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Executive Committee

Stephen McLeod-Bryant

President

Stephen McLeod-Bryant

Dr. McLeod-Bryant was born and raised in Binghamton, NY. He attended the University of Rochester, receiving a BA, magna cum laude, in Cybernetics, then received his M.D. there in 1984. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, MA. After finishing his residency in 1988, he became a faculty member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).After 24 years at MUSC, he left Charleston to join Meharry Medical College’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. In 2015, he left Meharry and joined the University of Miami’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and is currently Clinical Associate Professor.

Napoleon Higgins, M.D.

Executive Director

Napoleon Higgins, M.D.

Napoleon B. Higgins, Jr., MD, is a psychiatrist in the Houston/Clear Lake City Area. He currently serves as Owner, CEO, and President of Bay Pointe Behavioral Health Service, Inc., and South East Houston Research Group, Inc. He also practices as the Medical Director of Hold My Hand Residential Treatment Center and as the staff psychiatrist at Prairie View A&M University in the Student Services Center.

Rahn Bailey

President Elect

Rahn Bailey

Rahn Kennedy Bailey, M.D. serves as the Kathleen & John Bricker Chair, Professor, and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center and is the Assistant Dean for Community Engagement. Dr. Bailey’s early research focused on Psychotic Disorders/SPMI, grew to include Depressive Illness/Bipolar Mood D/O, expanded to forensic topics, Competency, Confidentiality, and Risk Management. Currently, his focus is Health Disparities, Healthcare Reform, and Violence. He has 86 peer-reviewed publications in over 20 refereed journals and published three books. In 2022, Dr. Bailey received the National Medical Association Ernest Y. Williams, M.D. Clinical Scholars of Distinction Award. Dr. Bailey was also selected as the 2024 awardee of the American Psychiatric Association Solomon Carter Fuller Award. He was elected the 2023-2025 Chair of the APA Caucus on Global Mental Health.

Tammara Davis, M.D.

Secretary

Tammara Davis, M.D.

Dr. Davis is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree before attending the University of Tennessee School of Medicine where she completed her M.D. degree. She received Adult Psychiatry Residency training at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington D.C. Dr. Davis is a board-certified psychiatrist with 15+ years of experience working with an economically diverse population of adolescents and adults. At Peninsula Regional Medical Center, she has served as Inpatient Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist and as Chief Medical Officer for Tele-Help 24/7, a telemedicine startup company. Currently she serves as a contract tele-psychiatrist for Primecare Medical, Inc.

Cynthia Turner-Graham M.D.

Immediate Past President

Cynthia Turner-Graham M.D.

Dr. Turner-Graham is an adult psychiatrist who completed her undergraduate studies at Fisk University, and medical studies at the University of Kansas School of Medicine where she received her M.D. degree. Psychiatry residency training was completed at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry in Nashville, TN.. She is the President and CEO of ForSoundMind Enterprises, Inc., provides workshops, lectures and experiences that facilitate greater insight, personal growth and more wholesome relationships. Dr. Turner-Graham is board certified in Psychiatry and Neurology.

Danielle Hairston, M.D.

Chairperson, Scientific Program Committee

Danielle Hairston, M.D.

Dr. Hairston is the BPA Scientific Program Chairperson and has served in the past as the Member-in-Training on the BPA Executive Committee. She is currently the Director of Residency Training in the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University School of Medicine and the Chairperson of the Black Caucus of the American Psychiatric Association. She attended Rutgers University for her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and attended Howard University College of Medicine for her medical degree. Dr. Hairston was Chief Resident for the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University. She also has the opportunity to speak nationally and internationally about the impact of racial trauma and culture on mental health. Her interests include psychosomatic medicine, minority mental health, cultural psychiatry, and collaborative care.

Altha Stewart, M.D.

Council of Elders Co-Chairperson & Chairperson 50th Anniversary Committee

Altha Stewart, M.D.

Dr. Stewart, a former President of the Black Psychiatrists of America, and first African American President of the American Psychiatric Association, now serves as the Co-Chair for the BPA Council of Elders for the Association. She was recently elected as Secretary for the American Psychiatric Association and is the current Executive Director for Just Family Care Network (Memphis, TN), a federally funded System of Care program for children with serious emotional disorders and their families. She also serves as Director for System of Care for the Shelby County Juvenile Defender Unit (Memphis, TN).

Ikwunga Wonodi, M.D., M.B.A, DFAPA

Treasurer

Ikwunga Wonodi, M.D., M.B.A, DFAPA

Dr. Wonodi is a Service Chief in the adult service line at Sheppard Pratt, and Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his medical studies at the College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Psychiatry residency training and schizophrenia research fellowship were completed at the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt Program and Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, respectively. He earned an MBA from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Dr. Wonodi’s interests include healthcare management, education, mental health equity, and biomarker studies relevant to people of African ancestry. He is a member of the Diversity Committee of the Maryland Psychiatric Society.

