Authority Magazine: A Medium Publication | November 13, 2025
Dr. Karen Kolega, PeriGen’s Chief Nursing Officer, was recently interviewed by Jake Frankel for an article published in Authority Magazine. Preview the story below, and read the full story at medium.com.
Burnout among physicians and healthcare workers has reached critical levels, impacting both their well-being and the quality of patient care. Long hours, administrative burdens, emotional exhaustion, and systemic challenges contribute to this crisis. Hospitals and medical practices are now recognizing the urgency of this issue and implementing solutions to support their staff. What strategies are proving effective? How are healthcare organizations fostering resilience, improving work-life balance, and creating supportive environments for their teams? In this interview series, we are talking with hospital administrators, healthcare leaders, physicians, wellness experts, and mental health professionals about “How Hospitals and Medical Practices Are Helping To Reduce Physician and Healthcare Worker Burnout.” As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Karen Kolega.
Dr. Karen Kolega, DNP, MSN-CNL, RNC-OB, C-EFM, C-ONQS, FAWHONN, is the Chief Nursing Officer at PeriGen, where she leads clinical strategy and works to advance maternal-fetal safety through AI-powered decision support systems. With over 25 years of experience in perinatal nursing, Karen is a nationally recognized expert in obstetric safety, workforce development, and high-reliability care models. She also serves as the Florida State Chair for AWHONN and was recently named a Fellow of the organization for her sustained leadership in maternal health.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! I know that you are a very busy person. Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I grew up in a small beach town in southern New Jersey, the kind of place where the ocean becomes part of who you are. Even though I come from a long line of physicians, I initially wanted nothing to do with healthcare. I earned my undergraduate degree in Marketing with a concentration in Management Information Systems, a field that was still emerging at the time, and was the first woman to receive the top graduate award from the Marketing division. After graduation, I joined the Jesuit International Volunteer Corps and spent two years in American Samoa. That experience reshaped how I see the world and deepened my commitment to service, humility, and resilience. I’ve always lived by a kind of personal 70/20/10 rule: just as we give a portion of our income to causes we believe in, I dedicate a portion of my time to service. It’s an inherent part of my identity.
When I returned to the U.S., I worked in marketing by day and volunteered three nights a week at Kennestone Hospital’s Emergency Department in Atlanta. That’s where I first witnessed the full scope of what nurses really do. I was blown away by their grit, passion, and autonomy. They weren’t just supporting characters often portrayed in media; they were leading care, making critical decisions, and advocating fiercely for patients. That experience changed everything. Although many encouraged me to pursue medicine, I knew nursing was my true path. It was about purpose, impact, and balance. While in nursing school, I worked at a rural OB/GYN clinic and found myself drawn to the public health space. That placement sparked a lifelong commitment to women’s health that continues to shape my career today.
