Karen Saban, PhD, RN, CNRN, FAHA, FAAN
Professor
Endowed Chair for Research
Karen L. Saban, PhD, RN, CNRN, FAHA, FAAN is Professor and Endowed Chair for Research at Loyola University Chicago’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, where she leads initiatives to expand research capacity and foster student and faculty scholarship.
Her program of research centers on the effects of stress, resilience, and social determinants on cardiometabolic health, with a particular focus on women. She is currently principal investigator (MPI) on an NIH/NIA R01 examining the impact of a stress reduction intervention on well-being, inflammation, and epigenetic changes in Black women at risk for cardiovascular disease. Over the course of her career, Dr. Saban has secured more than $15 million in extramural funding from the NIH, VA, Department of Defense, PCORI, and private foundations to support her research on stress, inflammation, health disparities, and innovative biobehavioral interventions. Widely published in leading nursing and interdisciplinary journals, she has advanced understanding of biobehavioral mechanisms linking stress to health disparities and helped pioneer interventions integrating mindfulness, genomics, and whole-person health approaches.
A Fellow of both the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Nursing, Dr. Saban has received multiple awards for her contributions to nursing science, including the 2023 Sage Award and induction into Sigma Theta Tau International’s Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2025. She is a dedicated mentor to students and early-career investigators, guiding trainees through NIH K and TL1 awards, and continues to shape the next generation of nurse scientists.
Research Interests
Stress, resilience, and cardiometabolic disease
Specialty Area
Cardiovascular, neurology, epigenetics