Meet our 2026 speakers!

2026 Brain Injury Symposium Speaker line up is coming soon…

Take a look back at our 2025 Brain Injury Symposium Speakers!

Dr. Monica Escamilla, Psy.D.

Presentation Title: The Neuroscience of Joy

Monica Escamilla, PsyD, is a Clinical Psychologist and Section Chief of Rehabilitation Psychology for the San Antonio Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center. Recently celebrated 15yrs of service with the San Antonio VA hospital. Prior to that she served as a psychologist for the Army and before that for the Bureau of prisons. She is certified in various evidence based treatments as well as clinical hypnosis and has specialized training in trauma and family therapy. She is the supervisor for the Couple and family therapy psychology fellowship and committee member of the psychology training program at the VA. She has participated in recoding blogs, doing radio and televised interviews, participating in community outreach initiatives, written journal articles, and regularly presents at national conferences on brain recovery, caregiver stress, family interventions, and military culture. The best part of the job is getting to meet resilient caregivers every day and being a part of a dynamic and skillful team focused on gains and adapting to changes following brain injury.

Dr. Andrew Houtz

Presentation Title: Understanding and Coping with Irritability, Anger, and Aggression after TBI

Andrew Houtz, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist and current Director of Clinical Management for Rehab Without Walls (RWW) Neurorehabilitation in San Marcos, Texas. Dr. Houtz earned a BS in Psychology and BA in Anthropology from the University of Florida, and a master’s degree in counseling psychology and a Doctorate degree in Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology from the University of North Texas. For sixteen years he worked at John Peter Smith (JPS) Hospital, the country hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was Co-Director of the Memory Clinic, member of the Level 1 Trauma Team and provided inpatient and outpatient neuropsychological services throughout the JPS network. After leaving JPS, Dr. Houtz provided neuropsychological services for various neurology groups and inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facilities in Tarrant and Dallas counties and began designing his own cognitive retaining program. In 2020, Dr. Houtz relocated to the Austin area after accepting his current position with RWW. When not creating devious activities to cognitively challenge the participants at RWW, Dr. Houtz enjoys sailing, fishing, and camping with his dog, Flick, on the barrier islands along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Dr. Stefanie Howell

Presentation Title: Returning to work after a brain injury: How do we get there?

Stefanie Howell, Ph.D., is a senior Neuroscientist/Director of Research Integration at Centre for Neuro Skills. Dr. Howell received her doctorate in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. During that time, her primary area of research was pre-clinical models of neurodegenerative disease. Since joining Centre for Neuro Skills, Dr. Howell has focused her research on methods for facilitating recovery after brain injury, including investigation of sleep alterations and post-injury biomarkers. She has built a legacy serving in several roles within CNS including Neuroscientist, Senior Neuroscientist, and her current role as Senior Neuroscientist / Director of Research Integration. She has served as a reviewer for several scientific journals and is a member of the National Neurotrauma Society, American Heart Association, Society for Neuroscience, and the Sleep Research Society.

Dr. Jan Evans Patterson/ Phyllis Clark Nichols

Presentation Title: Integrative Medicine

Jan E. Patterson, M.D., M.S., MACP, is professor of medicine/infectious diseases and associate dean for lifelong learning at the Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio. She is also the inaugural medical director for the Integrative Medicine Program at University Health. Dr. Patterson received her medical degree from the McGovern School of Medicine at Houston. She completed an internal medicine residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a fellowship in infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine, and a fellowship in integrative medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. She earned her Masters in Health Care Management from Harvard School of Public Health and is a Master of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Patterson has held institutional, regional, and national leadership positions and has made many contributions to medicine to include: volunteering in Toronto, Canada at the brink of the SARS 1 pandemic in 2003; led initiative at the University Hospital-University Health during H1N1 pandemic in 2009; and worked with the COVID-19 Response Team at UT Health San Antonio at providing leadership, policy, and patient care issues. This is to name a few of her incredible impact. She is an author on many scientific publications, and has authored her own book Breath for the Soul: Self-Care Steps to Wellness, a holistic blend of science and storytelling to empower readers to make time for self-care and use breath, movement, nutrition, and spirit to enhance their health and wellness.

Phyllis Clark Nichols is a retired cable television executive where she was a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of a national health and wellness and Internet program distribution service, Phyllis Clark Nichols now spends her time writing and speaking. Her character-driven Southern fiction brings hope and light as she explores profound human questions using the imagined residents of smalltown communities you just know you’ve visited before. Her novels include the Rockwater Suite, a series of six books, and the three-book Family Portrait Series. She has also written three Christmas books, two devotional books and co-authored Breath for the Soul with Dr. Jan Patterson. Phyllis’ fiction has won two national awards.

Phyllis is a seminary graduate and a classically trained musician. She enjoys art, books, music, nature, cooking, travel, and stories about ordinary people who live extraordinary lives. As caregiver to husband for the past twelve years, Phyllis is well acquainted with the need for self-care and practices self-care disciplines she and Dr. Patterson write about. Phyllis and her husband live in the Texas Hill Country. Get to know Phyllis better by visiting her website at http://www.phyllisclarknichols.com.

Dr. Ivan Edwards

Presentation Title: The impact of brain injuries on employment and strategies for rehabilitation.

Dr. Ivan Edwards, D.O., FAAPMR, FRSA, is an ordained ex-pastor, physician, and Reserve military officer. Born in Kampala, Uganda, he emigrated to the United States in 1988. He earned his medical degree from Midwestern University, following his undergraduate education at Rivier University. He interned at Eastern Virginia Medical School before specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He also received further specialized training as a flight surgeon at the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine. He is board-certified in PM&R with a practice that focuses on neurorehabilitation and comprehensive pain management.

In addition to his medical career, Dr. Edwards serves as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Dr. Edwards is also the CEO and founder of Jovana Rehabilitation Medicine & Pain, based in San Antonio, Texas. His practice emphasizes a holistic approach to healthcare, aiming to restore patients to optimal function and well-being. Beyond his medical and military careers, Dr. Edwards is an active community leader and public speaker. He has been involved in various advocacy efforts, including supporting educational programs for orphaned and displaced children in Uganda. To date, he has worked extensively with veterans across hospitals in San Antonio, TX. He conducts symposiums on resilience. His work has earned him a fellowship with the Royal Society of Arts and the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel.

Dr. Mayur Patel

Presentation Title: Treating traumatic brain injury in the outpatient setting.

Mayur Patel, M.D., is a board certified Neurologist and Brain Injury Medicine Physician who is currently a professor of Neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). He was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and received a bachelor’s of science degree in molecular biology at the University of Texas at Dallas. He then obtained his medical degree at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston followed by a completion of a neurology residency at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. He then completed a Neurotrauma/Sports Neurology Fellowship at the University of Florida. Prior to coming to UTHSCSA, he was an assistant professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Patel sees patients who have suffered from the effects of traumatic brain injury and their neurological complications. In his free time, he enjoys exploring San Antonio and trying new vegetarian restaurants and coffee shops with his wife, Poonam, and is a huge sports fan (Especially of all his Dallas teams!).