Karen is an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She received her PhD from Cornell University and was a W.K. Kellogg Community Based Health Scholar at the University of North Carolina School at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research interests are in minority health, translational research, community-based participatory research, and psychosocial aspects of health. She uses a community-based participatory approach to translate evidence-based behavioral interventions so they are appropriate for underserved groups.