Linda Piwowarczyk, MD, MPH—International Mental Health Program

Dr. Lin Piwowarczyk, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the BCRHHR is a psychiatrist at Boston Medical Center, board certified in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine. She first began working with refugees in 1993, as a Fellow in International Psychiatry at the Indochinese Psychiatry Clinic. Dr. Piwowarczyk also completed an internship at the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She specializes in the mental health evaluation and treatment of torture survivors and is currently the principal investigator for a grant funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, addressing, in part, the holistic treatment of survivors of torture and community outreach. Since 2002, Dr. Piwowarczyk has served on the Executive Committee of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs. In 2005, she was awarded the Local Legends Award from the National Library of Medicine that honors female physicians. She has presented on the topic of torture, locally, nationally, and internationally and has published several articles in various medical journals.

Michael A. Grodin, MD—Human Rights, Advocacy, and Education Program

Dr. Michael A. Grodin, Co-Director of BCRHHR, is also Director of the Bioethics and Human Rights Program and Professor of Health Law, Bioethics, Human Rights, Socio-Medical Sciences and Community Medicine and Psychiatry at Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine, where he is the recipient of the Norman A. Scotch Award for Excellence in Teaching. In addition, Dr. Grodin is a Professor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences. He completed his B.S. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his M.D. at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, his postdoctoral and fellowship training at UCLA and Harvard, and he has been on the faculty of Boston University for the past 27 years. Dr. Grodin is an elected member of the American Psychoanalytic Association and has received 2 national Humanism in Medicine awards. He has received a special citation from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for his "profound contributions to Holocaust education and remembrance". Dr. Grodin is also a member of the Global Implementation Project of the Istanbul Protocol Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment and an Advisor to UNESCO and WHO. Dr. Grodin has published over 150 papers and 5 books including 2 textbooks on "Health and Human Rights".

Sondra Crosby, MD—Primary Care General Internal Medicine

Dr. Sondra Crosby is the Director of Medical Services at the BCRHHR.  She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, and a member of the Section of General Internal Medicine at Boston Medical Center. To date, she has examined almost 300 survivors of torture and provides instruction to physicians and health care workers about caring for survivors of torture. She has a specific interest in HIV infected refugees and torture survivors, and has published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS) about the special needs of this population as well as in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). She graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Crosby is currently developing a curriculum for primary care doctors.

Harpreet Singh, RDH, MS—Oral Health Program

Harpreet Singh is a Clinical Instructor in the Division of Community Health Programs, Health Policy Health Services Research at Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine. She is a Registered Dental Hygienist and has a Masters of Science in Dental Public Health. She is the project coordinator for the Survivors of Torture Oral Health Program at the Boston Center of Refugee Health and Human Rights providing dental screenings, referrals and case management. Through her work at Community Health Programs, she coordinates school-based dental sealant programs. Ms Singh also works as a research assistant in a NIH funded dental study at an out-patient Pediatric clinic at Boston Medical Center and does home visits with nurses as part of the Healthy Baby, Healthy Child Program. Ms. Singh received her Dental Hygiene diploma from John Abbott College in Quebec, Canada and her Masters in Science degree in Dental Public Health from Boston University School of Dental Medicine.

Terence Keane, Ph.D.—National Center for PTSD

Dr. Terence M. Keane is the Co-Director of Research at the BCRHHR. He is also the Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Research and Development at the VA Boston Healthcare System. For twenty-four years Dr. Keane served as Chief of Psychology at the Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson Mississippi (1980-85), then at the Boston VA Medical Center (1985-98), and eventually at the VA Boston Healthcare System (1998-2004). Dr. Keane is currently the Director of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)-Behavioral Sciences Division and is widely recognized for his significant contributions to the psychological care of combat veterans. The author of more than 175 publications, Dr. Keane has been recognized by numerous academic awards including a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award (’93-‘94), the Outstanding Researcher Award in Behavior Therapy from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (2004), the Lifetime Achievement Award (2004) and the Robert Laufer Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement (1997) from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Weisband Distinguished Alumnus Award from Binghamton University-SUNY(1998), and Outstanding Research (2000) as well as Distinguished Service Awards (2002) from the American Psychological Association. He has lectured on topics related to PTSD across the world and served as a consultant to many countries as well as to the United Nations. Following the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, he served as a consultant to the Fire Department of New York, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Substance Abuse, Mental Health Services Administration. Dr. Keane is Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Behavioral Neuroscience at Boston University and Vice Chairman for Research in the Division of Psychiatry.

Samantha Morton, JD—Family Advocacy Program

Samantha J. Morton is Deputy Director of the Family Advocacy Program at Boston Medical Center (FAP), a medical-legal collaborative dedicated to promoting child health through legal advocacy. She specializes in immigration issues, and consults with the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights on legal issues confronting refugees, asylees, and asylum-seekers. Her work at FAP includes advising and representing low-income immigrant families, training clinicians and community stakeholders on advocacy issues, and conducting systemic advocacy on behalf of immigrants. She is an Instructor in the Boston University School of Medicine and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Boston University School of Public Health. Ms. Morton was a 2005-06 Public Interest Leadership Program fellow through the Boston Bar Association, and is a Board member and officer of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. Prior to joining Boston Medical Center in 2003, Ms. Morton was an associate in the Litigation Department at Hale and Dorr LLP (now WilmerHale) and a judicial clerk for the Honorable Morton A. Brody of the United States District Court for the District of Maine. She received her law degree from the University of Michigan School of Law and a B.A. in Government from Cornell University.

