Steven Starks, MD, MBA, DFAPA, is a geriatric psychiatrist, medical educator, and clinical assistant professor at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine.  His work aims to create a culture where psychiatric services and treatment are compassionate, accessible, equitable, and free of barriers.

His research has examined the cultural and social effects of mental health conditions on patients and families. Starks has a passion for mental health advocacy and serving communities that have been marginalized and made vulnerable by systemic and structural factors. He serves Fertitta Family College of Medicine departments of clinical services and behavioral and social sciences with roles in education, curriculum development, and community partnerships.

Starks was a Pozen-Commonwealth Fund in Health Equity Leadership at the Yale School of Management (Class of 2023) and a 2018-2019 Health and Aging Policy Fellow and American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow who served in the Office of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives where he contributed to the design, drafting and roll out of the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act. 

He earned his medical degree from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, receiving the Dean’s Award at commencement.  He completed postgraduate psychiatry training at Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals Residency Program and a clinical fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Medical Center.  He is a diplomate of the American Board and Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc. with certifications in the specialty of psychiatry and the subspecialty of geriatric psychiatry.  He maintains a commitment to promoting equity through his work with the Association of American Medical Colleges/National Medical Association Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine, AAMC Student Mental Health Working Group, E4 Center of Excellence in Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging National Advisory Board, Alzheimer's Association Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter Board of Directors, National Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Geriatric Measurement Advisory Panel, and MedCentral.

Education

• Yale School of Management, New Haven, CT, M.B.A.
• Yale-New Haven Medical Center, Clinical Fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry, New Haven, CT
• Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals Residency Program, Psychiatry, Houston, TX
• Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine – New Orleans, M.D.
• University of Houston, Houston, TX, B.S. in Psychology

Awards and Honors

• Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Health Equity Leadership at Yale University (2021-2023)
• Health and Aging Policy Fellow (2018-2019)
• Center of Excellence Junior Faculty Scholar, Baylor College of Medicine Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research (2017-2018)
• American Psychiatric Association Diversity Leadership Fellowship (2011-2013)
• Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine Dean’s Award (2009)
• Shira A. Kansas, M.D. Memorial Scholarship (2008-2009)
• American Psychiatric Foundation, Helping Hands Grant Recipient (2007)
• American Psychiatric Association/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Minority Fellowship Program Minority Medical Student Travel Scholarship (2006)