Howard Roback, PhD

Howard
Roback
PhD
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emeritus
Department: Division of Psychology

Dr. Howard Roback joined the Vanderbilt University Department of Psychiatry faculty in 1972, after receiving his PhD in Clinical Psychology from York University in Toronto, Canada, with a dissertation on treatment outcomes in group therapy.

In his years at Vanderbilt, Dr. Roback excelled in teaching and mentoring trainees, clinical care, and academic scholarship. He received Excellence in Teaching Awards by trainees in both Psychiatry and Psychology. He was also recognized by a Five Star Award in a national patient satisfaction survey.

Dr. Roback's scholarship has focused on three areas: negative psychotherapy outcomes, the intersection of law and group psychotherapy, and dysfunctional personality patterns in problematic physicians. He has published two books ("Group Psychotherapy Research" and "Helping Patients and Their Families Cope With Medical Problems: A Guide to Therapeutic Group Work in Clinical Settings"), approximately 80 articles, and has delivered presentations at professional conferences, including as a keynote speaker. He served as a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy. His collaborative research on group interventions with impaired physicians was funded by the American Medical Association.

Dr. Roback served the Department of Psychiatry as a member of the Appointments and Promotions Committee, a junior faculty member's mentoring committee, and as Internship Training Coordinator of the APA-approved Vanderbilt-VAMC Psychology Internship Program. He was also Chair of the Standing Policy Committee-Faculty of the Faculty Advisory Council, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Dr. Roback was promoted to Emeritus faculty May 1, 2010.

William Bernet, MD

William
Bernet
MD
Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emeritus
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
william.bernet@vumc.org

Overview of Interests
Forensic psychiatry, in particular: effects of divorce; child custody disputes; parental alienation; child maltreatment; and genomics of violence. A current research interest is methodology for distinguishing parental alienation and parental estrangement.

Yasmeen Neal, PhD

Yasmeen
Neal
PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Division of Psychology

Dr. Yasmeen Neal is an assistant professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Psychology division of VUMC's Department of Psychiatry. She works as a clinical neuropsychologist, conducting neurocognitive evaluations for adults with a variety of conditions including dementia, movement disorders, stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), organ transplant, multiple sclerosis, medical conditions such as autoimmune diseases and cancer and psychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety, and severe mental illness. She has worked across VA, academic medical center, inpatient rehabilitation, community mental health and private practice settings.

Her clinical interests include neurodegenerative conditions with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease and prevention strategies to promote healthy brain aging. She subsequently works in collaboration with the Center for Cognitive Medicine to advance research on Alzheimer’s disease and is a member of various professional organizations such as the National Academy of Neuropsychology, International Neuropsychology Society, and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology.

Dr. Neal earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Alliant International University in San Diego, which included a clinical internship at the Veteran's Affairs/Vanderbilt University Consortium in Nashville. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry. She earned her BS degree at Texas Woman’s University adjacent to her hometown of Dallas.

yasmeen.neal@vumc.org

Eric Esters, LPC-MHSP

Eric
Esters
LPC-MHSP
VMG Psycho-therapist
Division of General Psychiatry
eric.esters@vumc.org

Eric Esters is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Mental Health Service provider who joined the team in September 2025. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Eric practiced counseling for 12 years in private practice and community mental health settings in Tennessee and Indiana.

Bianca Rombado, MD

Bianca
Rombado
MD

Hometown: Houston, TX
College: Rice University, Houston, TX
Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Residency: Baylor Scott & White Health / Baylor College of Medicine, Temple, TX

Psychiatry Interests: Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry, Women's Mental Health, Neuromodulation, Clinical Education

Cezary Mikoluk, MD

Cezary
Mikoluk
MD

Hometown: Nowa Sól, Poland
College: Penn State University, Schreyer Honors College
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine

Psychiatry Interests: Catatonia, Psycho-Oncology, Forensics

Jason West, MD

Jason
West
MD

Hometown: Pleasant Grove, UT
College: Brigham Young University
Medical School: University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine

Psychiatry Interests: CAP/Adult Psychiatry, Lifestyle Psychiatry, Interventional Psychiatry, Mental Health Advocacy

Mitchell Sauder, DO

Mitchell
Sauder
DO

Hometown: Kimberly, WI
College: University of Minnesota
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences

Psychiatry Interests: Academic Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Family Systems, Mental Health Advocacy

Ali Yousaf, DO

Ali
Yousaf
DO

Hometown: Charleston, WV
College: University of Charleston
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

Psychiatry Interests: Addiction, Rehab, Academic Medicine, Opioid Use Disorder

Alyssa Tate, MD

Alyssa
Tate
MD

Hometown: Harleysville, Pennsylvania
College: College: University of Delaware
Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

Psychiatry Interests: Addiction, Perinatal, Severe and Persistent Mental Illness, Mental Health Advocacy