Faculty & Advanced Practice Providers
Professor and Chair, Neurology
Dr. Cruz-Flores attended medical school at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico. He completed residencies in internal medicine and neurology at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon.
Dr. Cruz-Flores continued his training completing neurology residency and a two year fellowship in cerebrovascular diseases and neuro-critical care at Saint Louis University. He also obtained a master's degree in public health (epidemiology) from Saint Louis University School of Public Health. Dr. Cruz-Flores is board certified in neurology, vascular neurology, neuro-imaging, and neuro-critical care. Dr. Cruz-Flores joined TTUHSC El Paso Department of Neurology May 1, 2013 and provides inpatient and outpatient services at our affiliated hospitals in reference to neuro-critical care and treatment, and stroke consult.
Professor and Vice Chair, Neurology
Dr. Rodriguez completed his medical training at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He received his neurology residency training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
In addition, he completed a fellowship in vascular neurology, neuro-critical care, and endovascular surgical neuro-radiology. He joined TTUHSC El Paso Department of Neurology on March 1, 2013 and provides inpatient and outpatient services at our affiliated hospitals conducting neuro-interventional procedures, neuro-critical care and treatment, and stroke consults.
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Dr. Acosta graduated from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City and completed his neurology residency and neuromuscular fellowship at Baylor college of Medicine in Houston, TX. He then returned to Mexico City and served as a founding partner for a group practice of neurologists and neurosurgeons during his time there.
A veteran neurologist with over 30 years of private practice experience in this region, Dr. Acosta decided to join Texas Tech Health El Paso’s neurology group as his interest in teaching and passing his vast knowledge on to medical students and physician residents. He is now an assistant professor in the Foster School of Medicine Although he does specialize in neuromuscular disease, he is qualified to treat most neurologic conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system such as: headaches, sleep disorders, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Isabel Victoria Narvaez Correa, M.D., received her medical degree from the University of Cuenca in Cuenca, Ecuador, and completed her neurology residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. She completed a fellowship in neuromuscular medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond, Virginia.
Before leaving El Paso to pursue her fellowship, she committed to return to work alongside her mentors – now colleagues – here at the Department of Neurology. “I never thought El Paso would feel like home, but that is what it felt like coming back, like coming home,” Dr. Narvaez says.
Dr. Narvaez is a board-certified neurologist and offers much-needed neuromuscular treatment and diagnosis to our underserved community. She will apply her expertise to treat a wide range of neuromuscular disorders using cutting-edge technology and medical knowledge along with a compassionate, patient-centered philosophy.
With a multidisciplinary team consisting of physical therapists, speech therapists, dieticians, social workers and respiratory therapists, Dr. Narvaez will lead a comprehensive ALS clinic. This unique, all-encompassing clinic is the only one of its kind in the Borderplex Region.
Professor, Neurology
Dr. Maud received his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas Cordoba, Argentina and completed his Neurology residency from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas.
In addition, Dr. Maud also completed a fellowship in Vascular Neurology and Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is currently Board Certified in Neurology, Vascular Neurology, Neuro-Imaging, Neuro-Critical Care and Interventional Neurology at the Department of Neurology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) and has been at TTUHSC El Paso since 2010. Dr. Maud's specialty is neuro-interventional procedures.
Associate Professor, Neurology
Dr. Piriyawat recently joined the department of neurology as an associate professor of neurology and a residency program director. He graduated from Chulalongkorn University in his native Thailand.
Dr. Piriyawat completed neurology residency at Saint Louis University and stroke/vascular neurology fellowship at the University of Texas at Houston. He was an assistant professor at Saint Louis University and an associate professor at the University of South Carolina. He will provide care for patients with neurological disorders on both inpatient and outpatient bases with emphasis on cerebrovascular diseases.
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Claudia Maria Prospero Ponce, M.D., earned her medical degree from Ignacio A. Santos School of Medicine, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. She completed her Internal Medicine internship and residency in Opthalmology at The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.
Dr. Claudia Maria Prospero Ponce is a Board-certified Ophthalmologist who graduated from Ignacio A. Santos School of Medicine, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (TEC de Monterrey), Monterrey Mexico, considered one of the best Medical Schools in Mexico for its national and international rotations and innovative biomedical research.
She enrolled in pre-residency research at The Cole Eye Institute, Department of Refractive surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, The Retinal Vascular Center at Charles A. Garcia and Associates, and the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston, TX. She completed her Internal Medicine internship and her residency in Ophthalmology at The University of Arizona in Tucson AZ. She also trained in Neuro-Opthamology and Ocular Pathology at Houston Methodist Hospital before becoming an assistant professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso where she has joint appointments in both Ophthalmology and Neurology.
