Karen Bach, MD

Karen Bach MD is originally from Los Angeles, California where she attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) for her undergraduate degrees in Physiological Sciences. As an undergraduate student, she conducted research in the Silva Lab at the Gonda Neuroscience and Genetics Center. Her researched then focused on determining the possible impact of environmental factors (i.e., post-natal immune activation) in the development of autistic phenotypes in a mouse model of Tuberous sclerosis (TSC; a disorder with high prevalence of autism). The results of team’s study showed that early postnatal immune activation resulted in profound impairments in social behavior and their work was published in many esteemed journals, including Science.

Karen later received her medical degree (MD) from the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences in Ohio (UTCOMLS). As a first-generation college graduate and the first in her family to go to medical school, Karen was profoundly impacted by her upbringing to bring more opportunities to pre-med and medical students. Her involvement on the National Board of student organizations like the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) spanned her medical school career and one of her many passions is to address not only the health challenges faced by the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, but also tackle current issues surrounding the pandemic and AAPI solidarity and advocacy. Besides DEI issues, Karen is also passionate in advancing the field of plastic surgery. Her research during medical school focused on buccal myomucosal flaps for VPI reconstruction, pediatric thoracic outlet syndrome management, and the multifunctionality of botox across specialties.

In her spare time, Karen enjoys traveling, cooking/baking, and spending time with her cat. She is very excited to be part of the Yale family and is proud to work with such an amazing team of highly motivated faculty, staff, and residents.