Dr. Karen Thies, DO

Expert Publications

• Identifying the educational implications of chronic illness in school children.
• The health and education leadership project: a school initiative for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions.
• Communication as a progressive curriculum concept.
• The clinical application of mental health concepts in the integrated curriculum.
• Organochlorine residues in bats from Eckert James River Cave, Texas.

Media Releases

Get to know Obstetrician-Gynecologist Dr. Karen Thies, who serves patients in Columbia, Missouri.

A prominent obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Thies is affiliated with Missouri OB/GYN Associates-Keene, and serves as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Her clinical and research interests include general gynecology and obstetrical care, operative laparoscopy, vaginal surgery, adolescent gynecology, colposcopy, sexually transmitted diseases, and women’s health.

Originally from Osceola, Missouri, she has come a long way from her childhood, but she wouldn’t trade her rural upbringing. Her nontraditional path into medicine began with an engineering career. After a decade of university teaching, research and design (including contributions to University of Missouri athletics facilities), she decided to follow in the footsteps of her father, whose 45-year legacy serving rural patients inspired her commitment to provide quality medical care.

After earning her medical degree at the Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences, Dr. Thies completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and spent the first half of her medical career in a full spectrum private practice setting.

Now, as a member of the University of Missouri faculty, she combines patient care with research and education, including service as a mentor for medical students and residents. Through these opportunities, she hopes to see a legacy of obstetrical gynecology residents evolve into exceptional physicians known for their morals and competency in medical care.

Following her training, the doctor attained board certification in obstetrics & gynecology through the American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AOBOG), which is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) who specialize in the care of the female reproductive tract and children during the course of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period (obstetricians) and to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the female reproductive tract (gynecologists).

Obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period) and gynecology (covering the health of the female reproductive system – vagina, cervix, uterus, ovaries, and breasts).

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