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Abbott appoints seven to Texas Medical Board AUSTIN — Governor Greg Abbott appointed Mary “Kelly” Green, M.D. and reappointed Devinder S. Bhatia, M.D., Luisa del Rosal, James “JD” Distefano, D.O., Tomeka Herod, Robert David Martinez, M.D., and Jason K. Tibbels, M.D. to the Texas Medical Board for terms set to expire on April 13, 2031. The Board regulates the practice of medicine in Texas.
Mary “Kelly” Green, M.D. of Marble Falls is an eye surgeon and owner of a private ophthalmology practice. Green is a member of the Texas Medical Association, Burnet Llano Lampasas County Medical Society, American Academy of Ophthalmology, and Marble Falls Education Foundation Board. Additionally, Green is an oral board examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology, and a former volunteer with the United States Peace Corps in West Africa, where she taught physics and chemistry in French. The Governor appointed Green to the Texas Medical Board District Four Review Committee in 2024. Green received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Trinity University and a Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas (UT) Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Devinder S. Bhatia, M.D. of Houston is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon based in the Houston area, with over 25 years of experience in the field. He is the founder and president of Southeast Texas Cardiovascular P.a. and is board-certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and is affiliated with multiple hospitals, including HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. He has also served as chairman of several hospital surgery departments and credentialing committees. He also served on the boards of various organizations, such as The Health Museum, Hermann Park Conservancy, the Harris County Sheriff’s Foundation, and the Houston Symphony. Bhatia received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed his residency in general surgery at Baylor Affiliated Hospitals and pursued fellowships in cardiothoracic and peripheral vascular surgery at Carolinas Medical Center.
