Dr. Karen Ippolito has taught pre-licensure registered nursing for 25 years at both the community college and university levels, teaching in medical-surgical and psychiatric nursing specialties. Her education includes an Associate Degree in Nursing from Modesto Junior College, Bachelors of Nursing from CSU Stanislaus, Masters of Nursing and Family Nurse Practitioner from UC San Francisco, and a Doctor of Education degree from University of the Pacific. She has prior experience as a Dean and Director for two programs where she led curriculum revision and program evaluation.

She has authored pharmacology text chapters and NCLEX preparation test items for private authors. She has served as an Item Writer and Consultant Author for NCSBN NCLEX Review courses. She is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and has presented at their annual meeting on assessment of cognitive development in nursing students. Her article, “Cognitive Development: The Scaffold for Critical Thought,” was named Best Article among all Research Brief articles published in 2019 by the Editorial Board of Nursing Education Perspectives.

Her current research centers on instructional methods and the acquisition of complex cognitive skills in nursing. She currently serves as an Associate Professor of Nursing at CSU Stanislaus, Turlock, CA where she teaches mental health nursing and pharmacology for the pre-licensure BSN Program and advanced pharmacology and pathophysiology for the Family Nurse Practitioner program.