Board Members
President
Denise M. Crow, RPh, BCPS is board certified in pharmacotherapy. She received her BS Pharm degree from the University of Houston. She began her career as a pharmacist at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston Texas. She has over twenty years of experience in the rehabilitation setting. As a clinical pharmacist at TIRR Memorial Hermann, she has had the opportunity to work with the pediatric, stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury patient populations. She is currently employed as a clinical pharmacist for the Disorders of Consciousness and Spinal Cord Injury programs at TIRR Memorial Hermann. She is a founding board member for the nonprofit organization Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Project (RSVP). She is grateful to all of the RSVP volunteers that have graciously volunteered their time to aid the underserved in our community.
Vice President
Alex Chesney OTR, ATP/SMS – Alex graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with a minor in Psychology in 2011. She then earned her Master of Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University in 2013. Alex practiced as an occupational therapist at TIRR Memorial Hermann inpatient rehabilitation center in Houston, treating those with traumatic spinal cord injuries and various neurodegenerative diseases for 5+ years. She now works as a clinical education manager for Quantum Rehabilitation. Alex previously served as a committee chair for The Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals and continues involvement as a committee member along with maintaining her LSVT Big Certification for patient’s with Parkinson’s disease.
Secretary
Krysten Chovanec, PT, DPT is a licensed physical therapist (PT) with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (2010) and Doctorate of Physical Therapy (2014) from Texas Woman’s University. Krysten has been a PT with TIRR Memorial Hermann – The Woodlands since 2014 in the areas of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation including nearly all neurologic diagnoses, specializing in Vestibular Rehabilitation after successful completion of the Herdman course; she is also a certified LSVT BIG therapist. She has taught Vestibular Rehabilitation at LSC, as well as assisted with TWU’s DPT Vestibular labs. Krysten resigned from TIRR in May of 2021, two weeks before the birth of her third child, and is grateful to continue serving the community as Clinical Coordinator and Board Secretary with RSVP.
Treasurer
Diane Wege, PT, MS, NCS is a licensed physical therapist (PT) with over 15 years of experience (both clinical and managerial). She is currently employed as a physical therapist on the Brain Injury and Stroke Team at TIRR Memorial Hermann. Mrs. Wege is a Neurological Certified Specialist. She received her BS in Education from Baylor University and her MS in Physical Therapy from Texas Woman’s University.
Medical Director
Sunil Kothari, M.D. is board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, specializing in Brain Injury Rehabilitation for the past 15 years. He is currently an attending physician on the Brain Injury and Stroke Team at TIRR-Memorial Hermann and a faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine (where he is director of the Brain Injury Medicine Fellowship). After receiving degrees from Yale University and the University of Texas, he completed his residency at Northwestern University (Chicago) and his fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine.
Director of Speech Therapy Services
Sofia Tilton, M.S., CCC-SLP is a bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) that has been practicing since 2008 with experience in various settings including rehabilitation hospitals, acute care hospitals, home health, and schools. Mrs. Tilton is the owner of Words of Wisdom, PLLC a speech therapy private practice in Houston where she treats adults, adolescents, and pediatrics with communication and swallowing disorders. She received her M. S. in Speech Pathology from Texas Christian University and her B.A. from the University of Houston.
Director
George Polson, M.D. is currently a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation resident at Baylor College of Medicine. He received his B.S. in Human Biology at The University of Texas at Austin and his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine.
Director
Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, M.D. is currently the medical director of the Brain Injury and Stroke Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann and assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Vice Chair of Quality and Patient Safety at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health). She received a medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine.
Director
Uma Dharap, MBBS, MHA, CPPS is a certified patient safety professional and has been in the role of Senior Patient Safety Specialist at TIRR Memorial Hermann for over 6 years. She earned her Master in Healthcare Administration from University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2011 and is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt. She also received her medical training from Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College in Mumbai, India.
Director
Patricia E. Tully, OT has been an Occupational Therapist (OT) since 2000. She has worked in the rehabilitation setting with those who have neurologic injury or illness from pediatrics through adulthood. Ms. Tully has a B.S. in Community Education from Texas A&M University in 1992 and a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from Texas Tech University in 1999.
Director
Val Torres
Leadership Council
Kerry Davis, BSN, RN, CRRN, CBIS is a registered nurse (RN) with over 20 years of experience (clinical, educational, and managerial), almost all of it in rehabilitation. She is currently employed as a nurse manager on the Brain Injury and Stroke Team at TIRR Memorial Hermann. Ms. Davis is a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) and a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS). She obtained her ADN from Oklahoma State University-Technical Branch and her BSN from the University of Texas-Houston.
AnneMarie Wallace has worked for over 25 years in the field of healthcare in management and chaplaincy roles and serves on various non-profit organization boards, including The Institute of Spirituality and Health. A constant proponent for the religious and spiritual needs of individuals and families, Ms. Wallace is the executive director for Presbyterian Outreach to Patients, an organization that trains lay chaplains who serve in hospitals around Houston. She has trained and serves as a counselor, chaplain and, while pursuing ordination in the Presbyterian faith tradition, she is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity with Fuller Seminary, Texas.
Laura Martin, PT, DPT is a licensed physical therapist (PT) and is a Neurologic Certified Specialist. She is currently employed as an outpatient physical therapist on the Neuromuscular Rehabilitation team at TIRR Memorial Hermann Kirby Glen and the director of the TIRR Memorial Hermann Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency Program and the Memorial Hermann Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency Program. Laura received her Masters of Science in Physical Therapy in 2007 and transitional Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2009; both from Texas Woman’s University.
Jean Woo, M.D. is board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Brain Injury Medicine. She is currently an attending physician at TIRR Memorial Hermann and a faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine. She completed PM&R residency and Brain Injury Medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine.
Radha Korupolu, M.D. received her medical degree from Dr. NTR University of Health Science, Andhra Pradesh, India. She completed her Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation training at the University of Kentucky College Of Medicine in Lexington, where she was chief resident and a Spinal Cord Injury fellowship at the McGovern Medical School, UTHealth. She is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the McGovern Medical School and attending physician at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital. Dr. Korupolu’s primary focus is on the care of inpatients recovering from spinal cord injury and spasticity management. Her current research focuses on studying optimal ventilator settings to improve respiratory outcomes and studying mindfulness-based interventions to improve health-related outcomes in people with spinal cord injury. In her free time, she enjoys running and hiking.
