Courtney’s path into Graduate Medical Education (GME) wasn’t planned. It was built through chance, opportunity, and a growing passion for the field. In 2019, she began her journey with a contract position as a Residency Assistant for UTHealth Houston’s Department of Ophthalmology, supporting in-person residency interviews for their Residency under the leadership of Gene Kim, MD and Grace Lindhorst, MD. This role became her first step into the world of GME and opened the door to a meaningful career.
Later that year, Courtney accepted another contract position thanks to Sharona Washington, Becky Woods and Vickie Bigham with UTHealth Houston’s Department of Surgery, serving as an Executive Assistant and assisting with evaluations for the General Surgery Residency Program under the leadership of Sasha Adams, MD and David Ryan Hall, MD. Although her time there was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, it led to a new opportunity. In 2020, she was offered a full-time position within the same department, continuing her support residency program.
In 2023, Courtney stepped fully into GME when she accepted a position in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences to help manage the General Psychiatry Residency Program under the leadership of Vineeth John, MD, Brandi Karnes, MD, Dean Atkinson, MD Anilkumar Pillai, PhD and alongside colleague and current manager, Jennifer Nandlal. During this time, her passion for medical education, program coordination and trainee support truly came into focus.
Within a year and a half and thanks to the support of Mary Lopez, MBA, Courtney transitioned from residency into independently managing two fellowship programs: the ACGME-accredited Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship under the leadership of Nubia Lluberes, MD and Sanjay Adhia, MD and the TMB-accredited Interventional Psychiatry Fellowship under the leadership of Joao L. de Quevedo, MD, PhD. What began as a temporary role has evolved into a calling that Courtney continues to embrace as a dedicated and passionate GME professional and advocate.
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