Meet the Nurse Educators - Karen Robbins

Karen has spent the majority of her career in nephrology nursing, assuming a number of different roles. She has been a staff nurse in transplant and hemodialysis, a clinical nurse specialist in transplantation, educational nurse consultant and a legal nurse consultant.

She is currently the Nurse Educator for the Dialysis Program and the Out Patient Division of the Transplant Program. She is the Associate Editor for the Nephrology Nursing Journal, the Official Journal of the American Nephrology Nurses’ Association (ANNA) and Co–Editor of Applying Continuous Quality Improvement in Clinical Practice (2009), published by the ANNA.

Ms. Robbins received her BSN from the University of Kentucky and her MS from the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. She was recognized in 2004 by the University of Kentucky College of Nursing Alumnae Association with the Outstanding Alumna Award for Community and Professional Service. Much of that professional and community service for which she was recognized by UK has been in ANNA. Ms. Robbins held many positions within the local, Colonial Chapter of ANNA. She served as a Director on the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission and on the ANNA Board of Directors for seven years, serving as national ANNA President in 1997-98. She was recognized for her contributions to the nephrology community when she received the Torchbearer’s Award from the National Association of Nephrology Technicians/Technologists as well as the Director’s Citation from the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) for “Visionary and skilled leadership in partnering with the Health Care Financing Administration.” ANNA recognized her contributions to nephrology nursing and ANNA when she was presented with the “Outstanding Contribution to ANNA” award, ANNA’s most prestigious award.

She is a published author in journals and textbooks, and has spoken on local, regional, national and international levels.