Dr. Twiza Mambwe, PGY-6

I was born in Zambia, Africa to a large family. We moved to the U.S. when I was only 9, but I decided to pursue a career in medicine not too long after that as we lost our father. I went to Pennsylvania State University for my undergraduate degree then transferred over to the American University of Antigua for medicine. I spent my time in NYC doing my clinical work and residency before coming to San Antonio to complete a fellowship. I’m lucky my schooling career allowed me to travel a lot. I want to see as many countries as possible. I enjoy cooking and recently took up baking. I’m a major foodie; I’m always looking for the best restaurants in town or any place I may visit. I love dancing, yoga, and finding cool ways to get active.

Research Projects: Trends in Pediatric Gunshot Injuries during COVID pandemic; Pediatric Outcomes After Head Trauma

Dr. Daniela Tenorio Velasquez, PGY-6

I was born and raised in Colombia, South America and attended Medical School at Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira. I traveled to the US in 2015 looking for new experiences and completed Pediatric Residency in Brooklyn, NY.  During my interview at UT Health SA, I liked the hospital, structured fellowship curriculum, and the friendly staff who I found willing to teach, are engaged and committed to new trainees. Now in San Antonio as a bilingual International Medical Graduate, I’m pleased to be part of the PICU team and actively care for critically ill children in a very diverse community. I really enjoy this city and live here with my husband, a wonderful 1 year old baby boy, and my doggie. I love traveling and learning about new cultures, food, and music. I’ve had the opportunity to visit several countries in different continents and I’m really looking forward to visiting some others in the near future.

Research Projects: Evaluation of the relationship between noise levels and development of delirium in the pediatric ICU

Dr. Belen Bermudez Chicango, PGY-5

I was born and raised in Ecuador, South America. I completed my medical school in Ecuador. After medical school, I practiced for 1 year as a general practitioner at a rural hospital in Ecuador and after that, I came to the USA to complete residency at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. I just started my PICU fellowship at UT Health SA and so far, I am enjoying it. I have found that the faculty and my co-fellows are very helpful and understanding. What I like about the program is that it is very academic and has a good diversity of patients to learn from. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, meeting new people, and doing outdoor activities like hiking and exploring nature.

Research Projects: To be determined

Dr. Travis Odom, PGY-5

I’m originally from Durham, North Carolina, the City of Medicine. I’m the son of a nurse and an electrical engineer, husband to a nurse, and father of a sweet, obese cat and a very old long-haired chihuahua. Prior to becoming a pediatrician, I received a BS in Biological Sciences from NC State University and spent several years in Raleigh, NC working at the Urban Ministries Open Door Clinic, a primary care clinic for the working poor and uninsured, where I was a pharmacy technician and helped enroll patients in prescription assistance programs. I went on to attend graduate school at Campbell University where I received an MS in Clinical Research after conducting a CDC database study on hepatitis E seroprevalence in the US from 1988 to 2010. I then completed the MD/MBA program and did my pediatrics residency training at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, where I ultimately fell in love with pediatric critical care medicine. During residency, I did research on the association between blood transfusions and necrotizing enterocolitis in premature neonates, and published research on recognition of congenital heart disease in subsequent hospital visits among children with a prenatal diagnosis. I came from a family-like residency program at a large, tertiary care center in a majority-minority region of eastern NC, where there was a passionate mission to serve the most vulnerable in the community. Naturally, I felt right at home here in the Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship program at UTHSC San Antonio. Not only do I love the nurturing, family-like environment from my faculty and colleagues here, but I also have the honor of learning from and healing the sickest, most vulnerable patients in all of south Texas and beyond. At this program, I have exposure to a well-established liver and kidney transplant program, a booming congenital heart disease program, an ECMO team that is led by the pediatric intensivists, and excellent research and career mentors with a wealth of different experiences. So far, I’ve loved living in San Antonio and have found it to be rich with culture, history, diversity, amazing food, and plenty of fun things to do throughout the year. In my free time, I love to cook and explore new foods, travel to new places near and far, going to concerts, riding coasters at amusement parks, and spending time with my family and friends.

Research Projects: Post-op bleeding outcomes after cardiopulmonary bypass with whole blood priming, anticoagulation protocols in post-op cardiopulmonary bypass patients, neuroendocrine failure after traumatic brain injury, and optimizing the blood transfusion ordering processes while minimizing waste and improving communications between providers and the blood blank

Dr. Cheyenne Mangold, PGY-4