Kara Birch, RN, DNP, NP

Title(s)Associate Professor, Community Health Systems
SchoolSchool of Nursing
Address2 Koret Way, #531J
San Francisco CA 94143
Phone415-502-2041
vCardDownload vCard

    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse Education and Training
    University of TennesseeDNP, Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Family Practice and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse PractitionerSchool of Nursing
    University of North FloridaBSN, Nursing, Minor in Public HealthSchool of Nursing
    University of North FloridaBS, BiologyCollege of Arts and Science
    Collapse Awards and Honors
    Centers of Excellence in Practice-Based Research and Learning2015  - 2016Practice Based Research Fellow

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse Overview
    As a dual board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Dr. Birch's priority focus lies in integrated, evidence based, trauma informed care that addresses the often under-identified mental health concerns of patients seeking medical care and how these conditions complicate the trajectory of medical illnesses and patients' well being. As an educator she aims to help develop the next generation of clinicians through integrated clinical, didactic, individual and interprofessional educational experiences that leverage key components from technology to self-reflection. Contributions at varying levels include teaching in both masters and doctoral programs and conducting national level curriculum development through the VA Nurse Practitioner Residency taskforce. In the nurse therapist role she journeys alongside and holds hope for others. She has received training in narrative based trauma therapy, strategic family therapy, DBT, CBT, PST and ACT. She has primarily focused on practice-based research in integrated care from inpatient medicine consultation to mental health in primary care, currently serving as Co-Project Director for a multi-year HRSA Nursing Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention grant focusing on enhancing mental health integration in a local FQHC. With a passion for patient centered system improvement and experience in Population Health she aims to focus on better management of the varied co-morbid physical and mental health concerns of patients while solving real-world concerns for teams such as reducing cost and improving outcomes.

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse Research Activities and Funding
    Expanding Integrated Care in a Homeless Resource Center
    HRSA Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention UD7HP29874
    Role: Co-Project Director
    Description: Advancing mental health integration, nursing education and academic practice in a local FQHC including needs assessment, training, workflow and role development, program evaluation, direct psychiatric consultation, and grant reporting.

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse Publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Just Another Patient? Student Reflections on Providing Mental Health Care to Transgender and Gender Expansive People During Simulated Encounters. Nurs Educ Perspect. 2023 Dec 14. Schwindt RG, Posey L, Zhou Q, Birch K. PMID: 38099838.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    2. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners as Leaders in Behavioral Health Integration. J Nurse Pract. 2021 Jan; 17(1):112-115. Birch K, Ling A, Phoenix B. PMID: 33013243; PMCID: PMC7525267.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3  
    Co-Authors (2)
    People in Profiles who have published with this person.
    _
    Same Department
    Search Department
    _