Karen Musgrove PhD, MEd, LPC

Karen has extensive experience in HIV case management, service delivery, HIV prevention, LGBTQ issues and programs, community collaborations on research, prevention, and service delivery. At the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Karen is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work, Honors College, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health. Karen has been published with 8 research works HIV retention in care, and LGBTQ health and health disparities.  Karen has experience in case management, grant writing, grant administration, administrating new programs, management of funding, program development, speaking on a variety of subjects, natural disaster emergency response, and community collaboration.

Karen graduated in 2020 from the UAB School of Public Health and with a dissertation research topic, “Exploring the Physical and Mental Health Disparities in the Transgender Male Community in a Southern Community-Based Medical LGBTQ Organization”  to bring attention to the transgender medical and mental health needs. Karen was awarded Outstanding Doctor of Philosophy Student of the Year (2020-2021), School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Honors include: University of Montevallo, Counseling Alumni of the Year, 2024; Nonprofit Leader of the Year 2023, nominee; Who’s Who in Nonprofits 2023, Birmingham Business Journal, 202; Who’s Who in Nonprofits 2022, Birmingham Business Journal, 2022; Humanitarian of the Year, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, Alabama, 2022; Leadership Alabama, 2019; Leadership Birmingham, 2015; The Women’s Network; American Red Cross Mental Health Volunteer, World Trade Center 9/11, 2001; Top 40 under 40, Birmingham Business Journal, 2001; Smart Woman 2012, The Women’s Fund.  

Karen has served on the following non-profit boards: Volunteer Lawyers of Birmingham, Sidewalk Film Festival; The Magic City Choral Society – founding board member, past chair; Karen is a lifelong resident of Birmingham, AL.  In her free time Karen can be found at the pottery studio.

Bringing to life her belief in the correlation of clay movement and enhancing the mental health of our clients.  At NewCircle, Karen is bringing her love of pottery to our art studio, teaching weekly classes.