MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING • NURSING.MSU.EDU
KAREN LAKE
PhD, RNC, CNP
Assistant Professor
MSU Women’s HealthCare Clinic
OUR PRACTICE FACULTY
The Women’s HealthCare Clinic, part of
the MSU Health Team, provides obstetric and
gynecological care for patients ranging from
adolescents to the elderly. The care team
includes teaching faculty from the Colleges
of Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine,
and Nursing, with students and residents
from each receiving some training here.
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In addition to preventative care and screenings,
the team sees patients for normal and high risk
pregnancies, infertility, menopause, and a range
of gynecological problems, as well as delivering
babies and performing surgeries. Their goal is
to restore, enhance, and maintain patient health
and well-being despite any challenges. With a
coordinated, caring and diverse team approach,
they help patients meet changing health needs
throughout the lifespan.
Karen Lake was a great mentor. She played a huge role in preparing me for the job I have
now as a full-time provider with the Ingham County Health Department, and I love it. She was up
to date on evidence-based practices and was enthusiastic about her work with women. She was
encouraging and helpful to me as a student. After my graduation she was a trusted resource for
me as I started working at the clinic as her coworker. Her students enjoy working with her and she
is a great example of a nurse practitioner!”
Bridget Burns, NP, CON MSN ’13
Ingham County Health Department
Karen Lake found her passion for women’s
healthcare in her first job in labor and delivery.
The desire to teach led her to become an NP.
She graduated expecting to teach full time,
but an opportunity to help a friend at a Health
Department clinic opened her to working
in several roles. She found a home for the
balance of practice and teaching in the College
of Nursing. For more than 20 years, she has
provided women’s healthcare in a number of
county health clinics while teaching and earning
her PhD.
Lake recently joined the MSU Women’s
HealthCare Clinic and plans to become
certified as a Menopause Clinician. Her work
also involves obstetrics, gynecology, and
bioidenticals. Her practice reflects that of
Florence Nightingale—putting patients in a
position that allows nature (the environment,
which is the patient’s world) to act upon them.
She uses open communication and interviewing
skills to educate and support them. Lake brings
a bounty of real world stories to illustrate
questions that arise the classroom. Her great
satisfaction is to, “see students mature into the
person I would want taking care of me.”