Katrina E McBeth , MD

An internationally known researcher and pediatrician, Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, was appointed the Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair on Oct. 22, 2012. He became dean and H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences of the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School, a part of UTHealth, Sept. 1, 2007 and served in that role until Oct. 1, 2015. Born in Morrone Del Sannio, Italy, Colasurdo completed his undergraduate education at The Liceo Scientifico “Galileo Galilei” in Pescara, Italy. He earned his medical degree summa cum laude from G. D’Annunzio School of Medicine in Chieti, Italy. Determined to achieve the best medical training in the world, Colasurdo came to the United States in 1988. He completed his residency at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and his fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Science Center and the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. In Colorado, he worked in the laboratory of Gary L. Larsen and initiated his studies on the autonomic regulation of the airway smooth muscle, the biology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and ontogeny of airway dysfunction and inflammation in childhood asthma. Colasurdo joined McGovern Medical School’s faculty in 1995 as an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine. He became the division head in 1997 and started directing the fellowship training program in pediatric pulmonary medicine in 2001. He served as chair of the Department of Pediatrics from 2005 to 2011. Colasurdo specializes in RSV, pediatric asthma, and other lung disorders in infants and children. Colasurdo has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Children’s Miracle Network, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Michael I. Nahhas, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained vascular and interventional neurologist, specializing in endovascular procedures and the management of cerebrovascular and spinal cord vascular pathologies. He holds the position of assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, where he is deeply committed to mentoring trainees and medical students. Nahhas earned his medical degree from Damascus University in 2011. He completed his neurology residency at the Medical College of Georgia in 2019, serving as chief resident. He went on to pursue fellowships in vascular neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2020 and neuroendovascular surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2022. An active member of multiple professional societies, Nahhas has co-authored numerous research publications and presented his work at both national and international conferences.

Alisha Y. Young, M.D., received her undergraduate degree from Rice University in Houston and was awarded her medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. She completed her internship and residency training in a combined family medicine and internal medicine residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, where she also served as the chief resident from 2012 to 2013.