Karen Spencer, DNP, ACNP-BC

Karen Spencer, DNP, ACNP-BC, is an accomplished Nurse Practitioner with nearly four decades of experience in nursing and more than 26 years in advanced practice. Her career spans pain management, dermatology, urgent care, emergency care, and academia, reflecting a rare combination of clinical expertise, intellectual rigor, and patient-centered empathy. Dr. Spencer began her nursing journey at Hampton University, earning her RN and BSN, and quickly advanced into high-acuity settings, including bone marrow transplant oncology, where she developed a strong foundation in autonomous practice within collaborative healthcare teams. Her early experiences fueled a passion for acute care and emergency nursing, reinforced through residencies in neurotrauma and emergency medicine, laying the groundwork for a career defined by adaptability, precision, and thoughtful problem solving.

Dr. Spencer’s professional focus evolved toward pain management, where she has dedicated the last 14 years to advancing patient care through both clinical excellence and innovation. She was the first Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Veterans Affairs to independently develop and implement a fully operational clinical service—a pioneering achievement recognized with multiple awards, including Top Doctor 2020. Her practice integrates advanced regenerative medicine approaches and procedural expertise, including injections, biopsies, and dermatologic interventions, for patients ranging from children to older adults. This patient-centered approach is informed not only by extensive clinical experience but also by her personal journey as an athlete who overcame multiple injuries and periods of misdiagnosis, deepening her understanding of patient vulnerability and reinforcing her commitment to individualized care.

In addition to her clinical accomplishments, Dr. Spencer is a highly experienced educator, with over 20 years of formal teaching, curriculum development, and online instruction. She is also an engaged community leader, volunteering in educational programs, participating in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and pursuing artistic endeavors through mixed media, resin art, and jewelry design. Her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, which included advanced coursework in finance, human resources, and program management, equips her to pursue leadership roles in hospital administration, where she can merge her clinical expertise, teaching experience, and strategic vision to improve healthcare delivery. Dr. Spencer’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to professional excellence, innovation, and the holistic care of patients, blending science, leadership, and empathy into every facet of her work.

• Hampton University - BSN
• Wayne State University - MSN
• Rush University - DNP

• Awarded Top Doctor for 2020

• Alpha Kappa
• Alpha Sorority Incorporated