Karen is an Associate Professor of Health and Physical Education in the Faculty of Education on Monash Peninsula campus. Her research interests lie in gender, sexuality, sport, place, health education, curriculum policy, and teaching pedagogies. She gained her PhD from the University of Wollongong in 2006 via an exploration of the ways in which sexual identity and place may be considered mutually constitutive.

Karen is an experienced health and physical education teacher, lecturer and professional presenter having held teaching positions at the University of Sydney, Ottawa University and University of Western Sydney. She has established a strong professional profile in Australia by exploring the ways in which pedagogical change associated with the Australian Curriculum is being taken on board and implemented at all levels of teaching. As a keen pedagogist, environmentalist and creative thinker Karen is eager to explore the ways in which health, bodies and movement education can be sustainable, equitable and socially just.

Karen's research interests lie in:

• gender and sexualities studies
• place and sense of place
• qualitative research methods
• poetic forms of representation
• critical theory
• youth health
• mental health and wellbeing
• gender based violence 
• embodiment, embodied pedagogies and embodied learning
• HPE and sport
• HPE curriculum policy
• HPE teaching pedagogies

Karen identifies as a queer poststructural feminist theorist and critical pedagogist. Drawing on concepts from critical social theory, policy enactment, feminist geographies and embodied pedagogies she seeks To be an impactful intersectional social changemaker. The central question driving this work is, How can I crack the façade of patriarchy operating in HPE and sport through innovative and enterprising intersectional, research, pedagogy and partnerships?

EDF2075 Planning, teaching and learniing in health and physical education

EDF3091 Health, wellbeing and sustainability in global contexts

EDF3092 Contemporary youth health issues

EDF4097 Senior secondary physical education

Karen is a keen and active volunteer for animals, vegetables and young people. She is currently an SES volunteer in Victoria. Past volunteering experiences in 2008 and 2010 include:

• Botshobelo school and orphange (South Africa)
• Merazonia animal refuge (Equador)
• IntiWari Yasi animal refuge (Bolivia)
• Travellers not Tourists school (Peru)
• WWOOFER (Hawaii, Spain)
• Jhongli English Village (Taiwan)
• Elephant Nature Park (Thailand)

Association of Independent Schools NSW (2014, 2018)

Hudson International (2014)

Teacher Training Australia (2013-2015)