Karen Whitt
Karen Whitt
Ph.D., RN, FNP-C, AGN-BC, FAANP
Associate Professor
Contact:
Email:
Karen Whitt
Office Phone:
(571) 553-3553
Karen J. Whitt received her PhD in Nursing from George Mason University and her FNP from George Washington University. Her dissertation work evaluated the relationship between vitamin D receptor genotypes and bone mineral density in men and women.
In 2004, she was awarded an NIH fellowship in genetics through the National Institute of Nursing Research. This experience provided a solid foundation in molecular genetics and hands on laboratory research that Dr. Whitt has integrated into her nursing research. Dr. Whitt worked with the National Institute of Aging's Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) on studies to evaluate the influence of various genetic markers and lifestyle variables on bone health. Her work at the BLSA provided an opportunity to participate in clinical research with a multi-disciplinary team of research scientists.
As a board-certified advanced practice genetics nurse, Dr. Whitt serves on the Standard Setting Panel for the American Nurse Credentialing Center Board Certification in Genetics. She is interested in educating healthcare providers and developing tools to help integrate genomics in clinical practice. Recently, Dr. Whitt has been working on a collaborative project with the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT to evaluate electronic health records and patient safety. Dr. Whitt teaches in the graduate programs at GW Nursing.
- Member, Standard Setting Panel to design Board Certification exam for the Advanced Genetic Nursing Certification — American Nurse Credentialing Center (2014)
- Content Expert in Advanced Genetic Nursing — American Nurse Credentialing Center (2014)
- Translating genetics and genomics into clinical practice
- Healthcare informatics and patient safety
- Whitt, K. J., Allen, C. L., Hogg, C. W., Pericak, A., Beebe, S., Braungart, C., Knestrick, J., Harrod, T., & McNelis, A. M. (2024). The use of electronic health records in advanced practice nursing education: a scoping review. Journal of Professional Nursing, 50, 83–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.11.007
- Whitt, K. J., Hughes, M., Eden, L., & Merrill, K. (2016). Nursing student experiences regarding safe use of electronic health records: A pilot study of the SAFER guides. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing. doi:10.1097/CIN.0000000000000291
- Whitt, K. J., Hughes, M., Hopkins, E. S., & Maradiegue, A. (2015). The gene pool: The ethics of genetics in primary care. Annual Review of Nursing Research, 34,119-154. doi: 10.1891/0739-6686.34.119.
- Whitt, K. J., Macri, C., O’Brien, T. J., &Wright, S. (2015). Improving nurse Practitioners’ competence with genetics: Effectiveness of an online course. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 28(3), 151-159. doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12282
- George Mason University, Doctor of Philosophy
- George Washington University, Family Nurse Practitioner
- George Mason University, Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education
- George Mason University, Master of Science in Nursing
- George Mason University, Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Ambulatory Care
- Educational Research
- Genetics
- Health Care Quality and Safety
- Implementation Science
- Informatics
- Maternal / Child Health
- Primary Health Care
- Quality Improvement
- Telemedicine
- Learner
- Relator
- Ideation
- Analytical
- Strategic