.jpeg)
Karen Ellinwood
Education, Expertise, Competence & Experience
Twin Palms Consulting & Publishing LLC
About Karen Ellinwood, PhD, JD, EdS, BSW
One thing leads to another
Karen Ellinwood started her education in criminal justice at a community college in her hometown on Long Island. One of her mentors, a former NYC detective and PhD in sociology, urged her to engage with people in a profession focused more-so on the humanities than on police work. It was then that she pursued her bachelor's degree in social work at SUNY at Stony Brook Health Sciences Center. By the time she graduated, she realized many of the inequities in law, healthcare and society required additional tools. This lead to law school.
Karen Ellinwood at home in Tucson
A Career in Law
I moved to Tucson in late 1985 and practiced law for 13 years in criminal defense, first in trial work, then appeals. Nearly every client interview or pre-sentence report revealed a poor education. Most of my clients had not completed high school. Some had never started. I realized I needed to focus my attention and energy on an earlier intervention - education.
From Law to Education
I began my teaching career as a substitute teacher in a bilingual setting. I did not have sufficient knowledge or training to be a full time teacher. When The University of Arizona (UArizona) College of Education launched a program to grow their own bilingual teachers, the principal (then Dr. Conrado Gomez) encouraged me to return to graduate school and earn my credentials. With his support, I continued to teach eighth grade social studies at the same bilingual middle school, while earning an education specialist degree in bilingual education. Later I earned a PhD in language, culture and education.
EdTech Development
My dissertation explored how learners could use a web-based tool to promote metacognitive engagement in learning, critical thinking and problem-solving. While working as the Research Manager for Zonebee at the UArizona Flandrau Science Center, I conducted research and contributed to the design of Zonebee software as well as a unique approach to science exhibit design. Later I became the Research Manager for the development of another web-based software, at UArizona College of Medicine-Tucson, aimed at promoting metacognitive engaement in clinical problem-solving.
From EdTech to Clinician Educator Development
After working with College of Medicine faculty on software for clinical problem-solving, I became the Director of Faculty Instructional Development at UArizona College of Medicine-Tucson. I collaborated closely with physicians on residents as educators training and partnered with them to improve how physicians teach in clinical and classroom settings. I enjoyed creating curricuum for the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center (UAHSC) interprofessional education programs, working with colleagues from the Colleges of Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy and Public Health. I also conducted and supported other faculty in doing education research in a variety of medical education settings. I learned a great deal from and with my colleagues as well as from student, community and patient participants.
What now?
After retiring from the UArizona, I created Twin Palms Consulting & Publishing, to offer consulting services in education and editing, and produce online courses for educators in clinical and classroom settings. I continue to teach in public education. Currently, I work as a math interventionist with diverse populations of students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Everyday I utilize what I learned from my work in medical and interprofessional education as well as my studies of language and culture in education.
Education
Professional Development
- PhD, Language, Culture and Education from the University of Arizona College of Education (2011)
- JD, Law, Brooklyn Law School (1986)
- EdS (Education Specialist degree), bilingual development and education (2003)
- BSW, SUNY at Stony Brook (1982)
- Fiction Fellowship, The CUNY Graduate Writers Institute (2010-11)
- Higher education certificate, Level 1, in flipped learning methodologies through the Flipped Learning Global Initiative (2019)
Skills
- Spanish, bilingual teaching
- Therapeutic and interpersonal communication
- Curriculum Development
- Teaching in clinical and interprofessional settings
- Education research
.jpeg)
Subscribe
to the Twin Palms Consulting & Publishing Newsletter