College of Psychiatrists.
In his free time, Dr. Buie enjoys hiking the beautiful trails of the Blue Ridge mountains, making wine and working in his permaculture garden.
Director, Psychiatry Residency Program
Director, Rural Psychiatry Residency Program
Faculty, Consultation/Liaison Fellowship
Dr. Perea grew up outside of Philadelphia, but has been coming to the Asheville area since age 5. She went to Wake Forest University for her undergraduate degree (and therefore does not follow any successful college sports teams), where she studied anthropology, was on the varsity track and field team, and played club Ultimate Frisbee.
She went to UNC School of Medicine and remained in Chapel Hill for her general psychiatry residency. She did one year of Child and Adolescent fellowship prior to joining the faculty at UNC School of Medicine for 4.5 years. She then spent 4.5 years at Duke, rounding out her 18 years in the triangle, before moving to Asheville permanently in 2019.
Dr. Perea has won multiple teaching awards at several institutions and strongly identifies as an educator. Clinically, she enjoys CL psychiatry and the intersection of mind and body, brain and behavior, medicine and psychiatry. She is an adjunct professor at UNC and can usually be found causing trouble with a student or resident.
In her spare time, she tries to keep up with her twin sons and husband, and is an avid equestrian who competes throughout the southeastern United States.
Associate Director (outpatient), Psychiatry Residency Program
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.
Dr. Buser trained in medicine at Duke University and served 12 years as a physician in the U.S. Air Force. He is board certified in psychiatry as well as addiction medicine. He currently works in an addiction hospital focusing on detoxification and rehabilitation services. He is a graduate of the Clinical Training Program at the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago and has worked for over 30 years as a psychiatrist with a focus on Jungian oriented psychotherapy. He has written numerous books in the psychiatric field, including DSM-5 Insanely Simplified: Unlocking the Spectrums within DSM-5 and ICD-10. He has been published in the New York Times and has been a mental health expert on the Lawrence O'Donnell Show. He currently also serves as Publisher at Chiron Publications, a 300-title publication house specializing in psychological work.
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 and 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.
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 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.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency and Child and 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.
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency and Consultation/Liaison Fellowship
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.
Director, Consultation-Liaison Fellowship
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency Program
Dr. Mason came to Asheville in 2008 to work at the Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Black Mountain, NC. After three years of addiction and general psychiatry at that facility, he began working for the department of psychiatry at Mission Hospital.
Originally from Memphis, TN, Dr. Mason received his undergraduate degree in industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Tech, then completed medical school and psychiatry residency at the University of Tennessee. He was awarded the Psychiatry Resident of the Year in his fourth year of training. After a year as chief resident, he remained in the department as an associate professor and was awarded the Golden Apple Teaching Award both as a resident physician and as an attending.
His primary focus of practice has been hospital-based consultation-liaison psychiatry, but he has broad experience in various practice environments including community mental health and private practice clinics, public and private hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and skilled nursing facilities.
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.
Eduardo Fabian is a Bilingual Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) who enjoys working with both English and Spanish speaking children, families, and adults dealing anxiety, depression, trauma- and stress-related disorders. He also enjoys working with those who are neurodiverse (ADHD, autism and Down syndrome), as well as those in the LGBTQ+ community. He utilizes an integrated approach towards counseling that focuses on client-centered engagement, psychoeducation, solution-focused and motivational interviewing, along with CBT and EMDR. Eduardo Fabian also uses nature as a metaphor along with creative and expressive arts within his work. He is bicultural, a first generation Mexican-American on one side, and a Western North Carolinian on his other side. Being from the Brevard and Hendersonville area, Eduardo Fabian attended Brevard College for his undergraduate degree, obtaining a B.A. in Psychology. Later, he attended Western Carolina University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program in which he acquired his M.S. degree and has since engaged in community mental health services. Eduardo Fabian values the unique journeys we humans go through in this life, seeking to honor the humanness we all have and our efforts towards wellness – collectively and individually.
Medical Director, Psychiatry
Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
Dr. Nicholls is a general and child/adolescent psychiatrist. Prior to 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 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.
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.
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.
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 and 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.
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.
My name is Troy and I grew up in the small town of Winlock, Washington. I attended Washington State University and University of Washington School of Medicine before joining the MAHEC psychiatry residency program. I fell in love with psychiatry in my third year of medical school after witnessing the depth of the doctor-patient relationship and the profound health and life changes that are possible with the application of thoughtful and personal mental healthcare. My specific interests include addictions medicine, general adult psychiatry, veterans mental health, and psychotherapy. I am thrilled to be part of the MAHEC team and to serve and grow with the Western North Carolina community.
