معرفی
Karen Lutfey Spencer is a Professor in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research focuses on medical decision making, health disparities, and patient-provider relationships, primarily through qualitative methodologies. She has extensively studied these issues across chronic conditions (diabetes, coronary heart disease) and psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, depression), with recent work centering on the social context of end-of-life decision making in the U.S. healthcare system.
- Key research areas: Medical Gaslighting, Health Equity, Biopower in Late-Life Care
- Active media engagement (e.g., interviews with NPR, The New York Times coverage)
- Teaching courses: HBSC 7011, HBSC 7111, PBHL 3051, PBHL 4040, PBHL 4099
Scientific Contributions: Pioneered qualitative frameworks for understanding racialized injustice in healthcare (2024) and gatekeeping mechanisms in medical institutions (2023). Her work critiques systemic barriers to hospice/end-of-life care access and analyzes treatment advocacy dynamics.
Recognition: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar in Health Policy Research. Featured in Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, and Maria Shriver’s The Sunday Paper.
