Karen Sherman PhD, MPH
Senior Scientific Investigator, Kaiser Permanente, Affiliate Professor of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health
Karen J. Sherman is a Senior Scientific Investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and an Affiliate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health in Seattle, USA. As an epidemiologist and clinical trialist, her research interests include improving care for chronic pain, improving methods for complementary and integrative health (CIH) clinical trials, evaluating non-pharmacological CIH therapies for common health problems and building the evidence base for contextual factors related to care. She is an expert in design issues related to clinical studies of CIH therapies ranging from early phase feasibility studies through efficacy effectiveness and pragmatic trials to implementation research. She’s led or participated in groundbreaking clinical trials of various non-pharmacological therapies for chronic low back pain, including acupuncture, massage, meditation, and yoga. Her work is widely cited and has influenced US practice guidelines for the treatment of chronic low back pain. Dr. Sherman has lectured internationally on study design in CIH and chronic pain trials and served on national and international expert panels on these topics as well. She is the author of over 150 scientific papers, has served as an editorial board member for six CIH journals, and has reviewed manuscripts for dozens of medical journals as well as government reports related to CIH. She currently serves as a member of the Advisory Council for the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.