Karen A. Bonuck

Dr. Karen A. Bonuck is a Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, holding joint appointments in the Departments of Family and Social Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, and Pediatrics (Developmental Medicine). Her research focuses on childhood sleep health, developmental disabilities, and inclusive research practices. She leads multiple NIH- and foundation-funded projects, including the D2/R3 initiative addressing barriers to disability-inclusive research. As Co-Director of the Rose F Kennedy University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, she advocates for disability rights and Long COVID's impact as a mass disabling event. Her work bridges clinical practice, public health, and policy, with notable contributions to sleep education programs and vaccine perception studies in underserved populations.

Research Interests: Sleep disorders in early childhood, co-occurrence of sleep and language disorders, disability inclusion in research, early childhood feeding interventions, and health disparities in developmental medicine. Her mixed-methods approach spans randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and policy analyses.

Key Projects:

• Reducing Researcher Roadblocks to Including People with Disabilities in Research (D2/R3) - Mixed-methods study funded by NCATS (2023-2030)
• University Center of Excellence on Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) - Co-Director since 2016
• COVID-19 vaccine advocacy and disability burden analysis - Highlighted in medical news and blogs
• Head Start sleep health literacy program - R01-funded intervention (2015-2020)

Teaching: Leads LEND core curriculum and Einstein College of Medicine’s Impact course, emphasizing disability awareness and interdisciplinary approaches.

Labs/Teams: Core team member of the Einstein-Montefiore Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, collaborating with multidisciplinary groups on disability-inclusive research and policy initiatives.