Faculty
Associate Professor and Chair
Peter Catinella, M.D., M.P.H., is chair of the Department of Family Medicine – Transmountain.
He has over 25 years of experience in several renowned academic institutions, including the University of Arizona College of Medicine, the University of Utah Health, and Indiana University. Dr. Catinella has also held a number of major executive leadership roles, including positions as vice chair of primary care programs at the University of Utah and chief medical information officer at the University of Arizona’s University Physicians Healthcare.
Dr. Catinella received his medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine and his Master of Public Health from the University of South Florida. He completed his residency in family medicine at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, and is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
Assistant Professor
M'melo Banda, M.D., is a board certified Family Medicine physician specializing in full scope Family Medicine and General Inpatient care. She received her Doctor of Medicine from St. George University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. Following medical school, she completed her residency in Family Medicine at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma. Dr. Banda provides patient centered, outcome driven and cost effective care.
Assistant Professor
Family Medicine and Integrative Medicine
Dr. Rebecca L. Campos is a native to El Paso region. She completed a residency in family medicine and has since practiced full-spectrum family care, meaning from pregnancy, delivery, newborn through adult care.
She has served in academic medicine since completing residency, training resident physicians as they develop the medical and procedural skills to serve as physicians. She was faculty at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa residency for years, where she served as clinic medical director and as a regional champion for population health for CHRISTUS Network in South Texas.
She is happy to return to El Paso to provide medical care at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso at Transmountain and medical education at the Foster School of Medicine, where she is director of the Medical Skills Course.
She completed a fellowship in integrative medicine to expand treatment options, such as herbal and botanical medicine, supplements and nutrition that align with patients’ goals. She also completed a physician acupuncture course to provide acupuncture treatments as an adjunct treatment option for a variety of conditions.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Michelle Davis is a board-certified family physician and an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso - Transmountain.
Dr. Davis earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 2021. Afterward, Dr. Davis completed her family and community medicine residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas, in 2024. During her last year of residency, she was distinguished as chief resident.
Dr. Davis is currently pursuing a fellowship in academic medicine with the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Texas.
As a native El Pasoan, Dr. Davis is humbled to return to and serve her community by providing comprehensive, high-quality care. Her interests include upholding the unique Borderplex and its culture, addressing its health care disparities, and contributing to medical education.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Esparza was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Baylor University in 2009. Afterward, she completed a Master of Science in Medical Sciences degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. She then earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at UNTHSC-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2015. She trained at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Family Medicine Program in San Antonio, Texas and is a board-certified family physician. Dr. Esparza has now relocated back to El Paso, Texas as a faculty member of TTUHSC El Paso's Department of Family Medicine - Transmountain. |
Assistant Professor
Dr. Ibiye Owei is a graduate of the University of Ibadan College of Medicine, Nigeria, and has a master’s in public health from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, Georgia. She completed her residency training in family medicine at the TTUHSC El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in June 2020, where she had the privilege of serving as chief resident. She is board certified in family medicine. Her research interests include prediabetes, diabetes and obesity, and she has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. She enjoys the broad spectrum of family medicine practice, medical education and community outreach programs.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Sinnott is originally from the Des Moines area of Iowa. She attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and lived in Leogane, Haiti, for a year: “Ane pale kreyol, ti cras” (“I speak a little Kreyol”). She returned to the states and attended medical school in Iowa. She lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a year, then moved to Rochester, Minnesota, to train in family medicine.
Dr. Sinnott is board certified in family medicine, so she sees everyone including pregnant women. She has several years of experience working with addiction medicine and enjoys the variety that family medicine offers. She most recently lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and now lives with her husband and children in El Paso, Texas. Her husband is a fourth-generation El Pasoan. She speaks Spanish, and her family is happy to be home in El Paso.
Medical Director
Dr. Lizbeth V. Castro DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BS is a graduate from Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Lubbock, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from The University of Texas El Paso in 2007. Afterward, she completed a Master of Science in Nursing Degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and obtained her board certification as an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in 2013. She then earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in 2024. She returned to her community after working with Baylor Scott in White for Cardiovascular & Neurological Surgery to provide excellent quality care. She has worked as a hospitalist in multiple areas including intensive care, cardiology, internal medicine, family medicine, and gastroenterology.
Staff
Sr. Social Worker
Family Medicine