Studied at the Universities of St Andrews and Manchester, UK. It was in these formative years she discovered her passion for rheumatology. However it was during her Specialist training in rheumatology in the West Midlands deanery that she developed an interest in comorbidity in Rheumatoid Arthritis, specifically in the field of cardiovascular disease. As a research fellow at the Dudley Group of hospitals, UK she studied the abnormalities in haemostasis in Rheumatoid Arthritis. She was pivotal in the concept and establishment of the now infamous DRACCO cohort. Her individual work in haemostasis showed that the coagulation system was up regulated in the presence of inflammation and was influenced by the metabolic syndrome including insulin resistance. Dr Karen Douglas is a Consultant Rheumatologist at the Dudley Group NHS FT, in the West Midlands where alongside a role in clinical rheumatology she continues to work in the field of CVD in RA, supports a team of clinical fellows and is active in commercial trial work.