Dr. Karen atkinson | va central western massachusetts health care | veterans affairs

Dr. Atkinson was appointed the Deputy Chief of Staff of VA Central Western Massachusetts Health Care System in February 2024. Dr. Atkinson is a graduate of Texas A&M College of Medicine

and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt University.  She completed a fellowship in Rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, remaining there to practice from

1998-2003.  While in Boston, she received a Master of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health.  Dr. Atkinson joined the Atlanta VA in 2003 as Chief of Rheumatology, a position she

held until 2019 when she became Assistant Chief of Medicine and in 2020 the ACOS of Medicine.  In October 2023, she joined CWM as the Deputy Chief of Staff. During her time at the VA, she

has been actively involved in education, acting as the Associate Program Director for the Emory Internal Medicine Residency Program, the fellowship Director for the Emory Rheumatology

Program, Co-Director of the Skin, Muscle Bone and Joint Module, and Site Director for Rheumatology rotations for both Emory and Morehouse. She also served as an inpatient attending for both

Morehouse and Emory residents. Dr. Atkinson was an Assistant Professor and Distinguished Physician at Emory University School of Medicine and has been recognized with numerous awards for her

excellence in teaching and patient care.