Health System with 4 hospitals across 1 state
| Health System | Texas Department of State Health Services |
|---|---|
| Total Hospitals | 4 |
| Commercial/Acute Hospitals | 1 |
| Total Beds | 279 |
| Commercial/Acute Beds | 75 |
| Headquarters | Austin, TX |
| Website | dshs.texas.gov |
| Hospital | Type | Beds | Teaching | Recently Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrell State Hospital | Psychiatric | 74 | Yes | No |
| Rusk State Hospital | Psychiatric | 76 | Yes | No |
| El Paso Psychiatric Center | Psychiatric | 54 | Yes | No |
| Texas Center for Infectious Disease | Acute Care Hospital | 75 | Yes | No |
Dr. Shuford currently serves as the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. Under her leadership, the agency strives to achieve the vision of “A Healthy Texas” and fulfill the mission of improving the health, safety, and well-being of all Texans. Dr. Shuford worked in Austin, Texas, as an infectious disease physician in private practice prior to joining Texas Department of State Health Services in 2017. Before becoming Commissioner, Dr. Shuford served DSHS as the Chief State Epidemiologist.
Imelda Garcia serves as Chief Deputy Commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Ms. Garcia previously served as Senior Advisor to the commissioner. Ms. Garcia served for five years as Associate Commissioner of the Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services Division at DSHS. In this role, she helped lead the department’s response to infectious diseases like Ebola, Zika, Mpox, and COVID-19. She has also played a leadership role in the department’s strategy and oversight of data modernization and public health partnerships.
Rachael Hendrickson is Chief of Staff for the Department of State Health Services. In that role, she oversees the areas of Communications, Government Affairs, and Media. Rachael has been with the Department since 2012. Prior to that, she worked in the Texas House of Representatives. Rachael is a native of Houston, Texas, and studied history at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She earned a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.
Kirk is Senior Advisor to the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Kirk has been with DSHS since 2004 in various leadership roles, primarily focused on consumer and governmental relations and public health policy. He has also served as interim commissioner of DSHS and most recently served as Chief Deputy Commissioner. Before coming to DSHS, he worked for the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in communications and government relations. Kirk received a Bachelor’s degree in Health and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Texas A&M University.
Mercy Dena-Bryant, PhD, MPA, serves as the Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Compliance and System Coordination (OCSC) at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). In this role, she is responsible for administrative coordination and compliance within DSHS and with partner agencies, overseeing functions such as strategic and operational planning, business process improvement, executive operations, policy, rules, privacy, internal audit, fiscal support, and special investigations. Dr. Bryant joined DSHS in 2016 as a process improvement manager and became the director of the Center for System Coordination and Innovation in 2021. She joined the DSHS Executive Team in 2024. Her career includes over 14 years of Texas state service, with previous roles at the Health and Human Services Commission, the Department of Family and Protective Services, and the University of Texas at Arlington's Institute of Urban Studies. She holds a doctorate in Public and Urban Administration from UT Arlington, a Master of Public Administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Moi University, Kenya.
Christy Havel Burton serves as chief financial officer (CFO) for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Christy was deputy CFO for six years. During her tenure, Christy has led DSHS during critical times, including during Texas legislative sessions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before DSHS, Christy served as the federal funds manager for the Texas Health and Human Services System (HHS). At HHS she oversaw federal fund applications. Christy worked a senior budget analyst at the Texas Legislative Budget Board for nine years, including leading the LBB workgroup on the HHS Sunset bill and subsequent consolidation.
David Gruber is the Deputy Commissioner of Regional and Local Health Operations at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). He holds a B.A. in Microbiology from Rutgers University and a Masters in Strategy from the U.S. Army Command and General Officer Staff College. Gruber served in the U.S. Navy for twenty-one years as a pilot, Intelligence Officer, and Chemical/Biological Warfare specialist. After his Navy career, he was the Senior Planner for the Dallas County Health Department in Texas. He then served with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services as Senior Assistant Commissioner for Regional and Local Health Department Oversight, Emergency Preparedness and Response, the Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the NJ State Public Health and Environmental Laboratories. Before returning to Texas, he was the Special Assistant to the NJ Director of Homeland Security and Preparedness. In his current role at Texas DSHS, he oversees regional operations, border health, emergency preparedness, and the operation of the Texas Center for Infectious Disease. He was also involved in the state's COVID-19 response.
