Family Medicine
Faculty Profiles
Rodney Young, M.D., FAAFP
Dr. Rodney Young is an associate professor and regional chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He has also previously served as associate director of pre-doctoral education and as associate residency director.
Dr. Young received his B.S. from Abilene Christian University, his M.D. from TTUHSC, and completed his residency at TTUHSC in Lubbock, where he also served as chief resident. He is board certified in family medicine, a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and also completed a faculty development fellowship at the Family Practice Faculty Development Center of Texas.
Dr. Young has held numerous leadership positions in local, regional, and national medical organizations. He currently serves the Texas Medical Association in their house of delegates and as a member of the council on medical education. He is a former member of the committee on physician distribution and healthcare access, and a past chair of both the committee on continuing education and its subcommittee on CME accreditation. He's also been in legislative advocacy efforts through TMA and TAFP that helped win changes in the physician education loan repayment program and improve licensing regulations for international medical graduates to make Texas a more viable option for practice. He has previously served on the Texas delegation to the American Medical Association, on the TMA Board of Councilors, and on the executive council of both the resident and fellow section, and the medical student section of the TMA. He is a past member of the board of directors of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians and is a past president of the Potter-Randall County Medical Society. He also serves as secretary/treasurer of the Panhandle chapter of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians and as program director for their spring and fall CME weekends. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, the Texas Medical Association, the Potter-Randall County Medical Society, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and the Association of Departments of Family Medicine.
Dr. Young has received numerous teaching awards both from residents and medical students, including the Barton Freeman, MD Memorial Faculty Award for family medicine resident education and the Mario Feola, MD outstanding faculty award for medical student teaching. He was a top 20 graduate from Texas Tech School of Medicine, a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society, and a magna cum laude graduate from Abilene Christian University. He has authored over 20 peer-reviewed published abstracts, posters, chapters, and journal articles, and he has served as a peer-reviewer for the Journal of Family Practice, the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, and the Family Medicine Digital Resources Library.
Dr. Young is proudest of his role as a husband and father to two beautiful and active young daughters. He loves spending time with his girls, but he also enjoys football and golf when he can find the time.
Timothy J. Benton, M.D.
Dr. Timothy Benton is an associate professor and Director of our Family Medicine Residency Program. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Dallas Baptist University in 1989 and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1994. Dr. Benton completed his residency training in family medicine at the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler in 1997, where he received their Academic Excellence Award.
Dr. Benton is board certified in family medicine and has a special interest in hospice/palliative medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, the Texas Medical Association, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and the Potter-Randall County Medical Society. He was most recently in private group practice in Amarillo before joining the department. Prior to that, he received the annual People's Choice Award for favorite physician on three different occasions from the Plainview Daily Herald while in practice there. Since joining the department in 2004, Dr. Benton has had numerous peer-reviewed publications in print and online, as well as serving as a peer-reviewer for American Family Physician and BMJ point-of-care monographs.
When he's not working, Dr. Benton is an avid runner and enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter.
Jerry Kirkland, M.D., MBA
Dr. Jerry Kirkland is an assistant professor, associate residency director, and director of pre-doctoral education. He received his Bachelor of Sciences degree from Texas A&M University, his Doctor of Medicine degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and his MBA from Texas Tech University. He completed his residency training in Family Medicine at the Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, Texas. Dr. Kirkland worked as a private family physician in Pampa and later in Amarillo for many years before joining the department.
Dr. Kirkland has special interest in inpatient care, having initially worked as a full-time hospitalist when he joined the department. He is passionate about resident and student education and bringing the best available evidence to the bedside. He also enjoys using his education and experience to teach the business of medicine as well. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
Dr. Kirkland is a proud husband and father, with two sons in college. He is also a Sunday school teacher and a long time bass guitarist.
Morgan McCaleb, M.D.
Morgan McCaleb, M.D., has been with Texas Tech at Amarillo since 1994. Before coming to Texas Tech in Amarillo, he was in private practice in Amarillo for many years. Dr. McCaleb received his BS degree from West Texas State University and his MD degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He completed an internship at Louisiana State University Medical Center at Shreveport, LA and his residency in Family Medicine at Austin State Hospital in Austin, TX.
