Karen F. Hidalgo was born and raised in Mexicali, Mexico. She attended school in California, then moved to Ottawa in 2016 to pursue an Honours Bachelors degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in Biomedical Science. Karen initially joined CAPSA in 2019 as a Capstone Field Placement student. She currently sits on the Executive Board of Directors at Mental Health Without Borders and has since completed a Master’s of Education in Health Professions from the University of Ottawa. Along with her educational background and her role as a Knowledge Broker, she brings her expertise as a person with living experience of chronic illness and concurrent disorders. Karen is a supervisor for the Capstone Field Placement students from Carleton University, and the lead coordinator for CAPSA’s WOW (Working on Wellness) Festival every year. Her main interests are in student Mental Health and Substance Use Health, trauma-and-violence informed care, and health care providers’ practice of non-stigmatizing language and attitudes in Substance Use Health services and supports.