Karen Berger

Dr. Karen Berger, Pharm.D., FASHP, FCCM, BCPS, BCCCP is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Nova Southeastern University’s Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy. She concurrently serves as a trauma/neurocritical care clinical pharmacy specialist at Broward Health Medical Center, practicing within the Trauma-ICU in Fort Lauderdale/Davie, Florida.

Education & Training:

• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), University of Florida
• PGY1 Pharmacy Residency, Yale-New Haven Hospital
• PGY2 Critical Care Residency, University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago (Chief Resident)

Research & Scholarly Focus

Dr. Berger’s clinical and academic work is anchored in neurocritical care pharmacy. Core themes include optimizing anticoagulation reversal, seizure prophylaxis and management in traumatic brain injury, intracranial pressure control, and bleeding complications. An active advocate for the pharmacy profession, she also investigates policy initiatives that expand pharmacists’ scope of practice and improve patient access to care.

Her 2025 publications (e.g., Impaired Consciousness in the Traumatic Brain Injury Patient, Levetiracetam Prophylaxis vs. No Antiseizure Medication) illustrate a sustained commitment to evidence-based pharmacotherapy in acute neurologic injury. Earlier work (2020-2024) spans COVID-19 sedation strategies, gender equity in critical-care pharmacy, and health-system responses to emerging infectious diseases.

Professional Honors & Leadership

• Fellow, American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM) – inducted 2019
• Fellow, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (FASHP) – inducted 2020
• Chair-Elect, Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacology Section
• Chair, Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) Marketing & Communications Committee
• Member, NCS Pharmacy Section Leadership Committee
• Co-Chair, NCS Status Epilepticus Guidelines Committee

Grants, Advising & Collaborations

While specific grant numbers are not detailed, Dr. Berger leads multi-institutional guideline initiatives (Status Epilepticus Guidelines Committee) and chairs national committees (SCCM CPP Section, NCS Communications). These roles involve coordinating research consortia, mentoring residents and fellows, and developing evidence-based protocols adopted across academic trauma centers.

Laboratory & Clinical Teams

She practices within the Trauma-ICU at Broward Health Medical Center and collaborates with the multidisciplinary neurocritical care teams of NSU-affiliated hospitals. Her work interfaces with trauma surgeons, neuro-intensivists, and residents to implement protocol-driven pharmacotherapy and quality-improvement projects.