The Effects of Racism on Mental Health: How to Cope

Karen G. Martinez-Gonzalez, MD, MSc is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  She is an Associate Professor at the University of Puerto Rico where she directs the Center for the Study and Treatment of Fear and Anxiety and is the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry. She also completed a Post-Doctoral Master’s in Clinical and Translational Research in 2006 and is now the Principal Investigator (R25MD007607) and Director of this program.  Dr. Martínez-González is a founding member of the University of Puerto Rico Center for Perinatal Mental Health where several research projects understanding stress, perinatal mental health and child development in Puerto Rico are being conducted.  She is an active member of several professional organizations, such as the Anxiety and Depression Association of America where she recently received the Member Recognition Award for her work on the Multicultural and the Women’s Mental Health Special Interest Groups.  She is also part of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Trauma and Disaster Committee and president of the Puerto Rico Chapter; member of the board of directors and past president of the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS). 

Member Since 2018

Dr. Jessica Graham-LoPresti is co-founder of BARE Mental Health & Wellness, LLC and an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the clinical psychology doctoral program at Suffolk University.  Dr. Graham-LoPresti graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in Psychology and American Studies and received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has focused her career on promoting the resilience, health, and well-being of people and communities of color and has published extensively on the multi-level impact of racism on mental health as well as barriers to quality and effective mental healthcare for underserved and underrepresented communities.  In addition, Dr. Graham-LoPresti owns a clinical private practice where she helps clients cope with a range of psychological struggles including anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, as well as stress associated with marginalization and oppression.