Karen Hauer, MD, PhD

Dr. Karen Hauer serves as vice dean for education and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). In this role, she is responsible for overseeing a comprehensive range of educational programs across UCSF’s clinical training sites and campuses, encompassing pre-medical, undergraduate, graduate and continuing education.

Dr. Hauer is an active researcher in health professions education, focusing on competency-based medical education, learner assessment, equity in assessment, artificial intelligence, coaching and remediation. Her contributions were recognized with the 2024 Hubbard Award, a prestigious medical education research award.

She previously held the position of associate dean for competency assessment and professional standards at UCSF. In this role, she designed and implemented a program of assessment within the UCSF School of Medicine’s curriculum and developed and directed the school’s medical student coaching program. This work earned her team the ASPIRE international award for excellence in student assessment.

Dr. Hauer also serves as president-elect of the International Competency Based Medical Education Collaborative and has held leadership positions with NBME, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the journal “Medical Education” and the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine national organization.