About

Karen earned her master’s degree in Functional Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport, CT. She completed a functional nutrition residency program with Dr. Kara Fitzgerald and earned her Certified Nutrition Specialist credential - the gold standard for advanced nutrition professionals. She is also a Certified Practitioner with the Institute for Functional Medicine and serves on the International Board of Functional Medicine Certification.

Karen’s passion for nutrition sprouted after she began educating herself about food policy and practices. (Have you read Omnivore's Dilemma? It started her journey!)   After nearly 20 years working in the legal field, she was called to make a change and deepen her understanding of nutrition. Her background in the legal field gave her a unique perspective on the interplay of scientific evidence and the government’s nutrition policies and recommendations. The deeper she delved into evidence-based nutrition, the more passionate she became about promoting a whole food, functional approach to nutrition and wellness.

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Functional nutrition is not just about macronutrients and calorie intake. It is a personalized approach to wellness that considers the body as a whole.  It seeks to uncover the root cause of imbalances that may be negatively impacting your quality of life and your health. Karen’s functional approach investigates not only your food intake but also your activity level, quality of sleep, emotional health and environmental and lifestyle factors.  Clues to uncover the root cause of imbalance can be found in many places!  Small steps can = BIG changes and help us all EMERGE into wellness!

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Karen is also deeply committed to education and mentorship in the Functional Medicine community.  She serves as a mentor and CNS supervisor with the Nutrition and Herbal Collective and considers mentorship a significant piece of her life's work.

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Karen lives in Maryland with her husband, 2 children and 2 dogs. Her favorite place is her backyard porch, where you'll find her if the weather allows (and sometimes even when it doesn't).