Dr. Sparks is a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who joined the faculty in 2017. From Vanderbilt University, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (2014), Master of Science in Nursing (2016), and Doctor of Nursing Practice (2020).
She is the Clinical Director of the Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital’s Psychiatric Assessment Service (PAS), providing care for emergent behavioral health needs. She is also the Director of Psychiatry Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), dedicating time to recruitment, training, and engagement of the Psychiatry APPs throughout Vanderbilt Health.

 

Dr. Donald Pierce has been a member of the faculty since 2019. He is an attending psychiatrist with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Consult Service at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and the Adolescent Partial Hospital Program at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital.    

Clinical Description

Pediatric consultation-liaison psychiatry, adolescent mental health, resident and medical student education, primary care behavioral health education

Dr. Michael Sherman has been a member of the faculty since 1990. He is the medical director of the child and adolescent anxiety disorders clinic, and also serves as a consulting psychiatrist at the Vanderbilt Center of Excellence for children in state custody.

Elise McMillan has been associated with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center since 1995. She became a Senior Associate with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 2006. In her role with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, she directs the Center’s outreach programs and develops projects connecting Vanderbilt programs of research, training and service with the community. Ms. McMillan is a noted leader and community liaison, serving as a board member and officer of many disability organizations, including The Arc of the U.S. Board, Governor’s Advisory Council on Special Education, Title 33 Law Revision Commission, Tennessee State Health Planning and Advisory Board, Tennessee Disability Coalition, Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, Mayor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities, Special Olympics of Tennessee, and The Arc of Tennessee.

Skyler is a Board-Certified Family Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) who has been a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) since 2016. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Human & Organizational Development (2011) and her Master of Science in Nursing (2013) from Vanderbilt University.

In her role as PMHNP-BC at VUMC, Skyler has practiced with diverse populations across a variety of settings including: The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic, The Center for Women's Health Outpatient Clinic at One Hundred Oaks, The Vanderbilt University Psychological and Counseling Center, The School-Based Psychiatry Program, The Child and Adolescent Consult-Liaison Psychiatry Service at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, and The Vanderbilt Center of Excellence for children in state custody. Prior to her career at VUMC, Skyler practiced outpatient community mental health for several years as a PMHNP-BC at Mental Health Cooperative, Inc. 

Currently, Skyler divides her clinical practice at VUMC between The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic and The Vanderbilt Center of Excellence for children in state custody. Skyler is passionate about providing safe, comprehensive, and evidence-based psychiatric care to children, adolescents, young adults, and their families.

Mollie is a Board-Certified Family Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who joined the faculty in 2018 as the first nurse practitioner on the Child and Adolescent Unit at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. She has also practiced in the school-based program in Davidson County and frequently precepts VUSN students. In addition to inpatient work, she also works in the outpatient setting twice weekly and the Psychiatric Assessment Service (PAS) on the weekends. She obtained her MSN from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and her BSN at the University of Florida, where she graduated with honors. Prior to her faculty appointment at Vanderbilt she practiced outpatient community mental health at Mental Health Cooperative, Inc. for several years, where she worked in crisis services, as well as with ages across the lifespan including children, adolescents, adults.

Dr. Catherine Fuchs has been on the faculty since 1998 serving in many roles as a Clinician Educator. She is currently the Master Clinical Teacher in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She holds the Bixler-Johnson-Mayes Educational Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She teaches in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship, the General Psychiatry Residency, the Department of Pediatrics, and is a member of the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center. Her clinical research is in the field of Pediatric Delirium.

Dr. Bradley Freeman joined our faculty in September 2009. Dr. Freeman is a member of Vanderbilt Forensic Services which provides psychiatric expertise to legal situations. In addition, he consults with the Eating Disorders Team at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, leads an inpatient child and adolescent treatment team, and works with the Center of Excellence providing consultation for children in state custody. Dr. Freeman also participates in the teaching of both adult psychiatric residents and child and adolescent fellows.

Dr. Freeman as the Quality and Patient Safety Director for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Cundiff obtained her residency training in Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University and completed fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry also at Vanderbilt, serving as chief fellow. In 2015, Dr. Cundiff was the recipient of the Bolian Award in recognition of her outstanding clinical care and dedication as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellow. After the completion of fellowship, Dr. Cundiff joined the consult liaison team faculty in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry department and was been an attending and the medical director on the consultation liaison service at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  Most recently, she has moved back over to the Vanderbilt Behavioral Health hospital and is the medical director of the Psychiatric Assessment Services.  Additionally, she is a member of the Neuromodulation Service.