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By the time she was eight, Karen Rhea knew she would be a physician. “On reviewing my brother’s college catalogs, I realized there were three appealing options: medicine, nursing or teaching –– all of which could involve working with children. It quickly occurred to me that most women were teachers or nurses, and I decided to pursue a career as a pediatrician … even though, growing up in rural Tennessee, I never saw a pediatrician or a woman physician before I went to college.” After receiving her medical degree with honors from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Rhea completed her internship and pediatric residency at Vanderbilt. A founding partner of Franklin Children’s Clinic, she remained in private practice for several years. By the mid-1980s, however, Rhea knew she wanted to focus her attention on mental health and returned to Vanderbilt for residency and fellowship training in psychiatry. “I like making the correct diagnoses in complex psychiatric cases and then determining the most effective treatment plans. The best part is having the patient say to me, ‘I feel better than I’ve ever felt before.’” As chief medical officer for Centerstone’s Tennessee operations, she might not spend as much one-on-one time with patients these days, but she still directly impacts care. “I work as a member of our executive leadership team to ensure that medical issues are represented, both inside and outside the organization.” Rhea said there is an increasing acceptance across disciplines of the neuroscientific basis for psychiatric disorders and a rising awareness of the physical health co-morbidities. She continued, “A man with serious mental illness is expected to die 25 years before an age-matched man without mental illness, largely because of metabolic and cardiac disorders.” The great news is that more options to improve outcomes and quality of life now exist. “In the last decade we have a larger pharmacologic armamentarium. One of the most impressive changes has been the advent of a significant number of new medications to treat the broad spectrum of disorders with which our patients present.” Still, Rhea is concerned about the many who are left behind, particularly in today’s challenging economy. One way to make a difference is to effect change on a larger level, such as working to get vital medications included on the safety net formulary. “You can either impact patients one at a time or in a larger group. There are many ways to make a difference.” Another current passion is helping build the Vanderbilt-Centerstone collaboration around research, teaching and clinical care. “Vanderbilt University Medical Center was my professional home for over 13 years,” Rhea said. Rhea plays as hard as she works. A fervent believer in achieving balance, she noted, “I’m passionate about my children and others I love, travel and a healthy lifestyle.” Although she holds many titles and honors, to Patrick, Isaac and Dylan she’s always been just “Mom.” When time permits, she loves to travel and recently visited Switzerland and Austria. “I have never been to Greece, and Greece is on my list of ‘must dos,’” she added. At work, Rhea also has a “must do” list, but she recognizes that all the details really boil down to a singular mission … “promoting the highest quality psychiatric care for our patients and using my skills and knowledge and connections to ensure that it happens.”

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