Karen Bauer, MD
Dr. Bauer is board certified pediatrician in both General Pediatrics and Pediatric Hospital Medicine. Her dual-board certification allows her to care for children from birth through young adulthood, supporting each stage of development, ranging from preventative care to acute care for hospitalized children.
She attended the University of Chicago-Pritzker School of Medicine, where she graduated with the highest honors, known as AOA. After medical school, Dr. Bauer completed her pediatric residency at Stanford University and was selected to stay for one additional year as a Chief Resident.
For the past 15 years, Dr. Bauer has cared for children and young adults at Stanford Children’s Hospital, as a community hospitalist, eventually leading her team of pediatricians across three areas — the newborn nursery (healthy babies), the intermediate care nursery (premature and sick babies), and the general pediatric acute care unit (sick kids ranging from birth to young adulthood).
Dr. Bauer is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at the Stanford School of Medicine, where she teaches medical students and residents. She currently serves on the Medical Executive Committee at Stanford Children’s Hospital. Beginning in the fall, Dr. Bauer will assume the role of Vice President of the Stanford Children’s Hospital Medical Staff.
She believes each patient deserves personalized care that integrates new, forward-thinking ideas rather than a conventional one-size-fits-all model — ensuring that each family’s values and preferences shape the care they receive. Her approach also emphasizes the emotional and developmental well-being of her patients, alongside a thoughtful focus on minimizing exposure to environmental toxins.
Her work also includes a range of projects related to well-being, one of which is being published in the New England Journal Medicine Catalyst. In 2025, she received the Stanford Children’s Hospital Medical Staff Impact Award for this work. Previously, she served as the Associate Medical Director of Peer Support, helping community physicians cope with traumatic events.
Outside of the hospital, Dr. Bauer served on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Firefighter’s Cancer Prevention Foundation, which was instrumental in changing nationwide consumer laws that removed toxic chemicals from consumer products (e.g., children’s mattresses and car seats). She continues to volunteer for this foundation.
Dr. Bauer grew up in a Chicago suburb and attended the University of Missouri (Mizzou), where she played soccer in the Big 12 Conference and served as team captain, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She and her husband love to travel with their two children, especially in Europe and the United States. In the summer, her favorite place is Lake Tahoe. And, she will never say no to a delicious pastry, an Italian coffee, or a White Burgundy.