Karen Gold, Ph.D, MSW, RSW

Curriculum Lead, Narrative-Based Medicine Lab
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Ontario, Canada

Email: k.gold@sympatico.ca

Karen is a clinical social worker, educator and narrative medicine facilitator with 30 years experience in academic healthcare. She was an Adjunct Instructor for the Masters of Social Work program at the University of Toronto for many years. As a hospital-based educator she promoted collaborative practice and had a particular interest in communication skills and person-centered care. In 2013 she graduated with her PhD (cum laude) from Tilburg University and her dissertation was a narrative inquiry into relational moments in healthcare practice. Karen is a certified writing workshop facilitator and has led writing groups for practitioners, learners, patients, and various community organizations.  

She is currently in freelance practice and teaching in the Narrative-Based Medicine Lab at the University of Toronto – a continuing professional development program for healthcare providers, writers, educators, and all those interested in the intersection of narrative and health. She has a particular interest in how narrative methods promote dialogue and contribute to resilient professional community. She lives in Toronto with her family and draws inspiration from reading, writing and her own art-making practice. 

Recent publications include a chapter on narrative medicine in The Sage Handbook of Social Constructionist Practice and a reflective essay on the poet Mary Oliver. Her musings can be found at www.artofthestoryblog.com