Dr. McCaleb is a member of the American Medical Association, the Texas Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, and the Potter-Randall County Medical Society. He is also a member of Alpha Chi National Honor Society. He has been Chief of the Family Medicine Department at Northwest Texas Hospital and served as Chief of Staff at Northwest Texas Hospital from 1989-1990.
Beverly D. Nixon-Lewis, D.O.
Dr. Beverly D. Nixon-Lewis is an assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine and is the Regional Chief Medical Information Officer for the School of Medicine. She came to Texas Tech in 1999 from South Plains Health Providers in Plainview, where she completed her service in the National Health Service Corps. Dr. Nixon-Lewis was our residency program director from 2002-2008 before stepping down to focus her administrative efforts on our EMR program.
Dr. Nixon-Lewis grew up in Hereford, Texas and graduated from West Texas State University (now WTAMU) in Canyon. She received her Doctor of Osteopathy degree from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, IA and completed an AOA approved internship at UMDNJ in Stratford, NJ. She subsequently completed her family medicine residency at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI, where she also served as chief resident.
After finishing her residency, she joined the faculty at Henry Ford and completed a faculty development fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is also a graduate of the National Institute of Program Director Development, jointly sponsored by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.
Dr. Nixon-Lewis is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, the Texas Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the Potter-Randall County Medical Society, and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.
She is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and has particular professional interest in women's healthcare and office-based procedures. Her husband, Doug, is a local neurologist who is also active in our teaching program, and they have three sons. Dr. Nixon-Lewis loves sports and is a year-round outdoor enthusiast.
Mohammed Samiuddin, M.D.
Dr. Mohammed Samiuddin is an assistant professor and is the program director of the Mary E. Bivins Geriatric fellowship. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Deccan College of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India. Dr. Samiuddin then completed both his residency training in Family Medicine and his geriatric fellowship here at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo.
Dr. "Sami" enjoys treating patients of all ages and has special interest in the acute care of the elderly. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Geriatric Society, and the American Medical Directors Association. He is board certified in Family Medicine and holds a certificate of added qualifications in geriatrics jointly issued by the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dustin Turner, M.D.
Dr. Dustin Turner graduated from Texas A&M University with highest honors in 2002. He then graduated from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston in 2006 and completed his residency in family medicine in our department in 2009.
Dr. Turner is board certified in family medicine, a member of the Alpha Omega national medical honor society, and received the Golden Apple Teaching Award, presented by the medical school class, as the most outstanding resident teacher in any discipline during his residency. He is a founding partner of the Access MD medical practice in Amarillo and an Assistant Professor in our department. He is also an active member of the First Baptist Church in Canyon with his wife, Laura, and son, Levi.
Joe Barton, MA, LPC, NCC
Cloyce "Joe" Barton III is licensed by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and certified as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Texas Tech University (2004) and a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from West Texas A&M University (2006). His graduate experience provided him with rigorous training in the areas of applied psychometrics and counseling theory. During his graduate training, he completed a lengthy clinical practicum at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Subsequently, he was offered a faculty associate position at TTUHSC and retains that status today. He continues to provide a range of clinical services to children, adolescents, and adults at TTUHSC. He provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, individual assessments, and physician consultation and collaboration. Furthermore, he enjoys teaching medical students and residents and co-leads a Balint group (a group for physicians to discuss difficult patients/cases and process the psychological and emotional factors involved in the doctor-patient relationship). He works closely with several local physicians, including a local Bariatric surgeon and is the group leader of a Bariatric support group. He completes pre-surgical evaluations for elective surgeries, including Bariatric surgery and spinal cord stimulators. He is highly focused on empirically supported treatment methods, objective evaluations utilizing reliable and valid measures, and providing psycho-education to his clients, the physicians he works with, and other professionals who treat and interact with individuals affected by psychopathology.
Mr. Barton is a sought-after public speaker. He has spoken at several local organizations for at-risk and underprivileged youth. Also, he has presented at Institutional Grand Rounds at TTUHSC. He has provided training and CEU's to physicians, social workers, counselors, teachers, and foster parents.
