Research output per year
Research output per year
Associate Professor, Dr
Research activity per year
Karen Bell is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and Arts, Faculty of Arts and Education. She co-leads the Environmental and Social Justice research group and the Future of the Professions (Sturt) research group.
Karen completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in legal studies and philosophy (La Trobe University Melbourne, 1986) a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours, University of Melbourne, 1988) and a PhD (CSU, 2009). She was granted a CSU Research Fellowship (2018-2020).
Karen’s professional practice experience is mainly in health as a generalist hospital social worker and in mental health as an on-site social worker in a regional psychiatric unit. She has also undertaken various contract and locum positions in health and community services over the years. In addition, she worked at Centrelink in direct and indirect practice roles including staff training and development, reviews and projects.
Karen’s doctoral thesis - The experiences and support needs of non-metropolitan women who have used assisted reproduction clinics – explored the experiences of rural women in relation to infertility and assisted reproduction and the role of social work and human service professionals in this context. The dominant paradigm in assisted reproduction remains quite traditional, biomedical and individualistic in its ontological orientation. This shapes regulation, research and service provision. A major outcome of this research is its contribution to a post-conventional knowledge base in relation to human reproduction – one that validates women’s epistemic agency. In terms of health and social services delivery, the research reinforces a need for a multidisciplinary, human rights approach to service delivery in the context of IVF in Australia and internationally.
Karen has worked in social work education at CSU since 1993, initially as a sessional academic and since 2000, as a tenured academic. Karen teaches at all levels in the social work and human services degrees, including undergraduate and postgraduate subjects. She coordinates the Bachelor of Social Work Honours program, the Masters-level research strand, and the Doctor of Social Work degree. In addition, she supervises PhD and DSW students, and she has examined several PhD theses. Karen has also co-facilitated several international student mobility programs (China, India, Samoa, Korea).
Research interests include:
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research output: Book chapter/Published conference paper › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report (public)
Research output: Other contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
Research output: Book chapter/Published conference paper › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Bell, Karen (Recipient), Bowles, Wendy (Recipient) & Pawar, Manohar (Recipient), 2018
Prize: Award
Garner, Jane (Recipient), Garrison, Kasey (Recipient), Wardle, Sabine (Recipient) & Bell, Karen (Recipient), Jun 2021
Prize: Grant › Successful
Garner, Jane (Recipient), Garrison, Kasey (Recipient), Wardle, Sabine (Recipient) & Bell, Karen (Recipient), 2021
Prize: Grant › Successful
Bell, Karen (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Award
Karen Bell (Speaker)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Public lecture/debate/seminar/presentation › Academic
Sandra Savocchia (Organiser), Ramudu Bhanugopan (Organiser) & Karen Bell (Organiser)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Conference/Symposium › Academic
Sabine Wardle (Consultant) & Karen Bell (Consultant)
Activity: Other Engagement › Collaboration/partnership › Industry
Karen Bell (Presenter)
Activity: Academic engagement & professional development › Content creation/delivery
Karen Bell (Visiting researcher) & Bernadette Moorhead (Visiting researcher)
Activity: Visiting an external institution › Visiting an external organisation › Academic
Jane Garner, Kasey Garrison, Sabine Wardle, Karen Bell & Sarah Redshaw
01/02/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
11/05/21
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
11/05/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
Heather Boetto, Wendy Bowles & Karen Bell
19/04/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
Heather Boetto, Wendy Bowles & Karen Bell
06/04/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
Bernadette Moorhead (Presenter) & Karen Bell (Presenter)
Impact: Social Impact