Karen Luken (she/her) is an associate with Community Bridges. She serves as the Co-Director for the Care Extender White Paper Project.
Karen has over 40 years of experience in disability and health, recreational therapy practice, research and teaching, and grants management. From 2013 through 2019, she served as the project director for the “Medical Health Homes for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” initiative that promotes integrated, person-centered care for people with I/DD’s. Karen continues to serve as a consultant for this initiative. Her interest in evidence-based practice, health care reform, and systems change were shaped by her work at a variety of organizations, including the North Carolina Office on Disability and Health, Center for Recreation and Disability Studies at UNC-CH, Dept. of Psychiatry at N.C. Memorial Hospital, and Orange-Person-Chatham Area Program. Karen received her Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Illinois-Urbana. She also holds a graduate degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies and a Certificate in Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill.