Physician Spotlight: Karen Rhea, M.D

Dr. Karen Rhea is chief medical officer at Centerstone in Nashville, Tennessee. She graduated from King University in Bristol, TN, and attended medical school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. A pediatrician by training, Dr. Rhea spent 14 years at Vanderbilt University doing residencies in pediatrics and psychiatry, a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry, and then as assistant professor of Psychiatry with inpatient and teaching roles at the Psychiatric Hospital. In addition to her leadership at Centerstone, she continues to serve as a clinical associate professor of Psychiatry at Vanderbilt.

Why do you choose to work at Centerstone?

Because of the diverse options for providing treatments that work for patient with psychiatric illnesses. I am honored to work with a wonderful psychiatry staff—our nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians are so well-trained and unbelievably devoted to our patients. Our senior psychiatrists and director of nursing have been talented colleagues and collaborators. Over the years there have been many options for moving the field forward—research projects with university medical centers, creating policies related to medical issues, etc. And the patients I see are so rewarding— it is very uplifting to see a patient who finally gets their life back.

What is the most significant advancement you have witnessed in mental health?

The SSRIs and SNRIs (newer antidepressants such as Prozac) and the atypical antipsychotics (Risperdal) have all come into use since I began my psychiatry training. Also, there are other treatment modalities, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which are new.

What future advances in the delivery of care excite you the most?

It is my belief that pharmacogenomic testing (and later more extensive genetic testing) as it evolves represents the future of psychiatry.

Tell us about your family.

I have lived in Franklin, TN on West Main Street in the same 1884 Victorian house for forty years. It has been beyond my dreams as the perfect place to raise my three sons. They are Patrick (Washington, DC), Isaac (Memphis), and Dylan (Franklin) and have been the great joy in my life. Currently, there is also an English springer spaniel (Prince) and a huge black and white tuxedo kitty (George).

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I grew up below the poverty level on a farm (cotton, corn, and cows to name a few) in West Tennessee. Neither of my parents had the opportunity to attend high school. I decided on my three life goals at age eight—to be a doctor, to have children and to travel.

What has your favorite moment in your career been so far?

My favorite moment and highly remembered was getting my black bag and my stethoscope. Since then it has been having patients tell me “I am the best I have ever been.”

What’s a piece of advice that you’ve found useful over the years?

“In chaos there is opportunity.” a