Faculty

Brief Bio

Ganesh Gopalakrishna MD, MHA
Ganesh Gopalakrishna MD, MHA

Program Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship
Associate Clinical Medical Director, Stead Family Memory Center, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute

Dr. Gopalakrishna received his medical degree from Bangalore Medical College in India. He completed his residency in adult psychiatry at University of Missouri-Columbia. He also received a masters in Health Administration at University of Missouri-Columbia. He completed additional subspecialty training in geriatric psychiatry at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Gopalakrishna is board-certified in adult psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry and addiction medicine. He has served as faculty at University of Missouri-Columbia and University of Arizona.

His research interests include administrative psychiatry, neurocognitive disorders and use of technology in mental health.

Pallavi Joshi, DO, MA
Pallavi Joshi, DO, MA

Dr. Joshi completed her fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. She obtained her medical degree from Western University of Health Sciences and completed her residency at Northwell Health – Staten Island University Hospital, where she was chief resident. Prior to medical school, she was a psychometrician at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, which ignited her interest in dementia. She has published on various topics in psychiatry and presented original research in geriatric psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and neuropsychology at national conferences. She has held leadership and scientific committee positions in the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Andrea Waxman, MD
Andrea Waxman, MD

Psychiatry Residency Training Director, UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Director, Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service, Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix

Dr. Waxman received her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio, followed by her psychiatry residency training at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix.

She currently serves as the program director of the Psychiatry Residency and provides oversight for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She is very involved in medical education and serves on the Graduate Medical Education Committee, GME Wellness Subcommittee, as well as the GME Program Crisis Planning and Protocol Subcommittee. Her clinical interests include psychosomatics, ethics, women’s mental health, and psychotherapy.

Ayman Fanous, MD
Ayman Fanous, MD
 

Chair, Department of Psychiatry, UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix

Dr. Ayman Fanous — who also serves as the chair of Psychiatry at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix — came to the Valley after a five-year tenure at State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center. He served as their chair of Psychiatry and as a professor of Psychiatry.

A renowned psychiatrist, researcher and leader, Dr. Fanous' unique expertise is at the intersection of clinical psychiatry, genetics-genomics and precision medicine. His work has advanced the understanding of the molecular causes of acute psychiatric disorders, so that treatment can be better targeted and personalized to help patients.

His work — which has been extensively supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — continues on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus through the recently expanded relationship with the Phoenix VA Health Care System.

Dr. Fanous has published more than 120 articles in peer-reviewed journals. His current research projects highlight the experience of minority populations, such as persons of African Ancestry and Latino Ancestry, who have been poorly represented in large genomic studies and who have suffered from disparities in health care and outcomes.

Nimit Agarwal MD, FACP
Nimit Agarwal MD, FACP

Director, Division of Geriatric Medicine, UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix

Dr. Agarwal received his medical degree from University of Delhi, India, followed by residency training in internal medicine at Harlem Hospital, Columbia University, New York. He then completed fellowship training in geriatric medicine at Loyola University in Illinois. He is board-certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine.

He currently serves as the associate program director of the Geriatric Medicine (IM) Fellowship Program. He is a clinician, educator, researcher and innovator. He has been able to establish innovative models of care, leveraging the capabilities of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to create smart protocols that can assist with identifying gaps in care related to delirium identification, mobility challenges and markers of increased complications during hospitalization of older adults. Dr. Agarwal’s team of geriatricians, nurses, pharmacists, case managers, therapists and nutritionists work in an interdisciplinary model of care called Virtual Acute Care of Elders (vACE). Under his leadership, Banner – UMC Phoenix became the first hospital in Arizona to receive the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Agarwal is passionate about bringing artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create a safer hospital environment for older adults.

Amanda Cattelino, MD
Amanda Cattelino, MD

Psychiatry Section Chief for Primary Care Mental Health Integration, Academic Programs and Consultation Services at the Phoenix VA Medical Center

Dr. Cattelino is the associate program director of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Psychiatry Residency Program and a clinical assistant professor of Psychiatry.

She obtained her medical degree in 2005 from Albany Medical College in New York and completed her residency training at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Psychiatry Residency program in 2009.

Dr. Cattelino is a board-certified psychiatrist and has been practicing in a collaborative care model since 2009. Her professional interests include advancing the collaborative care model as well as expanding clinical and educational opportunities for Psychiatry trainees.   

Joyce K. Lee-Iannotti, MD
Joyce K. Lee-Iannotti, MD
 

Director, Sleep Disorders Center, Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix
Assistant Professor, Neurology, UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Dr. Lee-Iannotti received her medical degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC — her hometown. She followed it with her neurology training and sleep fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She then completed her stroke fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She is triple board-certified in general neurology, sleep medicine and vascular neurology.

She currently serves as the program director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship program at the University of Arizona, in conjunction with the Phoenix VA Medical Center. She is the principal investigator and co-PI of several clinical trials in both stroke and sleep medicine.  Her research interests involve REM sleep behavior disorder, narcolepsy and the overlap of sleep apnea and stroke. She is also heavily interested in medical education. 

Naeem Pathan, MD
Naeem Pathan, MD

Naeem Pathan, MD, is the lead for the Phoenix VA Medical Center Outpatient Geriatric Clinic and the fellowship program with the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

He performed his residency in psychiatry at the Maricopa Medical Center Psychiatric Annex. He then served as an attending physician at the Geriatric Unit and Outpatient Unit there and was responsible for teaching residents.

