Rate My Professor Karen Allen

Karen Allen, Professor of Nursing in the Department of Nursing at Valparaiso University, joined the faculty in July 2017. She served as Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions from 2017 to 2025, overseeing strategic leadership, coordination, and guidance for the college. Prior to her appointment at Valparaiso, Allen chaired the nursing department at Andrews University for 17 years. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1993, Master of Science in 1983, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1979, both from Andrews University.

Allen's research interests and specializations center on substance abuse and addictions treatment, with expertise in addictions curriculum development. She is widely published, authoring numerous refereed and non-refereed journal articles, books, and book chapters. Notable publications include “The Results of Implementation of an Acuity Tool to Decrease the Number of Resuscitation Events on an Orthopedic-Neurology Unit” (2019, International Journal of Science and Nature), “Finding Nursing’s Role in Worldwide Strategies to Address Today’s Addictions” (2018, Journal of Addictions Nursing), “Relationship between standardized glycemic protocols and healthcare cost” (2016), “Influence of Lifestyle, Health Behavior, and Health Indices on the Health Status of Underserved Adults” (2013), “Heart Failure in an Era of Reform” (2013, World Journal of Nursing), “Increasing Mammography and Cervical Cancer Knowledge and Screening Behaviors With an Educational Program” (2012, Oncology Nursing Forum), “Solutions to Finding Graduate Clinical Sites for Advanced Health Assessment” (2003, Journal of Nursing Education), and “The Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale: Development and Psychometric Evaluation” (1998). She has received the Andrews University Siegfried H. Horn Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship Lifetime Achievement Award, U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Innovator Award for Women’s Substance Abuse Treatment, and Michigan Nurses Association Carol E. Franck Nursing Leadership Award. A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Allen served as President of the International Nurses Society on Addictions for four years, board member of Adventist Health Systems Sunbelt Corporation for five years, member of the United States Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Treatment Improvement Protocols Editorial Advisory Board for five years, and National Advisory Council for Substance Abuse Prevention for seven years. She is a frequent consultant providing curriculum expertise for addictions and has served on key committees at Andrews University including the Graduate Committee, Program Development and Review Committee, University Strategic Planning Committee, and Diversity Committee.