Faculty & Advanced Practice Providers

Salvador Cruz-Flores, M.D.
Salvador Cruz-Flores, M.D., M.P.H.

Professor and Chair, Neurology

Dr. Cruz-Flores attended medical school at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico. He completed residencies in internal medicine and neurology at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon.

Gustavo J. Rodriguez, M.D.
Gustavo Jose Rodriguez, M.D.

Professor and Vice Chair, Neurology

Dr. Rodriguez completed his medical training at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He received his neurology residency training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Richard D. Brower, M.D.
Richard Brower, M.D.

Associate Professor, Neurology

Dr. Brower received his medical degree and completed his residency from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

Alberto Maud, M.D.
Alberto Maud, M.D

Professor, Neurology

Dr. Maud received his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas Cordoba, Argentina and completed his Neurology residency from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas.

Paisith Piriyawat, M.D.
Paisith Piriyawat, M.D.

Associate Professor, Neurology

Dr. Piriyawat recently joined the department of neurology as an associate professor of neurology and a residency program director.  He graduated from Chulalongkorn University in his native Thailand.

Dr. Prospero Ponce
Claudia Maria Prospero Ponce, M.D.

Assistant Professor, Neurology

Claudia Maria Prospero Ponce, M.D., earned her medical degree from Ignacio A. Santos School of Medicine, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. She completed her Internal Medicine internship and residency in Opthalmology at The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.  

Sushma Reddy Yerram
Sushma Reddy Yerram, M.D. 

Assistant Professor, Neurology

Sushma Reddy Yerram, M.D., earned her medical degree from Osmania Medical College-NTR University Health Sciences. She completed her Neurology Residency at the University of Missouri, Columbia.  

Faheem G. Sheriff, M.D.
Faheem G. Sheriff, M.D.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Sheriff received his medical degree from University of Daressalaam, Tanzania, and completed his neurology residency from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. 

 

Faculty Nurse Practitioners

Cecilia A. Olivas, FNP
Cecilia Olivas, D.N.P., APRN, NP-C

Ms. Olivas received her Master of Science in Nursing as well as her family nurse practitioner certificate from the University of Texas at El Paso. 

Ms. Demetria Castrellon Portrait picture
Demetria Castrellon, D.N.P., ACNP-BC

Ms. Castrellon is an El Paso native and worked as an ICU nurse at UMC for 8 years prior to receiving her Masters of Science of Nursing with a specialization as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in December 2011 from the University of Texas at El Paso. 

 

Staff Nurse Practitioners

Guillermina Alicia Nelson portrait picture
Guillermina Alicia Nelson, D.N.P., AGACNP-BC

Guillermina Alicia Nelson, D.N.P., is an El Paso native who has eight years of experience as an ICU nurse in the El Paso area. Six of those years were at University Medical Center (UMC) of El Paso.

Angel Pineda
Angel Pineda, D.N.P., AGACNP-BC

Angel Pineda, D.N.P., AGACNP-BC, is an El Paso native and a proud graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso. He worked as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at University Medical Center for eight years before obtaining his Master of Science in nursing with specialization as an adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner in 2017. 

Ofelia Portillo
Ofelia Portillo, M.S.N., AGACNP-BC

Ofelia L. Portillo, M.S.N., AGACNP-BC, is an El Paso native and proud graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso. She worked as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at University Medical Center of El Paso for 16 years before obtaining her Master of Science in Nursing with specialization as an adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner in 2016. 

Celina Navarro, M.S.N., AGACNP-BC
Celina Navarro, M.S.N., AGACNP-BC

Celina Navarro, M.S.N., AGACNP-BC, is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, and a graduate from the University of Texas at El Paso. She served as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at University Medical Center for eight years before obtaining her Master of Science in nursing with specialization as an adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner in 2019.