Meet Jamie Winderbaum Fernandez, MD

Kevin Ferguson has over a decade of experience in the healthcare industry, with expertise spanning operations, finance, and business development. He has held several leadership roles, including Vice President of Operations at HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital / West Tampa Hospital and Vice President of Operations at Clinical Research Partners in Richmond, VA. In 2021, he joined Harris Williams, a leading M&A advisory firm, where he focused on the healthcare and life sciences sector, gaining deep insight into market trends and buyer landscapes. Drawing on this broad experience, Kevin is now leading IPTB’s expansion in the Tampa Bay region and into new CNS-related research areas. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. To set up a time to connect, call 813-251-1800 or email kpf@interventionalpsychiatrytb.com.

Stephon Jacob joins IPTB with over five years of experience in the clinical trials industry and brings with him a unique expertise for merging innovative marketing strategies, a deep understanding of patient engagement, and the creative vision to revolutionize subject recruitment. He holds a Master’s Degree from the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Richmond, where he was a full-scholarship football player. His previous work has included driving brand strategy and creative ideas for iconic organizations such as the Washington Commanders, Nike, VISA, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Cedars-Sinai Hospital. With a passion for building impactful campaigns and a commitment to excellence, he is dedicated to shaping IPTB’s marketing initiatives to empower patients and drive industry innovation.

Jennifer Santiago, MA has been in the medical field for over 15 years with expertise in both internal medicine and behavioral health. Aside from her practical skills, Jennifer has a genuine and compassionate approach to patient care. She provides medical assistance in the clinic and works with subjects enrolled in clinical research studies. Her areas of expertise are practice management, medical accounting, patient engagement and urgent care . She is available to answer questions and schedule appointments daily Monday through Friday.
She can be reached at 813-251-1800 or at js@interventionalpsychiatrytb.com

Jose Beltran received a dual Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and Medical Science at Florida State University and University of South Florida. Jose spent 6 years in the Air National Guard launching and recovering fighter jets and enduring numerous state activations for National Emergencies. He has prior medical experience in the emergency room, medical assisting for COVID sites, and as an academic program specialist in Genetics and Pharmacology for USF’s Master of Medical Science [MSP3] program. Jose’s research experience includes 4 years guiding over 300 research participants in Neurological indications. He has coordinated studies for Fredrick’s Ataxia, Spinocerebellar ataxia, headaches for adult and adolescents, non-opioid pain medications, mRNA vaccines, and dermatological diseases. Jose is interested in improving health disparities for psychological and neurological disorders and providing optimal care to all patients.
He can be reached at (813) 253-0437 or at jb@interventionalpsychiatrytb.com

Hannah Padilla has worked in research for the past 5 years and successfully guided 400 clinical research participants through psychiatric, vaccine, non-opioid pain medication, and dermatological trials. Hannah has experience in every phase in human research. She is interested in improving health disparities in psychological research, and uses compassion to provide optimal care for every IPTB patient.

She can be reached at hp@interventionalpsychiatrytb.com

Louie Estrada is a certified Medical Assistant with a background in multiple specialties. In addition to over seven years of experience in Internal Medicine, Louie has also worked in Psychiatry, Behavioral Health, and Cardiology. His clinical skill set includes phlebotomy, injections, and surgical assistance, among others. Louie previously served as a Clinical Lead before joining IPTB Clinical Research. He hopes to bring the same care to neuropsychiatric research and make a real difference in people’s lives. 
He can be reached at le@interventionalpsychiatrytb.com

Alyssa Leanza is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience. While at FSU, she gained research experience in cognitive neuroscience, utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to explore brain function. Alyssa combines her research expertise in cognitive neuroscience and her specialized knowledge of neuropsychiatric conditions with a commitment to compassionate care, ensuring patients feel supported and valued throughout their clinical trial journey. She is dedicated to enriching patients’ lives at IPTB, striving to improve treatment approaches and contribute positively to the advancement of behavioral health research.
She can be reached at aml@interventionalpsychiatrytb.com.

Drs. Kenneth Pages and Winderbaum Fernandez have been seamlessly co-managing the care of treatment resistant depression and mood disorder patients for over 10 years. At IPTB, Dr. Pages serves as a sub-investigator on multiple clinical trials focusing on Major Depressive Disorder. In affiliation with TMS of South Tampa we are able to offer patients the full complement of state of the art interventional psychiatric therapies. As one of the most experienced TMS doctors in the country, Dr. Pages was not only one of the first to provide TMS Therapy in Florida but he has devoted his practice to advancing the technology. He is a nationally recognized TMS provider and is actively involved in pushing the boundaries of how TMS can assist patients in their recovery and achieving remission. Our novel protocols such as combined esketamine/TMS therapy for treatment resistant depression have resulted in full recovery with sustained benefits and enabled patients to minimize oral medication use or avoid more burdensome treatment options.

Dr. Karen Unger has a Masters in Clinical Nursing with a concentration in Psychiatry and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology. She started out as an emergency/trauma/flight nurse. She has taught at the University of Tampa and Saint Leo, and was a co-author on a chapter about personality assessment. She has had a private psychoanalytic psychotherapy practice for 24 years in Valrico FL. Dr. Unger is especially excited about clinical research work with the potential to offer new treatment options to patients struggling with neuropsychiatric illness. She has been working with IPTB as a psychometric rater and sub-investigator to better serve the community through clinical trial opportunities. Areas of expertise include Major Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Illness, PTSD, Anxiety Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Faizi Ahmed, MD is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the University of South Florida. He is board-certified in Psychiatry through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and also board-certified in Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology through the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. Dr. Ahmed attended Temple University for his undergraduate studies. He earned his medical degree from Xavier University School of Medicine and then returned to Philadelphia where he completed his residency training at Temple University Hospital in psychiatry. After residency he spent one year treating patients with severe mental illness in an Assertive Community Treatment program in Swarthmore, PA. Dr. Ahmed then joined Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he completed fellowship in Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology. He moved to Tampa in 2016 to start his private Neuropsychiatry practice, Tampa Neuropsychiatry LLC which has multiple locations throughout the Tampa Bay area. At IPTB, he serves as a sub-investigator on multiple clinical trials including those focusing on Major Depressive Disorder and Schizophrenia.

Dr. Philpot received a BA in Psychology, a Masters Degree in Experimental Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Cognitive and Neural Sciences at the University of South Florida. Dr. Philpot has been a professor and researcher in the field of neuroscience for more than 15 years. Currently, he is an assistant professor at USF’s College of Medicine Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences division. His expertise focuses on neural processes, experimental design, descriptive and inferential statistics, research ethics, neurobiology, neurochemistry, and pharmacology.