Dr. Karen Wheeler, United States

A chance encounter changed Karen Wheeler’s life.

Nearly a decade ago, specializing in fertility care was not Karen Wheeler’s first priority while she completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency in Abington, Pennsylvania. A special connection with a patient experiencing infertility changed her career path.

During her obstetrics and gynecology training, the young Dr. Wheeler was a resident and later chief resident at Abington Memorial Hospital. There she met Maria, a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who deeply wanted to become pregnant.

Maria captured Dr. Wheeler’s attention—and her heart.

After that experience, there was little question how Dr. Wheeler, who joined RMA Philadelphia as a reproductive endocrinologist on April 11, would spend her career.

“I remember it clearly,” says Dr. Wheeler, who sees patients at RMA Philadelphia’s Abington and King of Prussia offices and provides a full range of fertility services, from testing to intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

“It was 2014, and I had just begun seeing more gynecologic infertility patients in the resident clinic. One patient in particular stayed with me.”

“Maria had nowhere else to turn and needed me. I guided her through IVF, and we formed a close connection. Working together and supporting her in achieving what mattered most meant everything to me. She became pregnant and had a baby, and for years afterward she sent me cards with photos of her son. The entire experience was transformative. As I went through it, I knew I had to do this work full time.”

Following her intuition has been a theme throughout Dr. Wheeler’s life.

Raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Dr. Wheeler has always followed her aspirations. Although neither parent pursued higher education, she knew from an early age that she enjoyed and excelled at science and would attend college.

She was right. In 2007, she graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. She then attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she earned her medical degree.

In 2012, she arrived at Abington Memorial Hospital, where she met Maria, completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency, and decided that her passion was reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI).

“After graduating from MIT, I wanted to attend medical school so I could become a pathologist and focus on research. But after my obstetrics and gynecology rotation, I appreciated the field’s fast pace and the connections with patients,” she says. “Then I met Maria and knew I had to focus on fertility care.”

In 2019, Dr. Wheeler completed her REI fellowship at Wayne State University and Detroit Medical Center, where she published important research on endometrial changes during early pregnancy.

Her research examined immune cells called macrophages and found that women with preeclampsia showed greater macrophage reactivity, rather than tolerance, early in pregnancy compared with women without preeclampsia. Although the causes of this reactivity and ways to prevent or reduce it remain uncertain, Dr. Wheeler’s findings added an important insight into physicians’ understanding of preeclampsia, a poorly understood pregnancy complication. This work also earned Dr. Wheeler the Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI) President’s Presenter Award.

In August 2019, just weeks after completing her fellowship, Dr. Wheeler joined Reproductive Medicine Associates of Michigan in Troy, Michigan, and has practiced fertility medicine ever since. The following year, she joined Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Michigan, as an assistant professor, teaching residents about obstetrics and gynecology and infertility.

Throughout this time, Dr. Wheeler built a thriving practice at RMA Michigan and was named a Detroit “Top Doctor” by fellow physicians in 2020 and 2021.

“When I consider why patients feel comfortable with me, I think it is because I am very honest about what we do and do not understand about fertility,” she says. “I like to educate patients about their condition and treatment options so they can make the choices that are right for them.”

“I am also genuinely invested in every patient, just as I was with Maria from the beginning.”

After two fast-paced, passionate, and inspiring years at RMA Michigan, Dr. Wheeler again felt her intuition guiding her. It was time to move forward, this time closer to home.

Eager to return to her family roots in Pennsylvania and join a practice where she could participate in daily clinical operations and decisions, Dr. Wheeler turned her attention to RMA Philadelphia. She had heard that the practice was beginning a teaching relationship with Abington Memorial Hospital, where she had fond memories of residency.

A few months later, she was invited to join the practice as a new fertility physician.

“I feel fortunate to be at RMA Philadelphia,” Dr. Wheeler says. “I am excited not only to see patients in the Abington and King of Prussia offices, but also to work with outstanding Philadelphia physicians and begin teaching at Abington Hospital.”

“Honestly, the entire experience feels like coming—and settling—home.”

Dr. Wheeler is an experienced runner who has completed seven marathons, including the Philadelphia Marathon, and she is looking forward to one more thing.

“I cannot wait to explore Philadelphia’s running routes with Clara, my five-year-old golden retriever,” she says. “Running is my time to relieve stress, meditate, and reflect on how much I value my work.”

“Family has always been important to me, and helping build families every day is a dream come true.”