Benjamin found his passion for healthcare while serving in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. Shortly after moving back to Texas, he attended The University of Texas Medical Branch to obtain his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. Benjamin went on to earn his Master’s of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner from The University of Texas Medical Branch as well.

Benjamin is board certified through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the international nursing honor society. Benjamin also enjoys spending time as a Clinical Instructor for the School of Nursing at UTMB Galveston, where he is able to share his knowledge and experiences as a healthcare professional with future nurses.

Benjamin enjoys fishing, running, spending time with his wife and two rescue dogs, and staying active in church. He focuses on a holistic approach to patient care with an emphasis on disease prevention.

Dr. Rodriguez Lien is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. She is a clinician who cares for patients directly as well as supervising residents. Dr. Rodriguez Lien received a Bachelor's of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Texas Pan American. She attended medical school at University of Texas Medical Branch. She subsequently completed her pediatric residency training in 2015 from UTMB and served as chief resident the following year. She is currently the Associate Program Director of the Pediatric Residency Program.

Dr. Rodriguez Lien is actively involved in medical student education as a clinic supervisor of students in the pediatric clinics. She is also directly involved in resident education, not only through her role of associate director, but also as a faculty mentor, rotation director, and head of the board review program.

Dr. Rodriguez Lien has a passion for preventative medicine, specifically the maternal-infant bond and health benefits from breastfeeding. She also has a specific interest in mental health in pediatric care. She heads the primary care behavioral and mental health clinic at the UTMB Pediatrics Bay Colony location.

Nancy Ross comes from a long line of health care professionals and is a long time nurse, first specializing in cardiac surgery, then wanting more patient contact, obtained her master's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner. From there Nancy worked in a private solo practice in Alvin for three years, enjoying seeing a wide variety of patient conditions, including our older patients. Upon coming to UTMB, Nancy worked with oncology patients in the Department of Surgery before working in primary care and enjoyed the professional challenges of working with the patient population.

A recurrent theme of Nancy's career is that she enjoys challenges and learning at every opportunity to provide the best outcomes for her patients. When her mother retired at 67 from nursing, her mother found new challenges to enjoy in a new career as a published poet and author. Nancy took this to heart, understanding that every phase of life is a challenge to be relished and enjoyed. Nancy also enjoys quilting, baking, travelling and reading a good book.

Melissa Smith-Phillips is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics. She received her B.S. in Biology from Louisiana College, after which she completed a two-year research fellowship with the National Cancer Institute. She completed her M.D. and Ph.D. in 2011 through UTMB's Combined Degree Program and subsequently was accepted into UTMB's Pediatric Residency Program which she completed in 2014.

Dr. Manuela Murray received her medical degree from Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud Medical School in Medellin, Colombia in 2002. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at UTMB in 2008.

After finishing this training, she was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor and currently serves as the Medical Director for Pediatric Urgent Care Centers and Ambulatory Operations. She is Co-Director for General Academic Pediatrics.

Her goal is to provide excellent patient care at every encounter and to make sure every patient and parent leaves the clinic with all their concerns addressed and questions answered.

Dr. Kalia was born and raised in Texas, is a Texas A&M University Alumni, and is here to serve her community. She likes to come up with individualized realistic health plans and medical treatments with her patients. She truly enjoys the variety of medical conditions she gets to treat as a primary care physician, as well as the bonds she creates with her patients. Currently, she is an assistant clinical professor for UTMB who enjoys teaching also.

Medicine is her hobby. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with her family which includes laughing at her husband's dad jokes and son's humor, cooking, audio-books, movies, volunteering, and research. Her grandmother, parents, and siblings all reside in League City.

Dr. O'Donohoe grew up in Galveston, TX and graduated from Rice University with a degree in Civil Engineering. She subsequently attended medical school at UTMB and continued on at UTMB for her Pediatric Residency which she completed in 2017.

She specializes in general outpatient pediatrics, mostly seeing patients at the Island Pediatric West clinic location. She also works with patients that have recently been placed in foster care, transitioning them into the UTMB system and getting their specialized needs met.

 Provider is LGBTQIA+ Responsive

Dr. Crystal Sierra joined UTMB Health in November 2010.  After completing her undergraduate studies at The University of Texas - Pan American in Edinburg, Texas, Dr. Sierra earned her medical degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 2006. In 2009, she completed her Residency in Pediatrics at UTMB. Prior to working for UTMB, Dr. Sierra worked as a pediatrician in Clear Lake.

Dr. Sierra is board certified by The American Board of Pediatrics. She is also certified in Basic Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. She has her Texas medical license, and is a member of The American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Sierra is married to Dr. James T. Sierra, a dentist in Friendswood, and they have two beautiful daughters, Gabriella and Francesca.  Dr. Sierra is fluent in Spanish and also enjoys reading and traveling with her family in her spare time.  She has enjoyed living in the area, and is excited to be giving back to the community!

Dr. Ben-Okoli's special interests include prevention, health maintenance, integrative medicine, counseling and adult medicine. He is dedicated to patient empowerment and patient education which are essential to helping patients achieve their medical, mental and social health goals. He is looking forward to developing lifelong relationships with his patients and their families.

Stephen Granger, DO is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. He received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in biology with a minor in chemistry. Following this, he attended medical school at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg, MS. He completed residency at Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa, OK, and was appointed as Chief Resident for the 2020-2021 residency year.

Dr. Granger strives to provide patient-centered healthcare tailored to his patients’ needs. He pursued family medicine because he wanted to care for patients from all walks of life, ranging from birth to late adulthood. He believes that disease prevention is the most important aspect of medicine.

Dr. Granger’s hobbies include exercising, cooking, spending time with family, playing with his dog, and traveling. He is excited to join UTMB and would be happy to see you for all your healthcare needs.