About

Karina Atwell, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor and core Family Medicine residency faculty at the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She is also boarded in Public Health and General Preventative Medicine. Dr. Atwell is co-director of the Community and Population Health rotation for the family medicine residency. She holds several roles within medical student education, including Quality Improvement Coach for student teams completing their primary care clinical rotations and associated QI projects, and facilitating PaCE (Patient Centered Education) case-based learning groups. She is passionate about bridging the gaps between community health, public health, and clinical primary care, and fostering the education of 'community-aware' clinicians.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Sociology
• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Pedagogy
• Psychotherapist
• Applied psychology
• Nursing
• Dermatology
• Psychiatry
• Physical therapy
• Intensive care medicine
• Family medicine
• Medical education
• Environmental health
• Psychology
• Internal medicine

Selected publications

• Got SPIRiT?: Evaluating a Supportive Approach to Medical Resident Remediation.

  PubMed · 2026-01-01

  article

  BACKGROUND: Up to 15% of family medicine residents undergo remediation. While frequently successful, remediation can be emotionally challenging. METHODS: We developed a remediation approach called SPIRiT: Support, Processing emotions, Individualized plan, Reducing stigma/scrutiny, "i" (minimizing ego), and Transparency. A multidisciplinary team implemented SPIRiT. Qualitative researchers analyzed participant interviews using an inductive approach. RESULTS: Five residents completed interviews. Three categories were identified: understanding remediation, having agency, and processing and integrating feedback. Some residents were surprised they needed remediation and were unclear about remediation duration. Residents appreciated confidentiality and the opportunity to provide input. Processing feedback was emotionally challenging. Support from the behavioral health faculty member and peers who had completed remediation was helpful. CONCLUSIONS: The SPIRiT approach provides a helpful framework to improve resident remediation through multidisciplinary support, opportunities for emotional processing, and meaningful learner involvement.

  Publisher

• Mental Health Disorders in Women

  Primary Care Clinics in Office Practice · 2025-03-31

  review
  PublisherDOI

• Treatment of Vasomotor Symptoms

  The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine · 2024-09-01

  reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Vasomotor symptoms (VMS) related to the menopausal transition affect the majority of women and contribute to significant quality of life burden. Incidence, length, severity and report of symptoms vary by race, ethnicity, and coexisting health conditions. The pathophysiology of VMS is not fully understood and is likely multifactorial, involving changes in the hypothalamicpituitary-ovarian axis during the menopausal transition. Treatment approaches include lifestyle modifications, hormonal and non-hormonal therapies, including integrative and complementary medicine approaches. Systemic hormone therapy with estrogen is the most effective treatment. Emerging evidence suggests that treatment with SSRIs, SNRIs, and gabapentin is effective for many women who want to avoid hormone therapy. A shared decision approach to treatment decisions involves consideration of risks with treatment options and discussion of patient priorities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Using colourful semantic approaches as a group intervention within primary schools to improve language development: A mixed methods design

  Educational Psychology in Scotland · 2024-12-24

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Colourful Semantics is an approach initially designed to support language development in children within clinical settings (Bryan, 1997). While initial research was small and based on case study methodology, the research base is growing to include larger numbers of participants and populations. Studies in this area have begun to explore how impactful Colourful Semantic approaches are within school settings when delivered by teaching practitioners (Hettiarachchi, 2016; Hettiararchchi & Ranaweera, 2019). The current small scale study explores the impact of Colourful Semantic approaches when delivered by Additional Support for Learning teachers within small groups in primary schools. A mixed methods design is utilised with both standardised (Renfrew, 1997) and non-standardised pre and post assessments being employed. Additionally, practitioner experiences were gathered through an online questionnaire. While the standardised assessment scores presented mixed findings, closer analysis of narrative responses revealed improvements in sentence structure and organisation. Triangulation and analysis of non-standardised assessment scores and practitioner experiences, revealed significant improvements in both semantic understanding and mean utterance length. Additional benefits in cognitive skills were highlighted by practitioners. Limitations and future research to explore implementing Colourful Semantic approaches within school settings is explored.

