The Effects of Racism on Mental Health: How to Cope

Karen G. Martinez, MD, MSc is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  She is an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico where she directs the Center for the Study and Treatment of Fear and Anxiety. As the director of this Center, she leads an interdisciplinary team in the development of research and treatment protocols aimed at improving the assessment and treatment of anxiety in Puerto Ricans.  This Center consists of an interdisciplinary group of psychiatrists, neuroscientists, psychologists and occupational therapists studying the role of physiological fear on anxiety disorders and cultural adaptation of treatments for anxiety disorders.  She is also the principal investigator and director of the NIH funded Hispanic Clinical and Translational Research Education and Career Development Program at the University of Puerto Rico. She completed a Post-doctoral Master’s in Clinical Research in 2006 and has then continued to receive institutional, NIH and Susan G. Komen Foundation support for her research.  Her multiple awards recognize her research work including the Career Development Award from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and a Minority Faculty Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).  She is an active member of several professional organizations, such as the ADAA where she has spearheaded multiple projects in order to increase outreach to diverse population including being the co-chair of the Multicultural Special Interest Group.  

Dr. Jessica Graham-LoPresti is 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. Graham-LoPresti completed her predoctoral internship training as a part of the Women’s Stress Disorders Treatment Team at the Boston VA.  She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the National Center for PTSD, Women’s Health Sciences Division at the Boston VA.  Dr. Graham-LoPresti’s clinical and research interests include barriers to care underserved and marginalized populations as well as the impact of racism on stress and anxiety for individuals of color. Dr. Graham-LoPresti serves as the co-chair for the multicultural special interest group through the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.