Karen Howard

Karen Howard is a PR rep hired by the hospital board to improve their image after the shooting.

History
Karen was hired by the Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital board after the hospital shooting. She decided to make a sizzle reel, or multiple sizzle reels, like commercials for the hospital to encourage people to come there for their medical care. She showed Richard footage of him from an interview he'd done where he was flustered. After April confirmed that it was terrible, he agreed to do the reel.

They initially tried to film the reel with Owen, but with his poor performance, they tried working with April instead. However, after seeing Jackson Avery, Karen decided he had "the face" she wanted for the hospital. When his nerves made him unable to talk on camera, Karen decided to film the reel with Richard.

She brought in a cart of awards, which weren't even Richard's, and hired actors to play the family of a man who was just cured of cancer. Richard protested that it was nothing like it would be in real life, so she suggested he pitch instead of bitch and asked him how he would do it.

The final reel involved Richard, Owen, April, and Jackson talking to the camera about why they became doctors and how the shooting changed them. Jackson was only able to perform because he thought they were just rehearsing. Karen said it wasn't the flashiest sizzle reel she'd ever seen, but it was the most honest.

Career
She is a PR rep who works with hospitals to improve their images.

Notes and Trivia

 * She was Walla Walla county's Woman of the Year in 2008.