Meet the Hospitalists
Marc S. Elieson, MD, MBA is the medical director of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center Hospitalist Program. An Eagle Scout fluent in Spanish, Dr. Elieson is trained in Internal Medicine from Scott & White Hospital, Temple. He has special medical interests in Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement. He is also active in professional organizations such as American College of Physicians, Society of Hospital Medicine, American Medical Association, and the Texas Medical Association.
Twila Lovett, MD, is a West Texas native who attended Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Lubbock. She completed her internship at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Texas Tech. Dr. Lovett practiced in rural North Texas as a general Internal Medicine physician prior to beginning a practice as a hospitalist in 1998. She specializes in Cardiology, Critical Care and Diabetes Management. “I believe in a team approach to healthcare. It is vital to have a close relationship with primary care physicians, as well as access to necessary specialty doctors. As hospitalists, we are here to assist primary care physicians in providing quality care during the patient’s hospital stay,” says Dr. Lovett. In her time away from the hospital, Dr. Lovett enjoys spending time with her husband and son.
James T. Gilley, MD, has practiced high quality health care for 15 years. Dr. Gilley earned his medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. He completed a residency through the Central Texas Medical Foundation (CTMF), a community-based program which provides much needed indigent care in Austin (at Brackenridge Hospital, Austin). Board certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Gilley specializes in all areas of adult inpatient medicine. In his spare time, Dr. Gilley enjoys gardening, photography and community highway service projects. Dr. Gilley and his wife, Dee, have two children, Harrison and Grace.
Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Vikas Patel received his residency training at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Patel has served as a hospitalist at Susquehanna Health System in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where his duties included teaching and supervising medical residents. He is a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine and serves on the board of directors of a non-profit organization that provides basic needs and education to orphans in India.
Dr. Debra K. Ucci DNP, RN, FNP, ACNP began her career at Hillcrest as a nursing assistant in 1973. After 23 years at Hillcrest, Dr. Ucci left, only to return in 2005 as Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner. With over 35 years of nursing experience, Dr. Ucci has experience in clinical practice, management and education. She earned her nursing degrees (BSN, MSN, Nurse Practitioner) from the University of Texas at Arlington and her doctorate of nursing from Rush University in Chicago. Dr. Ucci loves managing hospital patients with special interests in critical care, diabetic management, patient education and palliative care medicine.
