Officer Biographies
Jessica Thackaberry, M.D., President
Jessica Thackaberry, M.D. After receiving her B.A. in Psychology from Central Washington University, Dr. Thackaberry entered the University of Washington Medical School. She was a member of Omega Delta Kappa Honor Society from 2005-11 and received the SPARKX/CHAP award in 2009-10 for her activities serving the underserved. Dr. Thackaberry is on the faculty of UCSD. Her interests outside of work include music (piano and guitar), movies, playing board games and hanging out with family.
Manuel Garcia, M.D., Immediate Past President
Dr. Manuel "Manny" Garcia earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, MO and his medical degree from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH. He did a flexible internship at the Cleveland Clinic, then went on to complete his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of California in San Diego. Dr. Garcia has past work experience as a Medical Director on the Neuroscience Medical Liaison teams of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. He has also served as a Councilor for SDPS Council. Currently, Dr. Garcia is a Medical Science Liason for Mylan Pharmaceuticals.
Jason Keri, M.D., Treasurer
Jason Keri, M.D. completed a combined B.S/M.D. degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2001 before matriculating to UC San Diego for Adult, Geriatric and research psychiatry training and fellowships, culminating in 2006. Presently, Dr. Keri divides his time between clinical, administrative and teaching pursuits. Clinically, as a double- boarded Adult and Geriatric psychiatrist, Dr. Keri focuses on his clinical passion for geriatric psychiatry. He won awards at Palomar Health in 2008-2009 as Doctor of the Year on measures of Press Ganey patient satisfaction and a separate award selected by hospital staff. Administrative roles include those as medical director for several memory care and skilled nursing communities as well as Medical Director for Mental Health Systems, which operates San Diego County funded mental health clinics and programs throughout California. As President of Senior Medical Associates, a multi-specialty healthcare company, Dr. Keri leads a mission to bridge gaps in healthcare through integration of mental health providers within the rest of medicine. Dr. Keri is a regular community speaker and serves as Associate Clinical Professor, UC San Diego Health Sciences, non-salaried, primarily focused on topics relating to Geriatric Psychiatry.
Dr. Keri experienced the amplified impact we can have to help our peers, patients and society through organized medicine in medical school with fellowship roles at the American Psychiatric Association and American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, While starting his post-residency career and raising three children, Dr. Keri briefly stepped away from organized medicine. Dr. Keri is grateful to be appointed as a Councilor at SDPS and looks forward to the opportunity to enact solutions that broaden mental wellbeing in our community.
Eric Rafla-Yuan, M.D.
Eric Rafla-Yuan, M.D. is a San Diego psychiatrist, educator, researcher, and health policy expert. He graduated medical school and completed additional training in bioethics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and completed residency training at the UC San Diego Community Psychiatry Program, where he founded and led the psychiatry residency diversity committee.. His research focuses on policy and structural drivers of health outcomes and he is the first person to write about 988 and clinical crisis services in a major medical journal. His work is published in popular media as well as the New England Journal of Medicine and Health Affairs, and he has been interviewed by the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, ABC, NBC, Politico, and others.
He is currently appointed as a 988 Technical Advisor for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and previously served as Senior Policy Advisor for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, where he oversaw health and human services program implementation for San Diego County’s 3.3 million residents, with a budget of $3.2 billion, across 18 cities, 18 federally recognized tribal reservations, 16 major naval and military installations, and the unincorporated areas of California's second largest County. He has also held a number of leadership roles with local and state organizations, including the San Diego County Medical Society, San Diego Psychiatric Society, California Medical Association, and California State Association of Psychiatrists. He is recognized nationally, serving as the chair of American Psychiatric Association Caucus on the Social Determinants of Mental Health, a delegate in the American Medical Association's House of Delegates, and Vice President of the Association of LGBTQ+ Psychiatrists. Dr. Rafla-Yuan formerly served in Washington, D.C. as Health Counsel for Congressman Tony Cárdenas and as Staff Director of the bipartisan 988 & Crisis Services Congressional Task Force in the United States House of Representatives during the 117th session of Congress.
