Watertown’s Komal Kenkare received the Nurse Practitioner Excellence Award for the state of Massachusetts.
Westwood Lodge announced that Komal Kenkare, PMHNP-BC, was selected by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) to receive the Nurse Practitioner Excellence Award for the state of Massachusetts. The Nurse Practitioner Award for Excellence is given annually to just one individual in each state who has demonstrated excellence in NP clinical practice.
Kenkare is a Nurse Practitioner at the Westwood Lodge Partial Hospitalization Program, where she coordinates medication management for adult patients who have psychiatric and co-occurring addiction disorders. Kenkare collaborates with outpatient providers to set up community resources for her patients including sobriety meetings and visiting nurse appointments to help facilitate a positive transition back into the community.
“I’m very thankful and honored to receive such a prestigious award so early in my career.” said Kenkare. “I am excited for the possibilities that come with this recognition and hope to one day work on developing legislation to help transform mental health care throughout Massachusetts.”
“Dr. Michael Rater, our medical director at Westwood Lodge, was vital to my career development with his feedback and instruction. With his wealth of experience, I have been able to improve my treatment approach and pharmacological care that I deliver to patients with addiction,” added Kenkare.
“Komal is a phenomenal NP who takes the time to develop a real rapport and relationship with her patients. The entire team at Westwood Lodge is proud and grateful to work with her,” said Dania O’Connor, Group Director and CEO at Westwood Lodge. “Her dedication to the field is evident in her continued pursuit of unique professional development opportunities and her thoughtful approach around patient care.”
Kenkare’s AANP nomination highlighted her mentorship of her peers, pre-professional health students, and Mental Health Specialists around opportunities within the field of nursing, calling her a “positive role model” who “leads by example with her notably strong patient care capabilities.”
Kenkare also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for an Introduction to Psychology course at the MGH Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing.
Originally from Chicago, Kenkare earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Midwestern University. She received her combined BS/MS in Nursing in May 2016 from the MGH Institute of Health Professions and passed her Board test in June. Currently a Watertown resident, Kenkare is certified in Crisis Prevention Intervention, BLS/CPR, and Advanced Care Life Support.
About Westwood Lodge
Westwood Lodge is an 89-bed private psychiatric hospital located in Westwood, Massachusetts. The hospital offers a continuum of services including 24-hour level of care evaluations, partial hospitalization, and inpatient treatment for children, adolescents, and adults. Westwood Lodge is accredited by The Joint Commission and licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.
For more information, visit www.arbourhealth.com/organizations/westwood-lodge/.