Dr. Santoro serves as the Director of Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Disorders Program and Director of Research for the Neurologic Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is also an Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. Dr. Santoro completed his undergraduate, masters, and medical degrees at Tulane University. He completed residencies in pediatrics and child neurology at Stanford University which was followed by sub-specialty training in neuroimmunology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Santoro is one of only a handful of national physician-scientists who treat neurologic disorders associated with Down syndrome. Dr. Santoro’s research focus is in identifying the mechanisms of neurologic disease in individuals with Down syndrome. Dr. Santoro also has clinical research expertise in neuroinflammation as it is related to cerebrovascular disease and neurocognitive disorders such as Down Syndrome Regression Disorder (DSRD), of which he has spoken internationally. In addition to his clinical and research activities, Dr. Santoro advocates for persons with disabilities at both the state and federal level through the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Neurology.

Jacob Kaiser is a general adult psychiatrist and supervising physician at the USC/Prisma Health – Greer psychiatry residency program, supervising outpatient medication management and psychotherapy. He attended the University of South Carolina for both undergraduate education and medical school, and received his post-graduate training in general psychiatry at the USC/Prisma Health – Greer psychiatry residency program as a member of inaugural class, and served as chief resident during his time there. He has joined Prisma Health as faculty in 2024 to help the next generation of psychiatrists find their place within the provision of mental healthcare.

Dr. Kaiser has found that his place in mental healthcare is in psychotherapy-oriented outpatient clinical settings, with adjunctive medication management. He also has an interest in the utilization of lifestyle medicine practices, not only in patient care but also fostering these practices in himself and in learners with whom he works.

​

​​

​

Dr. Nika White helps maximize people’s and organizations' effectiveness, potential, and capacity. Her overall praxis and scholarship are in organizational development, specifically focusing on systematically operationalizing strategic and intentional efforts that foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). She maximizes people’s and organizations' effectiveness, potential, and capacity through optimized systems and culture. This holistic approach centers on the organization’s most essential asset - its human capital.

Dr. White is an award-winning management and leadership consultant, keynote speaker, and published author, including her latest release, Inclusion Uncomplicated: A Transformative Guide to Simplify DEI, published by Forbes Books.

As the founder and lead principal consultant of Nika White Consulting (NWC), a full-service boutique DEIB consulting firm, she led a team with the mission of making DEI practical so that organizations can shift systems to cultivate a culture of belonging and go to the next level of the DEI journey.

​

​

Captain Mike Yearout has been a member of the Greenville Police Department for 15 years. He has served in Uniform Patrol, the Central Business District, Training, and Internal Affairs. Mike is currently the Captain of the Administration Division, where he oversees Special Events, Training, Budgeting, and Purchasing. Captain Yearout has previously been a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team and Dignitary Protection Team. Mike received his Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from the Command College of South Carolina at Anderson University, participated in the Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative, and was a member of Leadership Greenville Class 50. Prior to his law enforcement career, Captain Yearout worked as a controller for a regional homebuilder. Captain Yearout resides in Simpsonville, South Carolina with his wife Jennifer, and they have three children. Mike is an Assistant Scoutmaster for Scouts BSA Troop 776 and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for NAMI Greenville.        

Sergeant Mac Shelton joined the Greenville Police Department in December of 2012. He has served in the Operations Division as a patrol officer and as a patrol sergeant. Sergeant Shelton is a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team, the Dignitary Protection Team and is the commander of the Peer Support Team. Sergeant Shelton is a recipient of the following awards: the Greenville Police Department Medal of Honor, the Lifesaving Award, the Team Award, the Training Officer of the Year Award and the SCCJA Fitness Award.

Prior to service with the department, Sergeant Shelton served 31 years in the US Coast Guard, achieving the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4. Sergeant Shelton is married to Cecilia Kenna Shelton and has three sons.

Sergeant Shelton enjoys outdoor activities, physical fitness, competitive shooting and time with his two Labrador retrievers, Cutter and Clipper.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​

Dr. Andrews completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from Presbyterian College, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She received her MD from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Columbia. She completed her adult psychiatry residency training at the George Washington University and her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.  She is board certified by the American Academy of Psychiatry and Neurology in Adult Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  In her spare time, she enjoys doing yoga, playing the piano, and spending time with her family.

