Fifteen years ago, Rachel Shmuts and her wonderful husband, Robert, came to the area for their medical training and decided to stay on after it was completed.  The warm and welcoming Jewish community they found here was a key factor in their decision, and over time, both Rachel’s and Robert’s families moved here (from Pennsylvania and New York) to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

 

Rachel and Robert have three beautiful girls, ages almost 8, 5 and 2 years old. The older two are currently students at KBA, and are thriving academically in both their secular and religious studies. Plans for their youngest daughter to attend KBA preschool in the fall are in the works!

 

About 4 years ago, Rachel and Robert started to invest more time in KBA and became involved in the very successful “A Night with the Real Beverly Goldberg,” the Parent Teacher Group (PTG) annual fall fundraiser.  After their third child was born and Rachel was home on maternity leave, she threw herself into working on both existing PTG events and developing innovative ideas for new PTG activities and fundraisers.  She has been involved in the planning of other major events including last year’s “Trivia Night” and “Laughs and Latkes” this past December; arranging local in-store small business events to benefit KBA; bake sales; Mother’s Day flower sales; the Scholastic Book Fairs; and arranging for sweets, treats, and biannual lunches for our very appreciated teachers and staff.  Rachel is currently in the second year of her term as PTG Co-President, and after her term ends in June, she is looking forward to helping the transition to new leadership and maintaining her involvement in many more PTG events.

 

This past November, Rachel was fortunate to be part of the Jewish Federation/KBA sponsored Momentum trip for first time visitors to Israel.  Together with thirteen other mothers from our local community, Rachel had the opportunity to connect more deeply with Israel and to explore Jewish values in this life-changing and meaningful 8-day trip.

 

Even though Rachel’s two older daughters believe she is employed by KBA because of all she does for the school, Rachel actually has a career outside of her volunteer work at KBA.  She is on currently on staff at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM), where she is heavily involved in medical student and resident education in her specialty field of psychiatry. For the last 2 years she has worked extensively in medical student curriculum reform as the Brain and Behavior Block Director.  Last June, she won the prestigious Golden Couch Teaching Award for her skills in psychiatry resident teaching, supervision, and mentorship, and in January, she was appointed the Rowan SOM Psychiatry Residency Program Director.

 

Clinically, her passion is women’s mental health, specifically in medication management and psychotherapy with pregnant and post-partum women with mental illness. In her practice at The Healing House (Cherry Hill), she also specializes in transcranial magnetic stimulation, a non-medication treatment for major depression that targets patients who have not responded to medication or who can’t tolerate it.

 

In whatever spare time she has, Rachel enjoys exercising and spending time with her family, Peloton bike, reading, being at the beach, shopping, and watching TV and movies.

 

Rachel is truly honored and humbled to be receiving the Volunteer Award. She wants to express her deep gratitude to her husband, Robert, for supporting each and every one of her many endeavors; to her children for all the love and hugs she needs when she’s tired; to her mother and father (may his memory be for a blessing) for instilling her with confidence and providing opportunities for success (like writing her Bat Mitzvah speech!); to her in-laws for their support and Shabbos food; and to all her family and friends who energize her and validate her strength.