Outside of psychiatry, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two kids. I enjoy many outdoor activities including hiking and biking, and I'm excited to experience the countless adventures that this region has to offer for me and my family.
Hello! My name is Josephine Kooijman. I was born in the Netherlands and raised in Marietta, GA. For college, I went to UNC-Chapel Hill and received my bachelor’s degree in Biology (Go Heels!). Afterwards, I moved to Atlanta and received my medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. During that time, I also became a naturalized American citizen.
While on psychiatry rotations, I appreciated spending time and building rapport with my patients, and realized that I wanted to dedicate my career to this field. There is nothing quite as interesting as the human mind. I am very excited to start this new chapter in Asheville as part of the MAHEC family. It is an honor to be part of the psychiatry residency program and help provide mental health services in Western North Carolina.
Outside of psychiatry, I enjoy board games, hiking, cooking and spending time with friends and family. I’m also a fan of playing fetch with our two young cats - a pair of brothers named Link and Ganon.
Hi! My name is Emily and I am very excited to be joining the MAHEC Psychiatry team. I am originally from Cheshire, CT, where I grew up skiing, running, and playing lacrosse. After high school, I took those passions to Denver, CO where I attended the University of Denver (DU). There I received a BS in biology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience and a studio art minor! During my four years at DU, I played on the DII Women’s Club Lacrosse team, winning the 2016 DII National Championship when I was a senior.
After graduating from DU I went straight to medical school at New York Institute of Technology’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, NY. During medical school, I lived in Brooklyn and thoroughly enjoyed all of the excitement New York City has to offer. I couldn’t leave my love for lacrosse behind though and coached Hofstra University’s Women’s Club Lacrosse team part-time for two years. I am looking forward to this new adventure exploring all that Asheville, NC has to offer by way of breweries, hiking, and outdoor fun!
I am particularly interested in geriatric psychiatry and have previously been very active in volunteering. I have also been involved in research regarding the application of robotics in geriatric psychiatry, something I never would’ve guessed I’d get into! My other areas of interest within psychiatry are telepsychiatry and forensics.
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 Dara Fazelnia and I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. I received my Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from NC State University and then completed medical school at Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine. My interest in Psychiatry sparked during my third year of medical school where I found my curiosity about the human mind met my desire to serve the most vulnerable in my community. In my free time I enjoy cooking, playing board games and listening to podcasts. I am thrilled to join the MAHEC team and excited for the journey ahead!
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!
Hey y’all- I’m Gabi Terán, and I am over the moon to be joining MAHEC and be a part of the Asheville community. I grew up in Charlotte, NC (before it was a thriving metropolis) and went to undergrad at Virginia Tech where I started to foster my love for living in the mountains. I took a few years off between undergrad and medical school where I did a bunch of different and important things ranging from working retail to working at a ranch to living in Nepal to learning that bench research was not for me!
I always thought I would end up as an OB-Gyn as I have such a strong passion for women’s health. However, it just wasn’t the right fit for me and once rotating, I knew that I was not an OB-Gyn in my core. However, once I rotated in Internal Medicine I found myself consistently presenting to my attendings about the psychiatric conditions of the floor patients, as to me this felt like the real root of their hospitalizations; it was clear I was meant to pursue psychiatry. I hope to pursue issues that disproportionately affect women such as intimate partner violence, sexual assault/rape, post-partum pathologies, and disordered eating through a psychiatric lens.
In my free time I enjoy fermentation, gardening, hiking with my dog goose, and knitting is a new hobby I’ve picked up.
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 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.
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.
International Medical Graduates
Special laws and regulations apply to international medical graduates who wish to enter the United States to undertake graduate medical education. MAHEC's policies and procedures regarding graduates of international medical schools comply with federal and state laws and regulations and MAHEC's commitment to graduate medical education.
Graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada must have a currently valid certificate from ECFMG. Applicants must successfully pass both Step 1 (basic medical) and Step 2 (clinical knowledge and skills) of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
While MAHEC does not sponsor a visa, the international medical graduate applicant must also possess a current/valid visa option or other status governed by the U.S. Immigration Regulations to participate in a GME program.
Finally, the North Carolina Medical Board requires that physicians who are graduates of schools that are not accredited by the LCME or the AOA (foreign medical schools) must be individually certified by ECFMG, have successfully completed at least three years of accredited graduate medical training, and have passed the USMLE or its equivalent to be eligible for application for full licensure. An international medical graduate must complete all other application requirements required by MAHEC and the GME program.