Karen Luetsch

Dr Karen Luetsch is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, at the University of Queensland. She completed her undergraduate pharmacy training and Doctor of Philosophy at Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt in Germany before relocating to Australia in 1995. Luetsch brings extensive practical experience from hospital pharmacy, where she worked as a specialist pharmacist and manager. She has played key roles in the design, management, and delivery of educational initiatives targeted at health professionals across various healthcare settings. Additionally, she holds a Senior Research Fellow position at the University of South Australia, conducting a realist review and evaluation of a major educational program aimed at optimizing the utilization of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in autoimmune diseases. Previously recognized as Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy at UQ, she is a member of the Australian Pharmacy Examining Council and contributes to postgraduate clinical pharmacy programs.

Luetsch's research focuses on pharmacy and health professional education, pharmacists' attitudes and behaviours in practice, realist research in these areas, patient-centred communication, and interprofessional practice. As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she has advanced teaching excellence in pharmacy education. Her key publications include 'A realist synthesis of pharmacist-conducted medication reviews in primary care after leaving hospital: what works for whom and why?' (BMJ Quality & Safety, 2021), 'Realist research to inform pharmacy practice and policy' (Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 2021), 'A realist review of pharmacists’ integration and participation in interprofessional ward rounds: what works, for whom, why and in what circumstances' (Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 2025), 'Resilience and empathy in pharmacy interns: Insights from a three-year cohort study' (Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, 2023), 'Community opioid dispensing prevalence and patterns in adults with spinal cord injury in Queensland: a retrospective data linkage study' (Spinal Cord, 2025), 'An investigation of academic resilience, resilience, and empathy in pharmacy students: Implications for pharmacy education' (Pharmacy Education, 2024), 'Opportunities and achievements—experiences of pharmacists as Foundation Residency Program residents—a qualitative study' (Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, 2024), and a book chapter 'An introduction to how realist research can inform pharmacy practice and policy' (Contemporary research methods in pharmacy and health services, 2022). She serves as Assistant Editor for the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research. Through her realist syntheses and qualitative studies, Luetsch's work provides critical insights into mechanisms supporting effective pharmacy interventions, professional resilience, education, and policy development in healthcare.