Karen Gregory-Mercado is a lecturer of health coaching, ethics and cultural aspects of health and U.S. health care systems with the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. She is a Master Certified Health Educator and Certified Worksite Wellness Program Manager and an Intrinsic Certified Coach. Her postdoctoral studies included an ORISE fellowship with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISEWOMAN through the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. During her time at the CDC, she re-affirmed her desire to be true to her academic goals and health education mission.

In 2006, she chose to put her skills to practice in the public sector. Her desire to design and implement health educational interventions led her to work with a large national health insurance company (Cigna) as a health and worksite wellness coach for six years. During this time, she successfully designed and implemented worksite wellness interventions, developed strategic partnerships, performed coaching and health educational activities that led to significant improvements in patient well-being, health outcomes and care cost reduction.

More recently, she returned to her academic roots to share the valuable lessons and experiences learned in the field with the next generation of coachesher students. She is passionate in her commitment to guiding students through an outstanding educational experience that facilitates the path to creating the foundation of exceptional health and wellness coaches. When not teaching, you can find her polishing her culinary skills, taking a long walk, planning a trip, keeping up with her daughter and teenager boys, learning golf with her husband, and going to San Diego much as possible.