KAREN DOTSON is honored in WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, for she wants to make a difference for ALL OF US. And indeed, she does!
Figuratively and literally, KAREN DOTSON, Program Director for the All of Us Research Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), has reaffirmed her purpose and her passion.
All of Us at MCW, in collaboration with partners throughout the state and country, is laying the groundwork for research that may help eliminate health disparities, particularly in black and brown communities. Historically, black and brown communities have been under-represented in biomedical research and experience the greatest disparities in healthcare access and health outcomes. KAREN DOTSON and her All of Us team at MCW want to lead the region in program enrollments from communities of color.
Born in Milwaukee, KAREN grew up, with both loving parents and family, in the inner city of Milwaukee. Her home life was characterized by healthy aspirations and a deep sensitivity to giving back to the community. Family, church, school, community, and volunteerism were shared values in the Dotson household. Sundays were, and continue to be, a time for church services and religious education for Karen: She is the First Lady of the New Life International Ministries, located at 2440 N. 35th Street, where her husband, Walter Owens, is the Senior Pastor. Pastor Owens hosts the weekly broadcast show “Focus 2020” on Radio 1340 AM and 98.7 FM at 2:30 p.m. every Thursday.
Medicine and education have played important roles in the Dotson family for generations: “It’s in our DNA,” KAREN notes. Her mother worked as a skilled and loving nurse’s aide for many years. Her sister, Rose Dotson, is a medical physician specializing in neurology – one of just a handful of African Americans in the field in Wisconsin. Her younger sister, Jackie, has written two books the first book on consecration and fasting and the second book, an award-winning daily devotional. She is acclaimed as an up-and-coming religious author. Jackie also works in the Atlanta medical community as a tenured professional. KAREN DOTSON, our honoree, has a master’s degree in health services administration from Cardinal Stritch University. She sought her position at the Medical College of Wisconsin after many years of working in the community and surrounding areas.
“I’d been working on various medical review panels for local and federal grants in different areas of medical services for many years,” Program Director Dotson explained. “And I was frustrated by the large number of people of color experiencing health disparities, not participating in health research and impacting the reports. When I saw the opening for Program Director for the All of Us Research Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin, I thought, ‘Here is an opportunity to be at the front end of education, of guiding people from the community into the future of medicine – for themselves, their heirs, and future generations.’” All of Us is the future today! And Ms. DOTSON assures us that signing up is easy: “You can do most of it online at JoinAllofUs.org/Wisconsin. When the online part is done, call our office at (414) 955-2689 to schedule an appointment to be measured and give bio-samples. When you’re all done, you’ll get a $25 gift card as a thank you.”
So, what happens to everything the program collects? KAREN explains: “The information goes into a secure health research database managed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Researchers may use it to conduct thousands of studies. What they learn might help target medicine to individuals, make it more precise, what we call ‘precision medicine.’ It’s really cutting-edge.”
She continues: “I believe that what we’re doing, collecting all this information, and making it available for studies right here in Milwaukee, could help change the statistics for Black health outcomes.” Karen’s passion comes through when talking about why she joined: “I wanted to be a part of All of Us because we are committed to Milwaukee! We are a knowledgeable and diverse team that brings personal, cultural, and professional experiences together. We have the shared goal of a healthier Milwaukee.”
We’ve grown up with sayings like, “Our health is our wealth” and “Take care of yourself, so you can take care of the others.” We know the sayings well, but our statistics consistently reveal racial and ethnic disparities that must change.
Ms. DOTSON believes in the words of Maya Angelou: “When we know better, we do better.” She shared the following example about how All of Us, and the advancements in precision medicine that could come of it, might help patients.
“Many patients come to their primary care doctors with high blood pressure. The doctor might start by prescribing a beta blocker. If that doesn’t get the desired result, the doctor might change it to something else, or add another medication on top of it. For a while, it’s trial and error until something works. Thankfully, 99% of patients eventually get something that achieves the desired results.”
“However,” she continues, “this is costly in time and money for both the patient and the healthcare system. Medicine that considers a patient’s unique DNA – that is, precision medicine – would reveal exactly what medication would work best for them. No more trial and error. And that’s the excitement in All of Us,” DOTSON beams.
KAREN DOTSON is a role model, known for her availability, good sense, and honest sensitivity. She applies her skills and knowledge freely and is committed to making a DIFFERENCE in the community. We are inspired by her dedication to ensuring inclusivity in science and advancing precision medicine through the All of UsResearch Program in Milwaukee.
WOMAN of MEDICINE: KAREN DOTSON is the face of All of Us as she works daily to improve HEALTH outcomes for ALL OF US.
We SALUTE YOU, KAREN DOTSON, WOMAN OF PRECISION MEDICINE for ALL OF US.
We’d like to extend a special thank you to Black Women 50+ Magazine for use of the photograph of Karen Dotson for this article.
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MCJ: RECOVERY 2021 is a year-long theme as we seek to work together to strengthen one another, post-pandemic. We’d like to thank all of our Women’s History Month Honorees:
- CYNDY JOHNSON, ALLSTATE INSURANCE
- CAMILLE MONK, First Lady of EPHESIANS MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
- BISHOP MONICA PARCHIA PRICE, Senior Pastor of MOUNT ZION ASSEMBLY OF HEALING
- KAREN DOTSON, ALL OF US RESEARCH PROGRAM
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