  PublisherDOI

• Drawing and talking usage within primary schools: A phenomenological study of practitioners’ experiences

  Educational Psychology in Scotland · 2023 · 1 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Sociology
  • Psychology
  • Medical education

  With the increasing awareness of the impact of life experiences upon children and young people’s (CYP) mental health (Vostanis, 2017) together with the suggestion that education systems provide a platform to provide CYP with emotional support (Hobbs et al., 2019), school systems are exploring the usage of therapeutic interventions. This phenomenological study gathered the experiences of five practitioners trained in one art therapy intervention who worked within primary schools to address the research question: ‘What are practitioners experiences of using Drawing and Talking within primary schools?’ Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, consistent with Braun and Clarke’s (2006) approach. The researchers‘ analysis generated ten subthemes which were refined under three higher order themes: the value of intervention, challenges, and practitioner construct. Participants reported that this specific art therapy intervention supports children who have experienced trauma by allowing them to explore emotions, providing containment and an opportunity to build positive relationships with the practitioner. Challenges included practical and logistical issues. Further, the practitioners’ construct influenced how they delivered the intervention. This raised wider ethical questions of supervision, consent, the child’s voice and agency. Implications of these issues for the intervention and educational psychology practice are discussed in the report.

  PublisherDOI

• 5. The Role of Health Care Systems in Chronic Disease Prevention and Control

  American Public Health Association eBooks · 2023

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Political Science
  • Computer Science
  • Medicine
  PublisherDOI

• Diagnosis and Management of Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders in Primary Care

  The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine · 2021 · 48 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Intensive care medicine
  • Physical therapy

  Hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSDs) encompass an array of connective tissue disorders characterized by joint instability and chronic pain. Fatigue and other systemic symptoms that affect daily functioning may occur, as well. Accurate data on incidence and prevalence of HSDs is hampered by lack of awareness of these conditions and the wide heterogeneity of their clinical presentation. Identifying which type of HSD is present is important in guiding appropriate care. In particular, making the diagnosis of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is important, as individuals with hEDS may be at risk for more significant multisystem involvement. Diagnostic criteria for hEDS include measures of joint hypermobility, skin and other connective tissue findings, and lack of evidence of a different type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Beyond accurate diagnosis, HSDs pose many challenges for primary care providers, as ongoing patient education, patient empowerment, and coordination of a multidisciplinary treatment team are integral to proper care. This article describes the incidence and prevalence, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of HSDs, including clinical cases exemplifying how joint hypermobility might present within a primary care setting.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• What are the common food additives that cause acute, non-allergic symptoms?

  Evidence-Based Practice · 2019-11-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI The author declares no conflicts of interest.

  PublisherDOI

• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Maternal Substance Use in Wisconsin, 2009-2014.

  PubMed · 2016-12-01 · 7 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  INTRODUCTION: Increasing rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), most commonly linked to maternal opioid use, are a growing concern within clinical and public health domains. OBJECTIVES: The study aims to describe the statewide burden of NAS and maternal substance use, focusing on opioids in Wisconsin from 2009 to 2014. METHODS: Trends in NAS and maternal substance use diagnosis rates were calculated using Wisconsin’s Hospital Discharge Data. Demographic and payer characteristics, health service utilization, and clinical outcomes were compared for newborns with and without NAS. Demographic and payer characteristics were compared between women with and without substance use identified at time of delivery. RESULTS: Rates of NAS and maternal substance use, most notably opioid use, increased significantly between 2009 and 2014. The majority of newborns diagnosed with NAS, and women identified with substance use, were non-Hispanic, white, and Medicaid-insured. Disproportionate rates of NAS and maternal opioid use were observed in American Indian/Alaska Native and Medicaid populations compared to white and privately insured groups, respectively. Women age 20-29 years had the highest rates of opioid use compared to the reference group (10-19 years). Odds of adverse clinical outcomes and levels of health service utilization were significantly higher for newborns with NAS. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to trends nationally, our findings show an increase in maternal opioid use and NAS rates in Wisconsin over time, with disproportionate effects in certain demographic groups. These findings support the need for targeted interventions in clinical and public health settings aimed at prevention and burden reduction of NAS and maternal substance use in Wisconsin.

  Publisher

• 5. The Role of Health Care Systems in Chronic Disease Prevention and Control

  American Public Health Association eBooks · 2016-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Maureen A. Smith

  Public Citizen

  2 shared

• Andrea Ildiko Martonffy

  1 shared

• Harold B. Weiss

  1 shared

• Scott Anderson

  1 shared

• Nathan J. Rudin

  1 shared

• Richard K. Miller

  University of Rochester

  1 shared

• Cara MacKenzie

  1 shared

• William Michael

  1 shared