Innovator
Pon Satitpunwaycha, MD, Houston
“As I reflect back, the most enjoyable and rewarding experience of my career was the academic years at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. But I am grateful for the opportunity this country has given me and I feel obliged to give back.”
Dr. Satitpunwaycha was born in Thailand, where he attended medical school and graduated from Chulalongkorn University in 1962. He attended Northwestern University where he spent six years as an intern, resident and instructor. After receiving his American Board of Surgery certification, he returned to Bangkok to teach at Chulalongkorn University Medical School for eight years. He later returned to the US for a fellowships at the Texas Heart Institute, Houston, He established a private practice in Houston in 1980 and he retired in 2011. Dr. Pon has been a donor to TMA Foundation since 2008.
Benefactors
Lee Ann Pearse, MD and Mr. Einar Vagnes, Dallas
“We support the TMAF since there are many worthy projects to support that help better the lives of fellow Texans.”
Lee Ann Pearse, MD and Mr. Einar Vagnes, Dallas, have donated to TMAF since 2005 and served as host city chairs for the 2016 TMAF gala. Dr. Pearse is a pediatric cardiologist and earned her medical degree at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver. She is in solo practice with Pediatrix Medical Group and an instructor at the Baylor Family Practice Residency Program in Garland. She also is a member of TMA’s Council on Legislation and has served on its Select Committee on Medicaid, CHIP and the Uninsured. She is the immediate past president of the Dallas County Medical Society. Dr. Pearse is a member of the TMA Foundation Board of Trustees and chair of its Nominating Committee. Dr. Pearse and her husband have two Norwegian sons, a Norwegian daughter-in-law and four Norwegian granddaughters, all of whom live in Norway.
Advocates
Dr. Charles and Terri Andrews, Fort Worth
“Charley and I support Texas Medical Association Foundation because everyone involved provides careful focused support for programs that make a difference in keeping Texas healthy.”
The Andrews have been donors to TMA Foundation since 1999. During that time, they have volunteered for TMAF galas and Terri served as a member of the TMAF Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2015 and served as its Grants Committee chair for four years. Dr. Andrews, a nephrologist, retired in 2013. Terri has volunteered for at least a dozen organizations including the TMA Alliance, the Tarrant County Medical Society Alliance, her church, the local YWCA and most notably, the Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County, where she has served as chair for the past 11 years.
C. Enrique Batres, MD, Missouri City
“We reach our destination because along the road to achieve our dreams we all received encouragement, love, and support from family, friends and teachers. Some of us also need financial support. I was the happy recipient of a scholarship from the French government that provided an opportunity start my dermatology training in France, an unforgettable, wonderful experience. When I see the bright, well deserving students receiving out support, it gives me great joy to join the Texas Medical Association Foundation in this endeavor, as I realize that my modest contributions will help them achieve their goals.”
Dr. Batres practices dermatology at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in Sugar Land. He has been a donor to TMAF since 2003. During this time he has provided major support for the TMA Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program. Dr. Batres is a past president of the Houston Dermatological Society and volunteers at Casa Maria, a Catholic charity associated clinic for Hispanic patients in need. He has two daughters and five grandchildren.
Deborah A. Fuller, MD, Dallas
“My support for the TMA Foundation is a small way of giving back to the TMA as it funds initiatives that create a healthier future for all Texans.”
Dr. Fuller first joined the TMAF board in 2006 and has served as its president since 2015. She is in the private practice of obstetrics and gynecology. As a graduate of The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), she has served as president of the UTMB Alumni Board of Trustees. She also is an Associate Professor at the Baylor Medical Center, Dallas, affiliated with Texas A&M and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Her belief in the work of the foundation is expressed in her 21 years of donating to TMAF.
Pacesetters
Dr. and Mrs. Don R. Read, Dallas
“I support the TMA Foundation because through its many different activities, it shows that physicians and the TMA are the “good guys.”
Dr. Read is President of the TMA Board of Trustees and a past president of the Dallas County Medical Society (DCMS). He has lent his expertise and time to many causes including a mission trip in Zaire and currently to a West Nile Support Group which he started after contracting the disease. While DCMS president, the society launched Project Access Dallas, a program that provided free health care to uninsured persons in the community. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Austin College and for 13 years D Magazine called him one of the Best Doctors in Dallas. Roberta Read is a RN who practices at Baylor Medical Center. The couple have been married for 45 years, have two grown daughters. Dr. and Mrs. Read have been donors to the foundation since 2002.
Charlotte Stelly-Seitz, MD and William W. Seitz, Houston
“TMAF has always extended my reach in areas that are of high importance to me.”
Dr. Stelly-Seitz practiced physical medicine and rehabilitation and pediatrics until her retirement in 2013. She is now worked with C2C Innovative Solutions as a physician reviewer on the Administrative Law Judge team. She also is the chair of the Harris County Medical Society delegation to the TMA House of Delegates and previously served on the TMA Committee on Child and Adolescent Health. She has served on the TMA Foundation Board of Trustees since 2012 and held leadership positions within the Texas Pediatric Society. United Cerebral Palsy has honored Dr. Stelly-Seitz for her service with the Infant Development Program and recently she was named “Top Doctor” in US News and World Report. Dr. Stelly-Seitz and her husband have two grown children and been donors to TMAF for 13 years.
E. Linda Villarreal, MD, Edinburg
“Pay it forward. Someone always helped me.”
Dr. Villarreal, a native of Edinburg, has been in the solo practice of internal medicine/ preventive medicine and wellness in Edinburg since 1989. Prior to becoming a physician she graduated from The University of Texas with a BS in Pharmacy and practiced pharmacy for 10 years. Dr. Villarreal has volunteered for the Easter Seals and American Heart Association and received awards from both for her exemplary service. She is a past president of the Hidalgo-Starr County Medical Society. Dr. Villarreal is a member of the board of trustees for both TMA and TMAF. She also is a member of TEXPAC, serves as a TMA alternate delegate to the American Medical Association and is a member of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Physician Advocacy Committee. She was married to Donald Stewart White for 26 years and recently widowed and has two sons and eight grandchildren. The couple became donors to TMAF in 2004.