Professor Karen Walker-Bone BM, FRCP, PhD, Hon FFOM
Professor in Occupational Rheumatology and Honorary Consultant in Rheumatology, Director, Arthritis Research UK/MRC centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work, Academic Lead for Medicine Year 5
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Professor and Honorary Consultant in Occupational Rheumatology
Karen graduated from Southampton University Medical School in 1991. She trained in rheumatology in the Wessex region and became an accredited Consultant in 2002. Karen took time out of her clinical training between 1999-2002 when she was awarded an Arthritis Research UK Clinical Research Fellowship to study the epidemiology of neck and upper limb disorders among working-aged adults at the MRC Epidemiology Unit under the supervision of Prof Cyrus Cooper and Prof David Coggon. Karen completed her PhD in 2002. Her work received national attention with two Young Investigator Awards, one from the British Society of Rheumatology and one from the National Osteoporosis Society. Together with Prof Keith Palmer, Karen was also a recipient of an international award from the US National Institute for farm safety research in 2004.
Between 2003-13, Karen worked at the Brighton & Sussex Medical School, starting a month before their first ever cohort of medical students. Her role involved clinical rheumatology and curriculum and phase development, validation and leadership. Karen developed and led the fourth year project module (which received commendation from the GMC) from its inception in 2007 until she left in 2013. Whilst in Brighton, Karen developed a specialist rheumatology clinic for HIV-infected patients to assess and manage the joint and bone manifestations of the chronic infection. In total, she saw more than 400 referrals and this clinic sparked a number of epidemiological studies, which showed for example, the risk factors for gout and elective hip surgery among HIV-infected patients. Together with the HIV Consultants in Brighton, a cohort of 400 HIV-infected men was incepted into a longitudinal study of bone health. When she returned to Southampton in 2013, the clinic re-located to the Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Medicine, University of Southampton, 1991
PhD Medicine, University of Southampton, 2002
Certificate of Completion of Speciality Training in Rheumatology, 2002
Fellow Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Physicians of London, 2004
Honorary Fellow, Faculty of Occupational Medicine, 2013