Manda Hall, MD is the Deputy Commissioner of Community Health Improvement at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), a role she has held since 2017. In this position, she provides strategic direction for sections including Maternal and Child Health, Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registries, Vital Statistics, and Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention. Prior to becoming Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Hall served as the Interim Associate Commissioner for Family and Community Health Services. She began her public health career at DSHS in 2012 as the Title V Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Director, overseeing statewide systems of care for children with special needs. In March 2016, she became the Title V Maternal and Child Health Medical Director for Texas. Dr. Hall earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lamar University and her Doctor of Medicine degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine. She completed her residency and fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Allergy and Immunology. She is board certified in these areas. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Maternal and Child Health Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Texas Health and Human Services Executive Leadership Academy. Dr. Hall is also a faculty member of the DSHS Preventive Medicine and Public Health Residency Program and has served as President of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP). She is involved with the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB) and has been a member of the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee.
Cynthia Hernandez, JD, has served as the General Counsel for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) since November 2021. She initially joined DSHS in November 2016, working as an Administrative Law Judge and Assistant General Counsel for the Food and Drug Division. Before her time at DSHS and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), she worked at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as an administrative hearings attorney and litigation attorney. Hernandez holds a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Texas at El Paso, a Master of Science in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center.
Joshua Hutchison, MBA, serves as Deputy Commissioner for the Infectious Disease Prevention Services Division in the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Prior to that, Josh most recently served as the HIV/STD Section Director. In that role, he focused on making operations more efficient. He reorganized the section's positions and responsibilities, including creating and overseeing a financial team to ensure program budget stability. Josh's efforts reduced staff vacancy rates from more than 46% to less than 19%.
Dr. Varun Shetty is the Chief State Epidemiologist for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). In this role, he provides leadership and expertise for the department on disease monitoring and prevention. Dr. Shetty leads the Chief State Epidemiologist Division, which oversees health statistics and infectious disease epidemiology and he represents Texas on the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. Dr. Shetty is a graduate of Union College in Schenectady, New York, with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Political Science.
Grace Kubin, PhD, is the Deputy Commissioner of Public Health Laboratory at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), where she has overseen laboratory operations since 2011. She holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in immunology from the University of Texas, Austin, with a focus on gene regulation. Dr. Kubin is board certified as a CLIA High Complexity Laboratory Director and as a Clinical Consultant for clinical laboratory testing. Throughout her tenure at DSHS, Dr. Kubin has played a leading role in the laboratory response to several significant outbreaks, including the 2012 West Nile Virus, 2014 Ebola, 2016 Zika, and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she also served as an executive board member and president of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). She has been involved in numerous national committees, advisory groups, and workgroups, and is a member of the CDC Advisory Committee to the Director Laboratory Workgroup. Dr. Kubin has also overseen the implementation of new testing technologies and methodologies to support DSHS healthcare and response partners. Prior to her current role, she held various positions within the DSHS laboratory, including performing testing for foodborne outbreak investigations and managing biological and chemical threat testing. In 2019, she was recognized as a Stand Up To Superbugs Ambassador by The Pew Charitable Trusts, having lost her father to a C. diff infection.
Timothy Stevenson, DVM, PhD, serves as the Deputy Commissioner for Consumer Protection at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). He joined DSHS in 2018, initially as the Assistant Director of Meat Safety Assurance before assuming his current role. Prior to his tenure at DSHS, Dr. Stevenson had a distinguished 29-year career in the Army Veterinary Corps, retiring with the rank of Colonel. During his time in the Army, he gained extensive experience in health and public health programs, including developing and implementing programs and inspection systems to ensure a safe food supply for the Department of Defense globally. He also commanded a military public health region responsible for the health of military working dogs and other animals, as well as industrial and environmental hygiene. Dr. Stevenson holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a PhD in Food Science and Technology from Texas A&M University. He also earned a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the National War College. He is a diplomate of both the American College of Veterinary Microbiology and the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine-Epidemiology Specialty. His earlier career included working as a private practitioner before joining the Army Veterinary Corps in 1990. He also served as deputy director for the Department of Defense's food analysis and diagnostic laboratory at Fort Sam Houston and as the commander of the veterinary laboratory Europe.