Dr Karen Frame

Karen Frame MB BS MSc. FRCP DTM&H is a Palliative Care Consultant who is interim Head of Clinical Skills Professional Practice and Placements for the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine and joint Domain lead for Clinical Communication for Imperial College School of Medicine.

Karen has worked as a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Imperial College Health Care NHS trust since 2008, and worked to establish the renal palliative care service at Hammersmith. During her specialist training and as a junior doctor she spent considerable time in Uganda developing an interest in palliative care in low resource settings and embarking on a career in medical education.

Karen has wide experience in medical and allied health care education, undergraduate and postgraduate in the UK and abroad. She first worked with The Tropical Health and Education Trust and University of Bristol in 2000 to develop a Masters programme in Internal Medicine for Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda. Later whilst on out of programme experience as a specialist registrar working with Hospice Africa Uganda in 2004 – 2006 she led the distance learning degree in palliative care for African health professionals affiliated to Makerere University Kampala, Uganda.

Since completing specialist training Karen has regularly taught palliative care and communication skills to undergraduate and postgraduate doctors and allied health professionals. Karen is an advanced communication skills training facilitator, delivering advanced communication skills courses nationally. She has also developed bespoke clinical communication courses for nurses, AHPs, and trainee and specialist doctors both specialty specific eg. interventional radiologists and with generic focus eg. challenging communication and end of life care.

During her time at ICHNT Karen has been a clinical supervisor and educational supervisor for postgraduate trainees, mentored and supervised nurse prescribers, developed a competency based training course to support progression from Band 6 to Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialists in Palliative Care, worked as Foundation Training Programme Director for St Mary’s Site, She has also been trust lead for physician associates and physician associate students and worked with a small team to introduce Schwartz rounds first to ICHNT and later to ICSM.

At ICSM Karen has worked to develop new the curriculum such that communication skills are integrated with the reality of clinical practice throughout the 6 years.

Karen is currently Head of Clinical Skills Professional Practice and Placements for the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine focusing on ensuring that students develop the necessary skills, knowledge and attributes to prepare them as well as possible for a career in medicine.