Dr. Derek Neal was born in Houston, TX and was raised in Clear Lake, Texas. He attended Texas A&M University in College Station beginning in 2001 and earned a degree in Biomedical Science in 2005. Dr. Neal then took a year off to work in DNA sequencing and SeqWright Genomic Services in Houston, Texas. It was at this time that Dr. Neal began his efforts to become a first generation medical doctor in his family. He earned his medical degree at the University of Texas Tech Health Sciences center in 2010, spending time in Lubbock and Amarillo as well as in the surrounding rural areas. He completed his internship and residency in Psychiatry at The University of Texas Medical Branch from 2010-2014. He has been a member of the faculty in Psychiatry at UTMB since 2014.

Dr. Neal kept an open mind in medical school but was drawn towards the field of Psychiatry because of the relationships established with patients, the ongoing stigmatization of the field, and the extreme need of caring and compassionate physicians for those experiencing mental illness. His interest include expanding access to psychiatric care, spreading knowledge regarding psychiatry to the community and education of medical students and residents.