Karen Sam PT, DPT, GCS
Graduate College of Health Sciences - Department of Physical Therapy
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
EDUCATION:
DPT, Columbia University
BS, Organizational Communication, Ohio University
BA, Psychology, Ohio University
CERTIFICATIONS:
ABPTS Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS), 2011 – present (recertified 2021)
APTA Advanced Credentialed Clinical Instructor Level II (2024)
APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor Level I (2013)
BIOGRAPHY:
Dr. Karen Sam, PT, DPT, GCS, will join Hawaii Pacific University Las Vegas as an Assistant Professor. She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Columbia University – College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2006 and completed her clinical training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University and Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Sam is board certified as Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS) and certified as APTA advanced credential clinical instructor.
Prior to joining Hawaii Pacific University, she served as a full-time core faculty at West Coast University 2021 - 2024. She has served on various academic committees in the university. Drawing from her clinical experience at teaching hospital, her teaching focuses on pathophysiology, acute care education, cardiovascular and pulmonary, and hematologic-oncologic patient management. Her research focuses on student learning and higher education. Prior to becoming a full-time faculty member, Dr. Sam had served as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Southern California, Azusa Pacific University, and Mount Saint Mary’s University since 2014, teaching cardiopulmonary, pathophysiology, and hematologic-oncologic patient management.
Dr. Sam has over 15 years of extensive and in-depth clinical experience at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Her primary areas of clinical expertise focused on orthopedic trauma, orthopedic oncology, sarcoma and metastatic disease, complex limb salvage reconstructive surgeries, hematology/oncology, and hematopoietic stem cell transplants. She has developed the Cancer Survivorship and Rehabilitation Program and Multiple Myeloma special interest group, led the policy development of the hospital-based clinical practice guidelines on laboratory values and venous thromboembolism, and served as Advanced Clinical Resources at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Sam has been a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) since 2006. She has served as an abstract reviewer for the APTA Education Leadership Conference and as a presenter and panelist on the management of complex trauma at the California Physical Therapy Association conference.
Dr. Sam is deeply dedicated to student success and compassionate, patient-centered care. In her spare time, Dr. Sam enjoys exploring the world with her family and has visited 16 countries and counting. She is looking forward to sharing her passion and multi-cultural experiences to empower the students at Hawaii Pacific University and their future patients through patient education and clinical training.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS:
Hoseini, N., Sam, K., Klein, M., & Cipriani, D. (2024, September 21-22). The Effects of a 6-Week Virtually Guided Meditation Program on DPT Students’ Perceived Well-Being [Conference presentation abstract]. California Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA, United States.
Sam, K. (2012, July 18) Management of Complex Trauma Patient [Conference session; Panelist]. Greater Los Angeles District Meeting, California Physical Therapy Association, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
