Lia Thomas

Dr. Lia Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, TX), affiliated with the Dallas VA Medical Center. She has held roles including Associate Program Director for the General Psychiatry Residency Program (since 2015), Associate Program Director for Recruitment Strategies (2021), and Director of Mental Health Education, Training, and Research. She leads the Mental Health Trauma Services Team, focusing on evidence-based care for veterans with PTSD.

Her research emphasizes diversity and inclusion in psychiatric education, equitable residency recruitment, and resident workforce challenges. She contributes to national committees in the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry and the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training.

Dr. Thomas has authored over a dozen articles on topics like diversity recruitment, grading systems in clerkships, and minority experiences in academic psychiatry. She serves on the editorial board of Academic Psychiatry.

Her professional activities include advocacy for underrepresented groups in medicine and advancing training programs. She coordinates educational initiatives across VA North Texas Health Care System mental health staff.