His presentations include:
- Community Partners of Amarillo Annual Rainbow Room Fund Raiser
- Child Protective Services Preparation for Adult Living Teen Conference
- Child Protective Services Regional Conference
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Training
- Amarillo College Hope Chest Awards Ceremony
- The Pavilion Psychiatric Hospital, Amarillo
- Dr. Watson Roye's Amarillo Bariatric Informational Seminar
- TTUHSC Insititutional Grand Rounds
Mr. Barton has also made several local television media appearances and co-authored an article for a local magazine.
David Egerton, PhD
Dr. David Egerton is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and also holds appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics. As a behavorial scientist in the Department, he sees large numbers of children and was involved with establishment of the Department's ADHD assessment program in 1993. In addition to his work with children, Dr. Egerton provides a variety of services with other populations within the context of a general psychology practice.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree from West Texas State University with a major in biology education and later earned a Masters of Education degree with an emphasis in educational assessment from the same institution. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Texas A&M University with a major in Counseling Psychology.
He is a member of both the American Psychological Association and the National Alliance of Professional Psychology Providers and is a past President of the Panhandle Psychological Association.
Before joining the Department of Family Medicine, he was a public school teacher, teaching both regular and special education classes in Pampa. Later, he functioned as an educational diagnostician and as both an elementary and high school counselor. After earning his Ph.D., he accepted a position at West Texas A&M University where he taught within the Department of Education for six years.
He and his wife are the proud parents of a grown daughter and the grandparents of two teenage boys.
In his spare time, Dr. Egerton teaches in the Learning English Among Friends program, an English as a second language class that is offered through his church to new Amarillo citizens who are struggling to master the English language.
Garnett Bryan, M.D.
Dr. Garnett Bryan is a part-time Associate Professor who spends his professional time teaching and supervising our residents and medical students. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a degree in chemistry and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He completed a general practice residency in Tulare, California before returning home to West Texas, where he spent many years in private practice in both Morton and Amarillo.
Dr. Bryan moved from private practice to a full-time academic practice at TTUHSC in the mid 1990's and served as our clerkship director for many years. He has received the Dean's Distinguished Teaching Award and has long been recognized as an outstanding mentor and friend to students and family medicine residents.
In his spare time, Dr. Bryan enjoys spending time with his wife Cheryl, gardening, and travelling to see his children and grandchildren.
Wesley Nickens, M.D.
Dr. Wesley Nickens graduated from Texas Tech University magna cum laude with honors in 2002. He then received his medical doctorate from TTUHSC School of Medicine in Lubbock in 2006. He completed his residency in 2009 here in Amarillo in the department of Family and Community Medicine, serving one year as chief resident in the program. He became assistant professor in this department in 2010, shortly after graduation.
Dr. Nickens is a member of Texas Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is board certified in Family Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine.
Wesley lives in Amarillo with his wife, Marisol, and their four children, Dylan, Bethany, Sarah, and Jasper. They can be found wherever their children are involved in various extracurricular activities, such as band, dance, swimming, and volleyball.
Pharm. D., FCCP, BCPS
Dr. Eric MacLaughlin is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and is a clinical pharmacist. He is also a Professor and Division Head of Adult Medicine in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics Division. He received his B.S. in Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy in Albany, New York, a Pharm. D. from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, and completed an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accredited specialty residency in Primary Care at the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado.
Dr. MacLaughlin works collaboratively with family medicine faculty, residents, and students in both the outpatient clinic and the inpatient service to help optimize drug therapy. He is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). He is a member of several national organizations including the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, ACCP, and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Dr. MacLaughlin has held several national leadership positions including the elected treasurer and chair of the ACCP Ambulatory Care Practice and Research Network and vice-chair and chair-elect of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) Specialty Council on Pharmacotherapy.
Dr. MacLaughlin is the author of over 35 peer-reviewed publications. He has been involved with several research studies conducted within the department. His scholarship and research interests include prevention and of treatment of osteoporosis, health professions education, and optimizing management of cardiovascular diseases (e.g., hypertension, hyperlipidemia, congestive heart failure).