TTUHSC’s Dissanaike Appointed to Texas Medical Board District Three Review Committee

Governor Abbott appoints Dissanaike among seven Texas-based medical experts

• By Kate Gollahon
• January 15, 2021

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Department of Surgery Chair Sharmila Dissanaike, M.D., to the Texas Medical Board District Three Review Committee. Dissanaike holds this appointment until the end of her term on January 15, 2026.

The governor also appointed Celeste Caballero, M.D. and Mindi McLain to the Committee for terms set to expire on January 15, 2022. Additionally, he appointed Ogechika “Oge” Alozie, M.D., Taylor Gillig, and Gabrielle Rich, D.O. for terms set to expire on January 15, 2024 and appointed Michael Burley and Sharmila Dissanaike, M.D. for terms set to expire on January 15, 2026. Abbott appointed Michael Burley for a term set to expire on January 15, 2026 alongside Dissanaike.

Read more about the Texas Medical Board District Three Review Committee members below:

Celeste Caballero, M.D. of Lubbock is a pediatrician with Covenant Medical Group. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Texas Medical Association. Caballero received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from The University of Texas at Austin and a Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

Mindi McLain of Amarillo is a partner and attorney with Wright Law TX, PLLC. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Amarillo Area Bar Association, and Texas Panhandle Women. Additionally, she serves on the West Texas A&M University Enterprise Center Executive Council and is vice president of the Board of Directors of the Texas Panhandle Regional Development Corporation. McLain received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.

Ogechika “Oge” Alozie, M.D. of El Paso is an independent infectious diseases physician in El Paso Texas. He is a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Texas Medical Association, American College of Physicians, and the El Paso County Medical Society, and is board certified in Clinical Informatics. Additionally, he serves as a gubernatorial appointee on the Task Force on Infectious Disease and Preparedness and Response Task Force. Alozie received a Master’s of Public Health from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Benin Medical School.

Taylor Gillig of Arlington is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of The Cookery. He is a United States Marine combat veteran and served as an Infantry Officer in Afghanistan. He is a member of the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Professional Chapter of the Adam Smith Society, American Legion, and The Elks. Gillig received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California – Santa Barbara and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Strategy from Southern Methodist University.

Gabrielle Rich, D.O. of Big Spring is an obstetrician and gynecologist with the Scenic Mountain Medical Group. She is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Texas Medical Association, and the Midland Rape Crisis and Children’s Advocacy Center. Rich received a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Tulane University and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Kansas City University.

Michael Burley of Southlake is currently the Regional Administrator for Region VI at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Prior to his current appointment, he served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Presidential Personnel. Burley received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Clemson University.

Sharmila Dissanaike, M.D. of Lubbock is the Peter C. Canizaro Chair of the Department of Surgery at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. She is a Governor of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), serving on the national Committee for Ethics and the Advisory Council for Rural Surgery. She serves on the Board of the American Burn Association, the Southwest Surgical Congress and the Lubbock Medical Society, in addition to representing the American Medical Association on the Residency Review Committee for Surgery for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). She is a member of the Texas Surgical Society, and past-president of the North Texas Chapter of ACS. Dissanaike received her medical training from the University of Sydney, Australia, completed her surgery residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at the University of Washington in Seattle before returning to Lubbock in 2007, where she has since been in active clinical practice as a trauma, burn, critical care, and general surgeon.