Karen Hudson, PhD, MSW, LSW

Karen M. Hudson, PhD, MSW, LSW, is a community impact advisor with the Community Impact team, and program leader of the Homeless Health Initiative (HHI), a volunteer health outreach program that provides free health care, dental screenings and health education to children and families in homeless shelters.

She has been with HHI since 2001 and serves as the bridge between Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the community for both families and healthcare volunteers.

Ms. Hudson received a BA in sociology from Boston University in Boston, MA, an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work in Philadelphia, PA, and a PhD in Public Health from Walden University in Minneapolis, MN. As a pediatric social worker, Ms. Hudson has more than 30 years of experience in working with families in the hospital and in the community.

A doctoral student in Public Health, she also serves as a faculty member of the CHOP Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, and as an adjunct professor of social work at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice.

Ms. Hudson's presentations and publications focus on homelessness, health disparities, inclusion and cultural diversity. She is an alumni from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia's INSIGHTS Forum minority leadership training program, a nominee for the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leaders Award, and a recipient of the 2009 University of Pennsylvania Women of Color Faculty Award and the 2010 National Health Care for the Homeless Local Hero Award.