Karen H. Frith, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, is Professor of Nursing, University of Alabama in Huntsville. She has been a nurse educator for 20 years and has an active program of research in health services research focusing on nurse staffing and patient outcomes. She co-founded a startup company that has developed decision support software for nurse leaders to improve operational decision making. She is a member of American Organization of Nurse Executives and served for two years on the national Patient Safety Committee for AONE. She is a member of Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and the Southern Nursing Research Society. She serves as reviewer (grants and articles) for Sigma Theta Tau, Health Resources and Services Administration, Journal of Nursing Administration, Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, Computers, Informatics, Nursing, Journal of Health & Medical Informatics, and Nurse Educator among others. She has authored over 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals, authored the book, Distance Education in Nursing (3rd edition), contributed chapters to three other books, and presents nationally.

Her previous clinical positions experience is in cardiovascular surgical intensive care, coronary intensive care, and orthopedics. She is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as Nurse Executive, Advanced (NEA-BC).