Lorig Kachadourian, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and staff psychologist at VA Connecticut Healthcare, died April 16, 2026, after a long illness. She was 49.
Dr. Kachadourian was recognized for her work in understanding and mitigating anger and aggression in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders. She was known for her strong commitment to providing excellent clinical care to veterans with PTSD and substance use disorders, and was dedicated to the education and mentorship of trainees at the VA.
Dr. Kachadourian was born June 16, 1976, and grew up in Binghamton, NY. She earned a bachelor of arts in psychology and a PhD in clinical psychology at The State University of New York at Buffalo. During her doctoral work, she became interested in the negative impacts that relational transgressions can have on the health and well-being of individuals. Her particular focus was on intimate partner violence (IPV), and how certain factors such as problematic alcohol use increase the likelihood of IPV perpetration.
During doctoral training, her work on NIDA- and NIAAA-funded studies examining the longitudinal impact of drug and alcohol problems on marital functioning and child development led to several co-authored publications. She furthered her career interest in examining factors that affect substance use disorders and comorbid psychiatric conditions. This is also where her interest in mindfulness meditation as a potential treatment began.
Dr. Kachadourian completed her doctoral internship at VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven in 2009-2010. Working with veterans with PTSD, she noted the detrimental impact anger and aggression could have on their lives. She chose to focus her research career within the VA on PTSD and aggression in veterans. After completing the internship, Dr. Kachadourian began a two-year NIMH funded NRSA T32 postdoctoral fellowship in the Behavioral Sciences Division at the National Center for PTSD at the Boston VA and Boston University. She returned to Connecticut to continue her advanced research training at VA Connecticut, completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the National Center for PTSD Clinical Neurosciences Division from 2012-2015.
In 2016, Dr. Kachadourian received a CSR&D career development award that focused on mindfulness treatment for anger in veterans with PTSD. She completed work on this project while simultaneously providing clinical care for veterans who suffer from PTSD and substance use disorders.
During her career, Dr. Kachadourian became interested in the extent to which veterans engage in aggression toward themselves (i.e., self-aggression or self-harm). This topic is important given the high rates of suicidal behavior that have been observed in military populations, particularly in veterans with PTSD. In addition, she sought to develop new treatments, including mindfulness interventions, to address anger, aggression, and self-harm among those with PTSD and comorbid substance use disorders.
Dr. Kachadourian was widely published and frequently presented her scholarship at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
In 2022, Dr. Kachadourian moved to a full-time staff psychologist position at VA Connecticut where she treated patients with dual PTSD and substance use disorders. She also provided anger management group treatment to veterans in need of this care. She will be remembered as a kind, methodical, thoughtful professional who cared deeply about veterans.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Kachadourian enjoyed attending Broadway musicals and ballet performances at Lincoln Center, the Boston Ballet, and at her daughter Maria’s ballet school. She enjoyed skiing, bicycle riding, and meditating outside and was an avid watcher of 90s sitcoms like Seinfeld and Friends and of movies from the 1980s and 1990s. She valued her Armenian culture and religion and taught Sunday School at St. Vartan Cathedral in Manhattan. Her greatest love and joy without question came from being mother to her daughter Maria.
Dr. Kachadourian is survived by her husband of 12 years, Michael Gabriel, and their daughter, Maria Zoe Gabriel. She was the youngest daughter to parents Dr. Aristakes (predeceased) and Adrienne Kachadourian, and her four sisters: Talene Kachadourian, Dr. Anise (George) Boudoughian, Karni (Kevin) Griffin, and Alicia Kachadourian; daughter-in-law to George and Zaphiria Gabriel, and sister-in-law Helen (Jonas) Rotos.
This tribute was prepared by Dr. Kachadourian's family with Steve Martino, PhD, and Ismene Petrakis, MD.