Karen Aguirre, MS, MPH

Director of Training and Engagement
She/Her/ Ella

Karen Aguirre joined NAMI Chicago in May 2025 as Director of Training and Engagement. She has many years of experience in non-profit strategic planning, healthcare administration, and community engagement. She also leverages her lived experiences to bridge Chicago communities with vital resources to increase quality of life.

Before joining NAMI Chicago, Karen worked at the American Medical Association, where she led the design and implementation of social justice education projects for physicians and health systems, focusing on quality, safety, and health equity.  She also worked at West Side United, where she collaborated on a healthcare strategy for six Chicago hospitals to address life expectancy gaps resulting in large scale investments to marginalized neighborhoods. Karen’s daily inspiration is figuring out how to build culturally responsive healthcare programming to best fit the needs that communities express.

Karen earned her BS in Health Administration from Loyola University Chicago, her MPH in Health Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a MS in Health Systems Management from Rush University. Karen is passionate about mentoring and investing in youth leadership. She also enjoys training with her German Shepherd, gastronomy, and stoop hangouts on the block.