Karen Trister Grace

Dr. Karen Trister Grace is an Assistant Professor at George Mason University in the School of Nursing. Her research interests are in intimate partner violence, reproductive coercion, pregnancy intention, and health equity. She is the lead editor of the 3rd edition of the “Prenatal & Postnatal Care: A Person-Centered Approach” textbook. Before coming to Mason, Dr. Grace completed her PhD at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has been a practicing midwife since 2000 and has taught in nursing education since 2007. Dr. Grace is the faculty advisor for Mason’s chapter of Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health, and a co-founder of the College’s Health Equity Journal Club.

Research 

Research Interests

• Reproductive coercion
• Intimate partner violence
• Pregnancy intention
• Midwifery
• Nursing
• Health disparities
• Health equity
• Sexual & reproductive health

Select Publications

• Kanselaar, S., Zhang, C., Grace, K.T., Lindley, L., Zaidi, J., & Gupta, J. (2023). Exploring disability as a determinant of girl child marriage in fragile states: a multi-country analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.07.009

• Grace, K. T., & Miller, E. (2023). Future directions for reproductive coercion and abuse research. Reproductive Health, 20(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-022-01550-3 (Invited)

• Grace, K.T., Glass, N.E., Miller, E., Alexander, K.A., Holliday, C.N., Decker, M.R. (2022). Birth control sabotage motivation and measurement: A mixed-methods analysis among Latina women. Violence Against Women, online first. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221145292

• Grace, K.T., Decker, M. R., Holliday, C. N., Talis, J. M., & Miller, E. (2022). Reproductive coercion in college health clinic patients: Risk factors, care seeking and perpetration. Journal of Advanced Nursing, epub ahead of print. https://doi:10.1111/jan.15207 

• Decker, M. R., Grace, K.T., Holliday, C. N., Bevilacqua, K. G., Kaur, A., & Miller, J. (2022). Safe and Stable Housing for Intimate Partner Violence Survivors, Maryland, 2019-2020. American Journal of Public Health, epub ahead of print. https://doi:10.2105/AJPH.2022.306728

• Grace, K. T., Holliday, C. N., Bevilacqua, K. G., Kaur, A., Miller, J., & Decker, M. R. (2022). Sexual and reproductive health and reproductive coercion in women victim/survivors receiving housing support. Journal of Family Violence. https://doi:10.1007/s10896-022-00362-0

• Grace, K.T., Perrin, N.A., Clough, A., Miller, E., & Glass, N.E. (2020). Correlates of reproductive coercion among college women in abusive relationships: baseline data from the college safety study. Journal of American College Health, 1-8. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2020.1790570

• Grace, K.T., Decker, M.R., Alexander, K.A., Campbell, J., Miller, E. Perrin, N. & Glass, N.  (2020). Reproductive coercion, intimate partner violence and unintended pregnancy among Latina women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, epub, 1-33. doi: 10.1177/0886260520922363

• Grace, K. T., Alexander, K. A., Jeffers, N. K., Miller, E., Decker, M. R., Campbell, J., & Glass, N. (2020). Experiences of reproductive coercion among Latina women and strategies for minimizing harm:  “The path makes us strong”. Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, 65(2): 248-256. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.13061

• Grace, K.T. & Anderson, J.C. (2016). Reproductive coercion: A systematic review. Journal of Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 19(4), 371-390. doi: 10.1177/1524838016663935 PMCID: PMC5577387

Affiliations and Memberships

• Member

           Maryland Maternal Mortality Review Team

• Survey Committee Chair

           Division of Research, American College of Nurse Midwives

• Scholarship reviewer

           ACNM Foundation 

• Consulting Editor, Sexual & Reproductive Health

  Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health

Honors and Awards

Fellow, American College of Nurse-Midwives, 2019

Degree

• PhD, Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, 2019
• MSN, Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, 2000
• BSN, Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, 1998
• BA, Sociology, Barnard College, 1991