Dr. Karen Cole-George, DNP, Ed., FNP-C

Dr. Karen Cole-George, DNP, Ed., FNP-C is a distinguished healthcare professional with 27 years of experience specializing in high-risk obstetrics, women's health, maternal mental health, and substance use disorder. She has built a career across hospital-based care, private practice, education, and state-level maternal health initiatives, earning recognition for her expertise in holistic patient care, advocacy, and empowering women during the maternal and postpartum period. A first-generation American, Dr. Cole-George was inspired to pursue nursing by her mother, who was also a nurse. Her healthcare journey began in high school as a clinical practitioner’s assistant at Harvard Community Health Plan in Boston. She earned her Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Healthcare Management Certificate from Norfolk State University, followed by a Master’s degree in nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner and Nursing Education from Tennessee State University. She completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Miami, where her DNP clinical project focused on placental accreta spectrum disorders and its adverse effects on women of color.

Dr. Cole-George has held numerous leadership and educational roles, including Founding Dean of Nursing at Fortis Institute and lead maternal health faculty member at Tennessee State University, and Director of the Women’s Center at Harton Regional Medical Center. She has also collaborated with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on maternal health initiatives. Her work emphasizes maternal mortality prevention, high-risk obstetrics, and the implementation of evidence-based practices to improve maternal outcomes.

For the past four years, Dr. Cole-George has contracted with the state of Tennessee as a Maternal Mortality Subject Matter Expert and Director of the Maternal Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Program. Currently, she serves as co-manager at All About You Healthcare Family Practice and Behavioral Health, a private comprehensive family and mental health practice in Nashville, Tennessee. Her practice provides prenatal care, childbirth education, postpartum support, mental health services, and family-centered programs, with plans to expand services to create a holistic support infrastructure for women and families.

Throughout her career, Dr. Cole-George has maintained a strong commitment to education, mentorship, and advocacy. She empowers patients and healthcare professionals through curriculum development, lectures, and public health initiatives. Her dedication to maternal healthcare, combined with her extensive clinical and leadership experience, positions her as a leading expert in improving maternal outcomes, promoting maternal mental health, and advancing equity in women’s health.

• University of Miami - D.N.P., 2023
• Tennessee State University - M.S. in Education
• Tennessee State University - M.S. in Nurse Practitioner
• Norfolk State University - B.S.
• Norfolk State University - A.S.
• Norfolk State University - Certificate in Healthcare Management

• DNP
• MSN
• RN
• Family Nurse Practitioner-Certified (FNP-C)

• Awards & Recognition Tennessee State Board of Nursing Letter of Commendation:100%NCLEX-RN Pass Rate 2014 & 2015 Education Affiliates Circle of Excellence Award for Outstanding Leadership & Outcomes

• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
• Golden Key International Honor Society
• Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority Incorporated
• Postpartum Support International

• Posptartum Support International
• Vanderbilt Children's Hospital Family Advisory Council/

Co- Author

Tennessee Maternal Health Strategic Plan 2024

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/program-areas/FINAL%20MHSP%20(4).pdf

Tennessee Maternal Mortality Annual Report 2021

Tennessee Maternal Mortality Annual Aggregated Report 2017-2020

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/program-areas/maternal-mortality/MMR_Annual_Report_2021.pdf

Poster Presentation University of Miami 20222

Decreasing Maternal Mortality through Early Detection

and Referral for Management of Placental Accreta Soectrum Disorders.