Karen Kasmauski

Karen Kasmauski has photographed over 25 major stories for National Geographic, covering subjects as diverse as Appalachia, Japanese culture, and the effects of Radiation. In recent years, for Geographic and for a variety of non-profits, she has focused on sweeping global health stories, such as the worldwide struggle against disease, the search for an AIDS cure, and the mysteries of aging. Although she is extremely conversant in the science behind the stories, her work is anything but abstract or academic. Rather, Kasmauski finds the personal stories behind the headlines, blending a warm human sensitivity with a photographer’s eye for detail to distill global issues into resonant images.

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Kasmauski’s most recent book, the award-winning Nurse: A World of Care, explored the worldwide issues facing the nursing profession. As she did with her earlier book, Impact: From the Frontlines of Global Health, Kasmauski tells stories of dedicated medical professionals—“front line soldiers” in the war against suffering and disease—from the frozen rivers of Alaska to the slums of Nairobi.

Kasmauski was awarded the first Getty Images Grant for Good, allowing her to develop compelling new imagery on a community-based non-profit organization in Tennessee. Kasmauski recently completed a Knight Fellowship at Ohio University, where she received an M.A. in media management. Recent assignments have taken her to Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, Honduras and Gaza. She is currently developing a documentary film on Japanese War Brides.