Dr. Rodney Burrow appointed to Texas Board of Criminal Justice

Dr. Rodney Burrow was appointed to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice in May, becoming the first doctor to hold a seat on the board in decades. This appointment comes after two years of service as chairman of the Correctional Managed Health Care Committee (CMHCC). CMHCC organizes the creation of statewide policies for correctional health care and is under the board on which Burrow now sits.

Due to COVID-19, traveling to Austin to meet with the board has not been possible for Burrow, so District Judge Angela Saucier swore him into his new position. Burrow said he has meetings with agency readership almost daily as he acclimates to his new position and the board continues their work in Texas prisons.

As a member of the board, Burrow will be responsible for working with the eight other board members to set rules and policies that guide the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, as well as setting standards for the operation of community and parole supervision services. The board also oversees facility construction, prison industries, agricultural operations, and other critical aspects of facility operations.

Before serving on the board, Burrow spent many years serving the community and the world.

He has been ordained through In His Image, a Christian residency program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has embarked on many overseas medical mission trips, he volunteers as the team doctor for Pittsburg Pirate football and as the doctor for Camp Shiloh, and he is a member of Kiwanis Club, an organization dedicated to bettering the community.

Burrow says that he feels drawn to helping others, stating, “I’m a big proponent of volunteerism and community service… if there’s something you can do to help your community or your state, it’s worth it.”

Burrow also communicated that he is looking forward to creating improved plans for inmate healthcare, diet, and physical fitness. He says he feels that TDCJ does a great job of providing care and opportunities for future employment to inmates incarcerated at their facilities.

Burrow is a registered pharmacist, as well as the Director of Medical Affairs and Associate Director of Primary Care for Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant.

In addition to these titles, he is a board-certified family physician and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Board of Family Medicine, the Association of American Indian Physicians, the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the Christian Medical Association, and the Texas Medical Association.