On October 8, 2021, our community lost a truly remarkable person. Karole Avila, age 68, succumbed peacefully in her sleep to cancer. She was a physician and a psychiatrist who dedicated her life to the underserved mentally ill community.
Karole attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in an accelerated medical program. After two years as an undergraduate, she transferred to Albany Medical College where she graduated with an M.D. degree in 1978. Following her residency in the Department of Psychiatry at Albany Medical College, she continued her training specializing in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry (the treatment of medically ill patients with psychological problems).
Karole’s career included working in state psychiatric hospitals, an inner-city trauma center, and finally for the Veterans Administration. The common thread of her life and career was service to others.
She is survived by her husband, Marlowe and her sister Dianne. She will be sorely missed by all those whose lives she touched.