Karen Rawls

Dr. Karen Rawls is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing at the School of Nursing, Hawaii Pacific University. She is a licensed registered nurse with extensive leadership and teaching experience across diverse clinical and academic settings in the United States and China.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Education, specializing in nursing education and research, Capella University
• MSN in Nursing Education, University of Phoenix
• BSN, University of Phoenix
• ADN, Georgia State University Perimeter

Dr. Rawls' research and professional interests focus on nursing education, health equity, environmental health, and social justice in healthcare. She is a scholarly Fellow with the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments and actively promotes best practices that foster cultures of wellness through education and advocacy.

Her leadership extends beyond the classroom, with active roles in national and regional nursing organizations, including the National Black Nurses Association, Atlanta Black Nurses Association, Georgia Nurses Foundation, and Georgia Nurses Social Justice and Racial Equity Workgroup. She also serves on multiple boards and as an ambassador for health ministries and cancer awareness initiatives.

Dr. Rawls is the owner of Health Education Learning Programs, an organization dedicated to addressing health equity, delivering nursing education, and investigating environmental health issues. Her work integrates academic rigor with community engagement and organizational development.

She is actively involved in legislative advocacy as a presenter for the Georgia Nurses Leadership Coalition and contributes to primary care initiatives through her board membership in the AHEC Southeastern Primary Care Consortium.