(Left to right) UNMC Psychiatry Residency Director Daniel Gih, MD, incoming Associate Residency Program Director Kimberly Clawson, MD, incoming Associate Residency Program Director Matthew Kelly, MD, and Residency Program Coordinator Ellie Corbaley are pictured at a welcome ceremony for new APDs on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at Poynter Hall.
The UNMC Department of Psychiatry Residency Program will welcome two new Associate Program Directors (APDs) this summer.
Kimberly Clawson, MD, and Matthew Kelly, MD, have accepted new roles as APDs and will officially join the residency leadership team on July 1, 2026. They will take the baton from Jeana Benton, MD, and Riley Machal, MD, who stepped down as APDs but will remain in the Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Kelly served as a flight surgeon in the US Navy, graduated from the UNMC College of Medicine in 2020, and served as the inaugural chief resident and an active member of the department’s first psychiatry residency class. He accepted a position at UNMC in adult and geriatric psychiatry after graduating in 2024 and led the residency mentorship program.
“I am excited to serve in this new role and build on the foundation created by Dr. Gih, Dr. Benton and Dr. Machal – onward and upward!” said Dr. Kelly.
Dr. Clawson is a 2017 UNMC College of Medicine graduate. She completed her forensic psychiatry fellowship in 2023 at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also trained at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C, where she served as outpatient chief resident in 2020-21 and completed a consultation-liaison fellowship in 2022. She joined the UNMC Department of Psychiatry as the founding Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Director in 2023.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity and excited to join the team,” Dr. Clawson said.
The UNMC Department of Psychiatry started its own psychiatry residency program in 2020. Since then, under the direction of program director Daniel Gih, MD, and APDs Drs. Benton and Machal, the program has graduated 13 residents and seen seven residents match into fellowships at prestigious programs across the United States.
Dr. Gih believes that Drs. Clawson and Kelly will keep the program growing.
“They are both inspiring leaders and rising stars,” Dr. Gih said. “Drs. Clawson and Kelly bring dedication to medical education, unique interpersonal skills and interests, and leadership potential to help the program move forward. In their new roles, they will collaborate closely with program leadership, chief residents, and core faculty to further strengthen residency training and support trainees.”
Melissa O’Dell, MD, core faculty member in the Psychiatry Residency Program, said Drs. Clawson and Kelly are incredibly talented and devoted faculty members.
“I’m thrilled to see them join the residency leadership team, and I can’t wait to see what they bring to the APD role. What a fantastic fit this role is for their strengths as educators, clinicians, and leaders.”
Dr. Howard Liu, chair of psychiatry, stated, “I am so excited to see two inspiring, authentic, and team-oriented leaders mentor our residents and prepare them to be outstanding clinicians. Congratulations to Dr. Clawson and Dr. Kelly for bringing the residency program forward in a new era under the guidance of Dr. Gih!”