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Sushma Reddy Yerram, M.D., earned her medical degree from Osmania Medical College-NTR University Health Sciences. She completed her Neurology Residency at the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Sushma Reddy Yerram, M.D. attended medical school at Osmania Medical College-NTR Unviersity Health Sciences in India. She completed her neurology residency at the University of Missouri, Columbia. She is board certified in neurology and received subspecialty training in Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG, EMG) and Epilepsy at the University of Rochester, New York before joining Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso's Neurology Department in 2019.
Dr. Sushma Yerram will be seeing patients with various neurological disorders both inpatient and outpatient with special focus on patients with epilepsy disorders who are medically refractory and in need of surgical evaluation. She will also be reading short and long-term EEG recordings along with seeing patients in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Sheriff received his medical degree from University of Daressalaam, Tanzania, and completed his neurology residency from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Sheriff also completed a fellowship in neurocritical Care from Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and a fellowship in neuroendovascular surgery from UT Houston Memorial Hermann Hospital Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. He is currently board certified in neurology at the Department of Neurology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. Dr. Sheriff’s specialty is neurointerventional procedures.
Assistant Professor, Child Neurology
Alexandria Ellen Melendez-Zaidi, M.D., a proud native of El Paso, is excited to return home after an impressive academic and professional journey
Dr. Melendez-Zaidi earned her M.D. and Ph.D. at Northwestern University in Chicago and later completed a residency in pediatric neurology and a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology. She accepted an additional year as a postdoctoral research fellow, studying mechanisms of genetic epilepsies at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Board certified in pediatric neurology, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her new practice at El Paso Children’s Multispecialty Center. Through collaborative efforts between Texas Tech Health El Paso and El Paso Children’s Hospital, she will work with Drs. Ziyad Makoshi and Rodolfo Fierro-Stevens to start a new practice dedicated to advancing neurological care and epilepsy monitoring, directly contributing to the well-being of this community’s most vulnerable populations.
Dr. Melendez-Zaidi will also have a special focus on children with epilepsy and help identify those who may qualify for surgical intervention.
Faculty Nurse Practitioners
Ms. Olivas received her Master of Science in Nursing as well as her family nurse practitioner certificate from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Ms. Olivas has been at the department of neurology at TTUHSC El Paso since 2009. Ms. Olivas performs general and neurological physical assessment on patients with neurological disorders.
Ms. Castrellon is an El Paso native and worked as an ICU nurse at UMC for 8 years prior to receiving her Masters of Science of Nursing with a specialization as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in December 2011 from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Ms. Castrellon worked in the private medical world for 4 years as an NP prior to her arrival to Texas Tech. Ms. Castrellon now works with patients in the acute care setting providing care for patients with neurological disorders from stroke and epilepsy to include the Neuro- Critical Care population.
Staff Nurse Practitioners
Guillermina Alicia Nelson, D.N.P., is an El Paso native who has eight years of experience as an ICU nurse in the El Paso area. Six of those years were at University Medical Center (UMC) of El Paso.
In 2015, she obtained her master’s in nursing from The University of Texas at El Paso with a specialization in adult/gerontology acute care nursing practice.
Prior to joining TTUHSC El Paso, she worked in the private medical world, specializing in pulmonary critical care. She is now a member of the Neurology Department and provides care for patients with neurological disorders, including the neuro critical population.
Angel Pineda, D.N.P., AGACNP-BC, is an El Paso native and a proud graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso. He worked as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at University Medical Center for eight years before obtaining his Master of Science in nursing with specialization as an adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner in 2017.
Mr. Pineda joined the Department of Neurology at TTUHSC El Paso in the summer of 2018 and works with patients diagnosed with a wide array of neurological disorders primarily in the outpatient setting.
Ofelia L. Portillo, M.S.N., AGACNP-BC, is an El Paso native and proud graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso. She worked as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at University Medical Center of El Paso for 16 years before obtaining her Master of Science in Nursing with specialization as an adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner in 2016.
Ms. Portillo joined the Department of Neuroogy at TTUHSC El Paso in 2019 and works with patients who have undergone or will undergo a Neuro Interventional procedure primarily in the inpatient setting.
Celina Navarro, M.S.N., AGACNP-BC, is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, and a graduate from the University of Texas at El Paso. She served as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at University Medical Center for eight years before obtaining her Master of Science in nursing with specialization as an adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner in 2019.
Mrs. Navarro joined the Department of Neurology at TTUHSC El Paso in the fall of 2019, and provides care for patients with neurological disorders, primarily in the outpatient setting.