Cardiology, nephrology, psychiatry, pulmonary fellows join UMMC faculty

Medical Center leadership is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff.

Bradley Paul Deere, M.D.

Dr. Bradley Paul Deere, recently chief fellow in cardiology at the Tulane University Heart and Vascular Institute, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of medicine.

After receiving his B.S. in anthropology and human biology from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, in 2008, Deere earned his M.S. in medical sciences summa cum laude at Mississippi College in 2010 and his M.D. at UMMC in 2014. He then had an internal medicine internship and residency from 2014-17 and a cardiovascular diseases fellowship from 2017-20 at the Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans.

The author or coauthor of four articles in peer-reviewed journals, Deere has given invited presentations at five national and two regional scientific meetings. A member of several professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Cardiology and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology, Deere is a Gold Humanism Honor Society inductee.

Lekha Sunkara Deere, M.D.

Dr. Lekha Sunkara Deere, recently academic chief of the pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the Tulane University School of Medicine, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of medicine.

After receiving her B.S. in biology from Millsaps College in 2009 and her M.S. in medical sciences from Mississippi College in 2010, Deere earned her M.D. at UMMC in 2014. She then had internal medicine residency training from 2014-17 and a pulmonary and critical care fellowship from 2017-20 at the Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana.

A member of the American College of Chest Physicians, Deere has given invited presentations at three national and two regional scientific meetings. Co-author of the ICU Handbook for Residents at Tulane, she is a Gold Humanism Honor Society inductee.

Her most recent research activity involved a study of outcomes of patients with early stage lung cancers in the VA health system.

Nicholas W. McAfee, Ph.D.

Dr. Nicholas W. McAfee, recently a postdoctoral fellow in the UMMC Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an instructor in psychiatry and human behavior.

After receiving his B.A. in psychology and in political science summa cum laude with departmental honors and university honors in 2012 and his M.A. in counseling psychology in 2015 from the University of Missouri, Columbia, McAfee had a predoctoral internship in clinical psychology at UMMC, where he was chief resident from 2018-19, and received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology in 2019 from the University of Missouri. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in 2020.

The author or coauthor of six articles in peer-reviewed publications and 11 posters presented at scientific meetings nationally, McAfee has given seven invited presentations in Missouri and Mississippi. His research interests include interventions for addictive behaviors and brief intervention training. He is one of the clinicians in the Medical Center’s Student Counseling and Wellness Center.

Alisha S. Parker, D.O.

Dr. Alisha S. Parker, recently chief fellow in the Department of Nephrology at UMMC, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of medicine.

After receiving her B.S. in biology from Mississippi College in 2009, Parker earned her M.S. in biomedical sciences at UMMC in 2011 before earning her D.O. at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2015. She then had residency training in internal medicine in 2015 and fellowship training in nephrology from 2018-20 at UMMC.

An active member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Nephrology, Women in Nephrology, the American College of Physicians and the National Kidney Foundation, Parker previously served the ACP’s Fellowship and Resident Council as secretary/treasurer. She has given eight invited presentations at scientific meetings or conferences nationally.