​

​

​

​

​

​

Joseph Laterza, MD, is an adolescent medicine specialist with Prisma Health in Greenville. Dr. Laterza received his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed his family medicine residency with Prisma Health in Greer, where he was chief resident. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

His training allowed him insight into the full scope of medicine, but he found his passion in the health care areas of adolescent and young adult, reproductive and sexual health, and the LGBTQIA+ population. Dr. Laterza believes everyone deserves equitable care and works to minimize barriers to medical access through his leadership service and community engagement.

When not working, Dr. Laterza can be found exploring new hiking trails with his family or trying new restaurants in Greenville.

​

​

​

​

​

​​

​​

​

​

Dr. Williams (she/her) hails from the vibrant city of Los Angeles, California. She graduated from California State University Northridge and earned her medical degree with distinction from Ross University School of Medicine. Her outstanding performance during medical school was recognized with a scholarship from the prestigious American Psychiatric Association (APA). Post-graduation, she furthered her education by pursuing a master's in public health from George Washington University. She then relocated to South Carolina to complete her general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. Her dedication and excellence were acknowledged when she was awarded the SAMHSA Minority Fellowship through the APA during her final year of training.

Throughout her academic journey, Dr. Williams was deeply moved by the preventable disparities in health outcomes faced by underserved communities. This profound realization ignited a fervent dedication to health equity. Her master's program equipped her with the necessary tools to combat these inequalities. Consequently, she spearheaded the development and implementation of a health disparities curriculum in collaboration with the Greenville psychiatry residency program. Dr. Williams' unwavering commitment to social justice is a beacon of inspiration, and she is eager to share her passion and raise awareness wherever she goes.​​​​​​​​​​

Michael Guyton-Nunley, MD, is an adolescent medicine specialist with Prisma Health in Greenville, South Carolina. Born and raised in Myrtle Beach, he completed his medical training at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia. After completing his residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Prisma Health, he completed a fellowship in adolescent medicine at Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center in New York City.

Dr. Guyton-Nunley's training affords him expertise in all things teenager and young adult, including reproductive health, sexual health, management of eating disorders and care for the LGBTQ population. He works closely with Girlology/Guyology, teaching healthy growth and sexual behaviors to young men of the community, as well as pursuing his interest in teaching and medical education whenever he can. Guyton-Nunley currently lives in Greenville with his husband and their dog.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Dr. Geetika Dembla is a staff psychiatrist at the South Carolina Department of Mental health outpatient clinic in downtown Greenville. She is double board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and has additional fellowship training in Integrative Psychiatry. She is the current and founding president of the South Carolina chapter of the Indo-American Psychiatric Association and serves as a board of director at the Greenville chapter of The National Alliance of Mental Illness. She is also involved in the annual meeting planning committee of the South Carolina Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Dembla completed her residency and fellowship training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center during which time she received the Outstanding Senior Resident award as well as the Veterans Affairs sponsored MIRECC TRIPS -Training Residents in Psychiatry Scholarship award. After graduation she worked as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine where she supervised and taught medical students and psychiatry residents and was honored with the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award. Apart from her service in academic medicine, she has also served veterans in the PTSD clinic at the Overton Brooks VA Hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana. She moved to Greenville in 2017 and before joining Greenville Mental health, she provided locum coverage to the inpatient, partial as well as intensive outpatient units at the Carolina Center for Behavioral Health.

Dr. Dembla takes a holistic and personalized approach when treating patients and believes in using all possible evidence-based treatment modalities, including conventional and complementary to cutting edge. She is passionate about eradicating the stigma associated with having a mental illness and has been collaborating with local organizations for last few years in organizing events to raise awareness on mental health issues in the community. She has also been invited as a speaker by corporate organizations to give talks on addressing mental health issues in the workplace. When not seeing patients, she loves to read, bake, and spend time with her family and friends.

​

Asa T. Briggs is a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with over 12 years of experience treating adults from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of mental health related illnesses. Dr. Briggs earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Clemson University. He received a Master’s in Human Development and Psychology from Trevecca Nazarene University, a Master’s in Nursing – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) from Vanderbilt University and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Yale University.

He is also the director of Mental Health Advocacy & Education for the McClaren Institute of Health and Wellness. He is civically-engaged and a champion for addressing disparities in mental health outcomes in South Carolina.

​

Kelvin Crosby is the Executive Director of the Candice M. Crosby Foundation whose mission is to provide assistance, guidance and continuous support to aspiring nurses and students pursuing a health science degree. He is also the widower of the foundation’s namesake. 

 Before his current position, Kelvin, a Spartanburg native, was a nationally-certified health coach and has been featured in several magazines and television programs. He now hopes to motivate, inspire and encourage others by sharing his story of perseverance, dedication and love.