Tiffani L. Bell, M.D.

Mid-Atlantic/ Eastern Regional Trustee Region I

Tiffani L. Bell, M.D.

Dr. Tiffani Bell is the Eastern Trustee for Black Psychiatrists of America. She is a Quadruple Board Certified Physician who specializes in Adult Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lifestyle Medicine and Obesity Medicine. Dr. Bell completed medical school at Medical College of Virginia, and both residency and fellowship at Bowman Gray/Wake Forest School of Medicine. She has worked in academic medicine and has held leadership positions in several national organizations including; currently serving as a Delegate from the American Psychiatric Association to American Medical Association, Young Physicians' Section. She previously served as the Residency Fellow Member representative for BPA, was selected to be an APA/SAMHSA Fellow and served on the American Medical Association's Minority Affairs Section, Governing Council. Dr. Bell is passionate about education, tackling stigma and implementing policies that promote improved access to care and minority mental health.

Gina Newsome Duncan, M.D.

Midwestern Regional Trustee, Region II

Gina Newsome Duncan, M.D.

Dr. Gina Newsome Duncan is an adult psychiatrist in private practice at Eastover Psychological & Psychiatric Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Hampton University, her M.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and completed her general psychiatry internship and residency at Harvard at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/McLean Hospital Adult Psychiatry Residency Program. She was Chief Resident of Psychotherapy at MGH and an APA/SAMHSA Fellow. She previously served as the Associate Dean for Admissions for the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Dr. Duncan is passionate about the intersection of spirituality and psychiatry, strength-based approaches to building resilience, and faith- and community-based approaches to addressing disparities in mental health.

Welton C. Washington, M.D.

Midwestern Regional Trustee, Region III

Welton C. Washington, M.D.

Welton Washington, M.D., is currently serving as a Regional Trustee (Midwest Region) for the Black Psychiatrists of America. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and an attending psychiatrist at Washtenaw County Community Support and Treatment Services. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and is the 2014 recipient of the Nancy C.A. Roeske, M.D. Award for “Excellence in Medical Student Education. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and is the 2014 recipient of the Nancy C.A. Roeske, M.D. Award for “Excellence in Medical Student Education

Wilsa M.S. Charles Malveaux, M.D., M.A.

Western Regional Trustee, Region IV

Wilsa M.S. Charles Malveaux, M.D., M.A.

Dr. Wilsa M.S. Charles Malveaux, MD, MA, completed her BA and MA in Psychology at Stanford University and her Medical Degree at Howard University College of Medicine, HUCM. She completed her residency training in Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she was a Chief Resident. Dr. Wilsa Charles Malveaux is a Board-Certified psychiatrist skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of an array of illnesses from anxiety and ADHD to mood disorders and Schizophrenia. Dr. Wilsa Charles Malveaux lends her expertise as a psychiatric consultant to the U. S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), to a professional sports league, Olympic & Paralympic athletes, and multiple professional sports teams, and organizations. She is also CEO and President of WCM Sports Psych

Geoffrey Walcott, MB.BS, DM

International Trustee, Region V

Geoffrey Walcott, MB.BS, DM

Dr. Walcott was born in Clarendon, Jamaica and attended Clarendon College where he received the B.O Frazier Reid award for chemistry. He furthered his education at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, where he received his MB.BS degree in medicine and his DM in psychiatry. Dr. Walcott has worked as the Consultant Psychiatrist in charge of Community Mental Health Services in the South Eastern Regional Health Authority, Jamaica and is currently the Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director for Psychotherapy Associates. He serves on the Steering Committee and Director of the Preceptorship program for management of Schizophrenia for Janssen Pharmaceutical Latin America and Caribbean. He is an international conference presenter, author of nineteen peer reviewed journal articles, two book chapters, and served as reviewer for three international journals.

Ja’Nelle Blocker M.D.

Member-In-Training

Ja’Nelle Blocker M.D.

Dr. Ja’Nelle Blocker attended Xavier University of Louisiana for her undergraduate studies then went on to achieve her Doctor of Medicine degree from American University of Integrative Sciences School of Medicine. She is currently a psychiatry resident at Howard University Hospital where she serves as the recruitment committee co-chair and one of the CIR delegates. She is genuinely committed to educating, treating, and advocating for the underrepresented minority population and helping minorities matriculate in medicine. She has served as the community service and fundraising chair of CMMP (Comprehensive Medical Mentoring Program) in the recent past. Her professional interests include community and global mental health, advocacy, and lifestyle medicine.