Kara Odom Walker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kara Odom Walker MD
Walker at TANF Awards of Excellence in 2018
Secretary of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
In office February 6, 2017 – June 2020
Governor	John Carney
Personal details
Alma mater	University of Delaware, BS, 1999 Jefferson Medical College, MD, 2004 Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, MPH, 2003 University of California, Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health, MSHS, 2009
Previous Workplaces	University of California, San Francisco, 2010 – 2012 Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, 2012 – 2017
Current Workplace	Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Kara Odom Walker is an important leader in health policy. She works as the Chief Population Health Officer at Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. In this role, she helps improve the health and well-being of children. She looks after the health of many children, especially those cared for by Nemours Children's.

Dr. Walker is also a practicing family doctor. She leads Nemours' primary care network in the Delaware Valley. She also helps with programs that focus on specific groups of people, like those needing special medical care or school wellness programs.

Before working at Nemours, Dr. Walker served as the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. This was from February 2017 to June 2020. She was also a Deputy Chief Science Officer at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). In 2018, she was chosen to be part of the National Academy of Medicine.

Kara Odom Walker's Education

Kara Odom Walker went to high school in Bear, Delaware. She was the top student in her class at Caravel Academy. After high school, she attended the University of Delaware. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1999. She graduated with honors.

She then went to Jefferson Medical College and became a doctor in 2004. While studying there, she also earned a Master of Public Health degree. This degree, from Johns Hopkins University, focused on health policy and management.

After medical school, Dr. Walker moved to California. She completed her training in family medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. She then became a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles. There, she also earned a Masters of Health Services Research in 2009. During this time, she studied how hospital closures affected minority groups in Los Angeles.

Kara Odom Walker's Career

In 2010, Dr. Odom Walker became a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. She researched health differences among people. She also worked to find the best ways to give high-quality care that met patients' needs.

In 2012, she joined the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). She became a Program Officer and then Deputy Chief Science Officer in 2013. PCORI helps fund research that compares different medical treatments. After five years at PCORI, she decided to work in public service.

Serving Delaware's Health

On February 6, 2017, Dr. Odom Walker became the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. She worked for Governor John Carney. As Secretary, she created plans and programs to improve patient care in Delaware.

She also led Delaware's efforts during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. She paid special attention to older citizens and people who were more vulnerable. In March 2020, she warned that many young adults were testing positive for COVID-19. She urged everyone, including younger people, to be careful.

In June 2020, Dr. Odom Walker left her role as Delaware Health Secretary. She took a new position at Nemours Children's Health System in Washington. She became their Senior Vice President and Chief Health Officer.

Awards and Honors

• Elected Fellow, National Academy of Medicine, 2018