Waltham – April 6th
– Berkshire Health Systems physician Linda F. Smothers, M.D. has been honored
by her physician peers of the Berkshire District Medical Society as the
district’s 2017 Community Clinician of the Year, an award recognizing her professionalism
and contributions as a physician. She received the award at the District’s
annual meeting last month at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pittsfield.
Board certified in
adult psychiatry, Dr. Smothers is the Medical Director of Acute Care Services
of Berkshire Health Systems and The Brien Center for Mental Health and
Substance Abuse Services, a community-based, non-profit agency providing care
for children, adolescents, adults and families who suffer from chronic mental
illness, substance use disorder, and behavioral health disorders. She has provided care as a community
psychiatrist to patients throughout Berkshire County for more than 20 years in
outpatient and hospital settings, emergency departments, and nursing homes.
Dr. Smothers earned
her bachelor’s degree from California State University and her medical degree
from Tufts University School of Medicine. She is an annual participant in the Crisis
Intervention Training for Law Enforcement sponsored by the Berkshire Chapter of
the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a program that educates law
enforcement personnel about behavioral health disorders.
The Community
Clinician of the Year Award was established in 1998 by the Massachusetts
Medical Society to recognize a physician from each of the Society’s 20 district
societies who has made significant contributions to his or her patients and the
community. The Berkshire District
Medical Society is comprised of nearly 500 physicians who live and work
throughout Berkshire County.
The
Massachusetts Medical Society, with some 25,000 physicians and student members,
is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of
Massachusetts. The Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New
England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and
Journal Watch alerts and newsletters covering 13 specialties. The Society is
also a leader in continuing medical education providing accredited and
certified activities across the globe for physicians and other health care
professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is
the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. For more
information please visit www.massmed.org, www.nejm.org, or www.jwatch.org.
