Rate My Professor Karen Sun

Karen Sun, MD, is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. She earned a B.S. in Psychobiology and East Asian Studies from Yale University in 1989 and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1996. Sun completed her internship, residency, and fellowship in Pediatrics at UCSF, serving as chief resident during her residency, which she finished in 1999. She is board-certified in Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics and participated in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training at the University of California in 2019.

In her career at UCSF, Sun has advanced to key leadership roles, including Division Chief of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Clinical Chief of the Division of Pediatric Pain, Palliative, and Integrative Medicine, and Associate Director of the Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative & Integrative Medicine at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. She previously served as chief of the hospital medicine division in the Department of Pediatrics. As a pediatric hospitalist and pain medicine specialist, she utilizes integrative therapies, including acupuncture, to manage acute and chronic pain in children and provides sedation to reduce pain and anxiety during procedures.

Sun's scholarly work addresses pain management and quality improvement in pediatric hospital care. Notable publications include "Assessment and Treatment of Pain in Hospitalized Children at a Tertiary Children's Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Mixed Methods Survey" (Children, 2024); "Keeping Time: Implementing Appointment-based Family-centered Rounds" (Pediatric Quality & Safety, 2019); "Laser acupuncture reduces pain in pediatric kidney biopsies: a randomized controlled trial" (Pain, 2017); and "Should there be pediatric neurohospitalists?" (Neurology, 2013). She received the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators' Excellence in Teaching Award and contributes to education through activities such as the UCSF Pediatric Pain Master Class.