Karen Hall is a compassionate and purpose-driven professional with over two decades of experience in administration, project management, IT systems, and healthcare ministry. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Karen’s personal journey fuels her unwavering dedication to improving health outcomes and advocating for individuals facing serious health challenges.

 

Karen leads the Cancer Support Transformation, Inc. (CST), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers—especially in under-resourced communities across Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. CST provides free aftercare services, educational resources, emotional support, peer groups, and patient navigation, all aimed at reducing health disparities and providing compassionate care. CST helps guide individuals through their cancer journey with dignity and hope.

 

Karen’s community engagement and advocacy activities include working with organizations such as the American Cancer Society and Gilda’s Club of Chicago. She serves as a Community Advisory Board Member for Equal Hope, is the Treasurer of the Lions Knights of Prevention and Education (K.O.P.E.), has a collaboration agreement with the UIC/Auburn Gresham Neighborhood Center, and co-facilitates the University of Illinois Breast Cancer Survivorship Collaborative 14-week training. These roles focus on advancing patient-centered cancer care and supporting mental and emotional health.

 

Karen received the 2025 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service. CST won UIC’s 2025 Hope Leadership Program award for forging community-academic partnerships to advance cancer health equity through lab science.

 

Beyond CST, Karen is a licensed teacher with the Universal Foundation for Better Living (UFBL) and faculty member at the Johnnie Colemon Institute, where she integrates spiritual wellness into her holistic approach.