Prior to his residency program, he received additional training in England and completed his part one MRC Psychiatric.

He is a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist and has extensive experience working with the Arizona Long Term Care program as a consultant for nursing homes and managing memory units where patients were treated for psychiatric disorders. His interests include teaching and being involved with the new outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship program.

Allison Perrin, MD
Allison Perrin, MD

Dr. Perrin received her medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.  She completed both a residency in Internal Medicine and a Faculty Development Fellowship at Maricopa Integrated Health System followed by another year of fellowship training in Geriatrics at Banner University Medical Center-Phoenix.  She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Dr. Perrin is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and a Dementia Specialist at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, where she is involved in patient care, clinical trials, and education.  She continues to practice in the long term care setting as well as providing medical eligibility determination for ALTCS (Arizona Long Term Care System).

Eric M. Reiman, MD
Eric M. Reiman, MD

Executive Director, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Chief Executive Officer of Banner Research, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona, University Professor of Neuroscience at Arizona State University, Clinical Director of Neurogenomics at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, Director of the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium

A psychiatrist and pioneering brain imaging researcher by background, Dr. Reiman is internationally recognized for his contributions to Alzheimer’s disease research and care. He and his Banner Alzheimer’s Institute colleagues lead the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative (API), including studies of healthy people at high genetic research-work that has been profiled by the leading scientific and medical journals, 60 Minutes, the New York Times, documentaries and books.

Dr. Reiman is an author of more than 500 publications, a leader of seven NIH grants, the recipient of the Potamkin Prize — commonly called the Nobel Prize in Alzheimer’s research for his pioneering contributions to the study, unusually early detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Based on their contributions, he and other leading scientists were recognized as “Rock Stars of Science” and featured in GQ Magazine and billboards to encourage students to pursue careers in biomedical research. He and his colleagues are seeking to transform care for affected families and find effective prevention therapies before 2025.

Paul E. Stander, MD, MBA, HMDC, FACPPaul E. Stander, MD, MBA, HMDC, FACP

Dr. Stander is a graduate of Cornell University. He attended medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. He did residency training at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and obtained a master's in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Dr. Stander is board-certified in internal medicine, geriatrics, as well as hospice and palliative medicine with a broad array of experience in multiple health care settings over thirty years.

Dr. Stander is currently associate chief of staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care at the Phoenix Veteran Affairs Health System; is a clinical professor of Medicine at the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix; is director of the College of Medicine – Phoenix Internal Medicine Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program; and is a member of the national VA Medical Advisory Panel for Pharmacy Services. He served as the chief medical officer for Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, the academic and tertiary referral center for Banner Health based in Phoenix, Arizona for 21 years from March 1993 until May 2014. 

At this stage of his career, Dr. Stander is focusing his efforts on the practice, teaching and administration of geriatric medicine, hospice and palliative medicine and clinical bioethics with an interest in promoting improved methods for communication in patients with serious and life-limiting illness.

Pierre N. Tariot, MD
Pierre N. Tariot, MD

Director, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, and Research Professor of Psychiatry, UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Dr. Tariot is board-certified in internal medicine and psychiatry with added qualifications in geriatrics. He was as a fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Intramural Research Program, then served as a faculty member at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Since 2006, he has served as director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix. He is also a research professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

His work has focused on care and study of people with and at risk for Alzheimer’s — with special emphasis on design and implementation of clinical trials for prevention and treatment, development of biomarkers and demonstration of effective dementia care.  He has published over 350 papers on these topics — including articles regarding studies that have led to FDA approval of new medications. He serves as co-director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative (API). His research affiliations include the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the NIMH and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Jose Victor M. Ventura, MD, FAPA
Jose Victor M. Ventura, MD, FAPA

Psychiatry Section Chief for General Mental Health Clinic at the Phoenix VA Medical Center

Dr. Ventura received his medical degree from the University of the Philippines. He completed his psychiatry residency and geriatric psychiatry fellowship at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He is double board-certified in general and geriatric psychiatry and practiced in numerous settings starting with the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, running their geriatric psychiatry clinic and geriatric outpatient programs in conjunction with the geriatric fellowship program at the SUNY-Buffalo that he helped established with the late Dr. Marion Goldstein. He taught medical students, psychiatry residents and fellows as part of his faculty position with the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. He moved to Arizona and worked as a chief psychiatrist in one of the county’s SMI clinic. He was also teaching psychiatry residents from the county who rotated in the ACT team before moving to the Phoenix VA.

He is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and a member of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP).

James Wilcox, MD, PhD
James Wilcox, MD, PhD

Dr. Wilcox is a prominent American psychiatrist. Dr. Wilcox is a full professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He is the inpatient supervisor for Geropsychiatry rotations at the Phoenix VA Medical Center. He received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Iowa and completed his psychiatry training at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; he also completed a master’s degree in preventive medicine there. He received a PhD in cell biology at the University of San Jose; completed a fellowship in epidemiology at Iowa and a genetics fellowship at Harvard. He has completed post graduate work in evidence-based health care at Oxford University.

Dr. Wilcox has been certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and specializes in behavioral neurology. His primary interests are genetic research and descriptive pathology. He has a long record of external funding for research on neurochemistry. Dr. Wilcox currently is conducting work on the effect of genetic variations in netrin isoforms and their function as axon guidance factors. In addition, he is working on understanding the effects of various neurochemicals on glial cells. He is a national leader in descriptive pathology. And he has delivered lectures on genetic contributions to behavioral syndromes to audiences in America and Europe.