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The following was submitted by the Office of Rep. Michael Day:
Rep. Michael S. Day recently nominated Winchester’s Dr. Karen Abdool M.D, PhD for recognition at the Massachusetts State House, where the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus honored her with the Black Excellence on the Hill Award.
“Dr. Karen Abdool personifies the leadership and compassion that defines our community at its best,” said Day. “Her groundbreaking work continues to improve the state of menta health in Massachusetts and to support Black leaders as they encounter systemic racism, and I was proud to nominate her to receive this well-deserved recognition from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.”
Abdool serves as director of mental health and wellness at the New England Medical Association and is the founder/ director of Beryllium Psychiatric Services, in Winchester.
At Beryllium Psychiatric Services, she has adapted what she learned about trauma to provide all her patients with a holistic care model which incorporates exercise, sleep, nutrition, therapy plus conventional medication. She treats a range of patients with varied mental health challenges including major depressive disorder, post-partum depression, anxiety and psychosis, premenopausal mood and cognitive changes, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and binge eating disorder.
In addition, Abdool devotes a portion of her practice to caring for Black physicians and executives as they navigate the demands of executive responsibility in addition to racial trauma and microaggressions. She evaluates how racial micro and macroaggressions affect mental well- being and integrates trauma narrative therapy, cognitive processing therapy and health coaching with conventional medical treatment. Through this work, she delivers a treatment tailored specifically for Black professionals.
In addition to treating individual patients, Abdool educates the public about critical health issues, including the complex relationship between traumatic stress and medical conditions. She examines mental health challenges including depression, suicide, acute and post-traumatic
stress, anxiety and psychosis. In her private practice, she works with individuals and groups and speaks on the effects of trauma and mental illness on whole-body wellness.
“I truly love the work I do. It is a joy to watch my patients heal, grow and thrive,” said Abdool. “I am fortunate to be a physician who is excited to go to work every day!”
Abdool earned her medical degree from Howard University in Washington, DC, where she also completed a PhD in microbiology with a focus on immunology.
She finished her psychiatry residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital through the Harvard Medical School Psychiatry Residency Program. She then obtained certification in the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma and Global Mental Health under Dr. Richard Mollica, a pioneer in treating trauma among refugee populations.
The Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus created the Black Excellence on the Hill Awards to annually commemorate Black Community leaders and trailblazers who are moving the needle forward in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
