Karen Capwell (she/her/hers) has applied her expertise in the evaluation and control of workplace health hazards to keep people safe and healthy at work for over 25 years. She joined ERG in 2012 after implementing safety and health programs in pharmaceutical/biotech laboratories for 15 years. Karen has supported a variety of federal clients in addressing compelling occupational health challenges ranging from safe patient handling, nanotechnology, and tree care hazards to diesel particulate matter, flame retardants, isocyanates, and respirable crystalline silica. Her work has included development of a variety of technical guidance documents, including quick cards, hazard alerts, storyboards for virtual training and webpages, safety manuals and procedures, and several chapters in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Technical Manual. She has also supported technological feasibility and risk analyses for federal rulemakings addressing occupational health and safety hazards.

Karen holds a B.S. in biology from Cornell University and an S.M. in industrial hygiene from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and she is a Certified Industrial Hygienist. Karen enjoys seeing musicals on stage, hiking, and canoeing. She loves cooking and is always trying new recipes and looking for ways to simplify them (while sneaking in more veggies). She maintains a cooking notebook for her kitchen experiments, where she practices the art of recording them in the clearest, briefest style possible.