Dana Rous, LICSW

Dana Rous joined the Center as the Refugee and Asylee Social Worker for patients with HIV in February 2003. Her position is designed to specifically meet the needs of this patient population by providing intensive case management and social work services. Ms. Rous’ work serves to complement existing services at the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, as well as in the Center for Infectious Diseases. Dana spent three years doing social work at a residential program through McLean Hospital. She received her Master of Social Work degree at Simmons College in 2000. During her time at Simmons, Dana completed an internship at Brigham and Women's Hospital ID Clinic and in the Emergency Department. Dana has also worked at a domestic abuse agency, a homeless day station as well as working with children that have developmental delays.

Mary Ann Whalen, MSW

Mary Ann Whalen is a licensed independent clinical social worker having received a BA in Psychology from Smith College and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Smith College School of Social Work. Mary Ann works as a clinical social worker in Behavioral Health at Boston Medical Center and in the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights providing clinical supervision, individual and group psychotherapy to a wide range of clients including trauma survivors, substance abusers, victims of violence, dual diagnosis and court related individuals. Mary Ann has more than sixteen years of experience in the field of social work and an additional five years experience in the mental health field.

Charlotte Herrmann, LICSW

Charlotte is the Coordinator of Social Work at the Center.  She has worked with refugees since 1979 when she started working with Cambodian refugees. After three years in the Cambodian refugee camps in Thailand, she completed her MSW degree at Boston University School of Social Work in 1984. She has worked in community agencies with refugee families as well as in two Boston teaching hospitals and two community health centers. Before coming to BCRHHR, she was Director of Social Work and later Clinical Director of Behavioral Health at Lowell Community Health Center. While there, she was involved in setting up a holistic clinic for South East Asian refugee patients integrating medical and mental health care which opened in 2000.  She has provided trainings to medical and mental health clinicians on cross cultural mental health treatment, specifically on refugee and immigrant trauma and torture.  She has also trained immigrant paraprofessional staff to work in mental health settings. Charlotte, who has also worked in France and Israel, was born in England to immigrant parents.

Autumn Mathias, MSW

Through the position of case manager, Autumn Mathias seeks to help refugees, asylees, and asylum seekers meet various bio-psycho-social and environmental needs through holistic assessment and treatment planning, community and hospital-based referrals, dissemination of information, advocacy, and personal empowerment.  Autumn holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree and a Bachelor of Science in Bible and related studies from Philadelphia Biblical University.  In 2004, she received a Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in Community Organization and a certificate in International Issues from the University of Connecticut.  Autumn has held previous positions working with diverse families and communities as a therapeutic foster family recruiter and trainer and as a program associate for a “Breakthrough to the Aging” elder services program at an ecumenical faith-based agency. 

She has also worked in direct service with children and youth who were victims of trauma, as well as with elders in a long-term care setting.  Autumn completed internships in the fields of special needs adoption; urban neighborhood revitalization and community research; and political advocacy/community organizing with the Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition and around voting rights issues.

Corrina (Corey) Simon, MA, International Development & Social Change (to be awarded October 2007)

Corey Simon is a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist at the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights. She helps refugees, asylees and asylum seekers in their individual process of finding and maintaining meaningful employment. She addresses the difficulties involved in adjusting to a new environment and vocational focus while simultaneously dealing with the psychological and physical challenges that result from torture and trauma. Her goal in vocational rehabilitation is to empower her clients while using a client-centered approach.  She also educates and communicates with potential employers and vocational trainers in the Boston area.

Corey will be receiving her Master’s Degree in International Development & Social Change from Clark University in Worcester, MA in October 2007. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the same university in Psychology and International Development & Social Change. She has conducted research with Lutheran Refugee and Immigrant Services on the psycho-social needs of refugee families in Worcester, MA. She has also conducted research on forgiveness and reconciliation, which included attending a conference in Cape Town, South Africa. She was a Casework and Development Intern with the International Rescue Committee in San Francisco. Previously, she was the Volunteer Coordinator Intern with the Association for Jewish Refugees in London and volunteered as a Small-Claims Court Mediator in Central Massachusetts.

Erica Hastings, MS, Case Coordinator

Erica Hastings has a Master’s degree in International Health Care Management from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from the College of Charleston, SC. She serves as the Center’s primary point of entry, managing referrals and providing case coordination. Ms. Hastings is also responsible for data management, contributing to grant writing efforts, event planning and providing other administrative support. Before joining BCRHHR, she worked in a research capacity at the Hispanic Health Council, a community based organization in Hartford, CT.

Linda Mancini, Outreach and Event Planning

Linda Anna Mancini is an advocate for refugees, religious freedom and human rights. She provides outreach and event planning to the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, enhancing awareness of the center, celebrating its good work. As Director of the LamRim Buddhist Center, she directs classes, ceremonies, concerts, and other events to share Tibetan and Buddhist culture. Mrs. Mancini coordinates the Boston Tibet Network where local, national and international Tibetan Support Groups, along with Amnesty and others, work together to encourage political action, cultural preservation and awareness. She ran a Graphic Design and Exhibit Design studio in Boston and founded the NE branch of the Graphic Artists Guild. She has managed media attention as leverage, arranging interviews or personally making TV appearances, handling print interviews. Educated as a painter in the classical tradition at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston, she received a fifth year diploma, their highest degree awarded and finds this training in the arts informs all her work.