Faculty
Program Director
Rahn Kennedy Bailey, M.D., DFAPA, ACP, serves as Endowed Chair of Psychiatry and Assistant Dean of Community Engagement at LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans since June 1, 2021. Dr. Bailey’s career has centered on community outreach, forensic psychiatric consulting, and health disparities research.
He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1990. While in medical school, he received the Resident Research Award by the National Medical Association (NMA) for his work on Non-A Non-B Hepatitis (’88). He completed his residency training in psychiatry at the University of Texas at Houston in 1994. While in residency, he held the title of Chief Resident (’94). Next, he completed a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at Yale University in 1995.
Dr. Bailey served as the 113th President of the National Medical Association. As president, he spearheaded three mission trips to the African nation of Liberia. In 2016, Dr. Bailey begun his role as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the NMA Cobb Research Foundation Institute. From 2008 to 2014, he served as the Director of Elam Mental Health Center in Nashville, TN, and the Chairman of the Psychiatry Department at Meharry Medical College. While in North Carolina, Dr. Bailey was Chairman of the Psychiatry Department Wake Forest University School of Medicine & Executive Director of the Behavioral Health Service Line (2015-2018). He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association Board of Trustees (2019-present).
Throughout his career, Dr. Bailey has worked with underserved and marginalized populations. This is evident in his work with community programs and indigent populations throughout the U.S. and abroad. He has over 86 publications that address healthcare disparities. He has published three books; the first on Health Disparities in Aug 2013, then on Gun Violence in Aug 2018. Most recent, he wrote At Gunpoint, Firearms Violence from a Psychiatrist’s Perspective in December 2020. In addition, he has four book chapters, has given 30 University Grand Rounds, over 100 joint hospital lecture series on topics including Treatment of MDD in African American Men, Risk Management Approaches to Contemporary Psychopharmacology, and Sexual Offender Forensic Assessments.
For his extensive work addressing health disparities, he has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the Snyder Foundation. In 2011, he served as the chair of the Commission to End Health Disparities for the AMA. Along with advocacy and academic administration, Dr. Bailey has run a forensic psychiatric consulting practice for over 20 years. His articles on forensic psychiatry cover a range of topics: sexual violence prevention, risk management, juvenile justice, post-traumatic stress, gun violence, insanity defense, and interpersonal violence. He has served as Medical Director of the inpatient unit at Bryce State Forensic Hospital, Birmingham, AL and Lloyd C. Elam Mental Health Center, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN.
Dr. Bailey has maintained a 25 year career in Forensic Psychiatry as consultant. He as testified in over 100 legal cases. His qualifications include sexual offenders, NGRI competency and child custody cases. Concerning advocacy, Dr. Bailey has served on a variety of Board of Trustees addressing education (Rutgers State University), Professional Organizations (NMA, APA, Cobb Institute, and AAPL), as well as sat on the Wake Forest Baptist Health Insurance Board for employee benefits.
Further, Dr. Bailey was elected as President of the National Medical Association in August 2011. He completed the three-year term as President Elect, President, and Immediate Past President. Most recently, he was elected to serve as the 2023-25 Chair of the APA Caucus on Global Mental Health and Psychiatry. The APA Caucus on Global Mental Health and Psychiatry focuses on global mental health education, research, and advocacy for improved mental health care for all through collaboration between health and mental health professionals.
Jean Bing Simpson, M.D., J.D. hails from Grapevine in the Great State of Texas. She graduated college from Brown University with a degree in Art and Semiotics. She then earned her juris doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. She moved to New Orleans to litigate civil defense for three years. Thereafter, she joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana as a federal prosecutor for another three years. Afterwards, she returned to school to be a doctor. She earned her MD from, completed her psychiatry residency at and accepted a faculty position with LSU School of Medicine New Orleans. She is a presently a clinical assistant professor, the division chief for forensic psychiatry, director of the forensic psychiatry fellowship and associate medical director of the LSU Behavioral Sciences Center.
Hannah Walsh, Ph.D.(2021, Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, University of North Texas; 2021, Predoctoral Internship, Western State Hospital; 2022, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Forensic Psychology, Office of Forensic Mental Health Services at Western State Hospital): Dr. Walsh serves as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and the Assistant Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship. She has training and experience in forensic evaluations of adults and juveniles, as well as in general psychological assessment. Dr. Walsh provides a variety of forensic evaluations services across the state, including competency to stand trial, not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI), violence risk assessment, mitigation, personal injury, parental custody, and parental fitness. Dr. Walsh additionally supervises Adult Psychiatry residents as well as the Forensic Psychiatry Fellow in forensic evaluations. Her professional and clinical interests include the development and validation of forensic assessment instruments, empirically-based forensic evaluation techniques, and developmental trajectories towards psychopathic personality characteristics.
Steven Thurber, Ph.D., ABPP Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin. Postdoctoral fellow and graduate of the postdoctoral training program in pediatric, clinical child psychology, University of Oklahoma Medical School. Board Certified in clinical child and adolescent psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology). Prior clinical director in three psychiatric hospitals, including the Minnesota state hospital for children and adolescents. Involvement in court cases at state, federal, and supreme court levels. Past editor, International Clinical Psychologist, associate editor, Archives of Psychological Assessment. Current consulting editor, Journal of General Psychology. Research interests include cognitive development and witness psychology, patient complexity, lie detection, psychiatric diagnoses, and psychometric theory.
Staff
Chikira Barker, M.A. (2009, Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, Texas Tech University; 2003 Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Psychology and Criminology): Chikira Barker is a program advisor for clinical psychiatric research at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center- New Orleans, Department of Psychiatry. Her work has focused on research program development and data analysis for forensic psychiatry, child trauma and externalizing disorders, integrated behavioral health, disaster behavioral health, and pharmaceutical clinical trials. Ms. Barker provides training to residents and medical students on developing research protocols and managing studies. With a background in clinical psychology, she has provided professional development and consultations to school systems related to child behavioral problems, trauma-informed teaching, and neurodevelopmental disorders.