UChicago Medicine Faculty Physicians
Karen Orjuela Traslavina, MD, MS
Karen Orjuela Traslavina, MD, MS
UChicago Medicine Faculty Physicians
Associate Professor of Neurology
Specialties
- Neurology
Locations
- Chicago - Hyde Park
- About
- Specialties & Areas of Expertise
- Locations & Patient Information
- Education & Research
- Accepted Insurance
- External Professional Relationships
[AUDIO LOGO] My name is Karen Orjuela. I'm a vascular neurologist. That means that I see patients who need acute treatment for stroke-like symptoms. When I was growing up, I was very fortunate to also have the care of my grandparents. And at that time, my granddad was explaining to me that my auntie had epilepsy, and he was becoming really bad. And the reason why she had epilepsy was because she had a brain tumor. And so he had a really an admiration that also was almost a devotion for neurologists and neurosurgeons because they were able to cure her. They perform a procedure, and she was on anti-seizure medications for the entire life, but she was able to get a job, work, and be actually retired and have a normal life. So that was a very important inspiration and a very important thought, a very early age about how the brain works and how can we help people to just continue living normal lives. My philosophy of care is I will deliver the best, excellent care for my patients if I was the patient. So a great advocate for my patients. I will do everything in my power to make sure that they have the best outcome possible. I have a different clinical interest. One of them is inherited disorders of the brain, particularly related to strokes. I mean, genetic diseases related to strokes. So there is a condition that is the most common condition that is called CADASIL. So that's a clinical interest of mine. I've been working with a patient population in my prior institutions and in my career to develop great care for them, and I have another clinical interest that is a combination of a multidisciplinary clinic. That means that I work very close with the cardiologist in understanding and treat patients that are younger or young who had a stroke, that had also a related cardiac condition that is called PFO, or Patent Foramen Ovale, and other related cardiac diseases that could potentially increase the risk of having a stroke. Why University of Chicago? I think that this is the place to be. I think that we can work together to show the community, our city, and the country that we can improve brain health for all here in Chicago. I was very fortunate to have great training here in the city, and I feel that it's my time to collaborate with the community and grow with the community and have brain health for all. [AUDIO LOGO]
Karen Orjuela, MD, MSCR, MBA, FAAN, FAHA, is an experienced neurologist and neurohospitalist who provides comprehensive, compassionate neurological care to patients admitted to the hospital. As a neurohospitalist, Dr. Orjuela focuses on the rapid diagnosis, management and treatment of acute neurological conditions that require immediate, specialized attention.
With advanced expertise in vascular neurology, she is an expert in treating complex cerebrovascular conditions, including ischemic stroke, patent foramen ovale (PFO)-related strokes, small vessel disease and rare inherited disorders such as cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy). Dr. Orjuela helps patients and their families navigate these complicated conditions with clarity and confidence.
Known for her thoughtful and supportive approach, Dr. Orjuela takes time to explain diagnoses, treatment options, and recovery paths in a clear, compassionate way. She prioritizes listening to patients and their families, ensuring they feel informed, empowered, and actively involved in care decisions. Her goal is to deliver personalized, evidence-based and share-decision making care that leads to the best possible outcomes.
Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Orjuela is a champion for health equity in neuroscience. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Equity in Neuroscience journal and has leadership roles with the American Heart Association in Metropolitan Chicago, and the Society for Equity in Neuroscience and the Neurohospitalist Society. With the community support and partnership, research driven mindset and systems-based innovations, she is helping to build sustainable models of care for all in brain health. Dr. Orjuela believes true excellence in neuroscience is only possible when grounded in equity.
With advanced expertise in vascular neurology, she is an expert in treating complex cerebrovascular conditions, including ischemic stroke, patent foramen ovale (PFO)-related strokes, small vessel disease and rare inherited disorders such as cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy). Dr. Orjuela helps patients and their families navigate these complicated conditions with clarity and confidence.
Known for her thoughtful and supportive approach, Dr. Orjuela takes time to explain diagnoses, treatment options, and recovery paths in a clear, compassionate way. She prioritizes listening to patients and their families, ensuring they feel informed, empowered, and actively involved in care decisions. Her goal is to deliver personalized, evidence-based and share-decision making care that leads to the best possible outcomes.
Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Orjuela is a champion for health equity in neuroscience. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Equity in Neuroscience journal and has leadership roles with the American Heart Association in Metropolitan Chicago, and the Society for Equity in Neuroscience and the Neurohospitalist Society. With the community support and partnership, research driven mindset and systems-based innovations, she is helping to build sustainable models of care for all in brain health. Dr. Orjuela believes true excellence in neuroscience is only possible when grounded in equity.
Specialties
Areas of Expertise
- Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)-Related Stroke
- Small Vessel Disease
UChicago Medicine Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine - Hyde Park5758 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago IL 606371-888-824-0200
Board Certifications
- Vascular Neurology
- Neurology
Languages Spoken
- English
- French
- Spanish
Medical Education
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Internship
- Loyola University of Chicago
Residency
- Loyola University of Chicago; Universidad Javeriana de Colombia
Fellowship
- Loyola University
Memberships & Medical Societies
- Society of Equity Neuroscience
- Neurohospitalist Society
- American Heart Association
- American Academy of Neurology
News & Research
Insurance
- Aetna Better Health *see insurance page
- Aetna HMO (specialists only)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO
- BCBS Blue Precision HMO (specialists only)
- BCBS HMO (HMOI) (specialists only)
- BCBS Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- BCBS PPO
- Cigna HMO
- Cigna POS
- Cigna PPO
- CountyCare *see insurance page
- Humana Medicare Advantage Choice PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Choice PFFS
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Plus HMO
- Medicare
- Multiplan PPO
- PHCS PPO
- United Choice Plus POS/PPO
- United Choice HMO (specialists only)
- United Options (PPO)
- United Select (HMO & EPO) (specialists only)
- United W500 Emergent Wrap
- University of Chicago Health Plan (UCHP)
Our list of accepted insurance providers is subject to change at any time. You should contact your insurance company to confirm UChicago Medicine participates in their network before scheduling your appointment. If you have questions regarding your insurance benefits at UChicago Medicine, please contact our financial counseling team at OPSFinancialCounseling@uchospitals.edu.
UChicago Medicine is committed to fostering a corporate culture of ethical behavior and integrity in all matters related to compliance with the laws and regulations that govern the delivery of healthcare. This aspiration is central to supporting patient care, research, and teaching at UChicago Medicine.
Some of our physicians and health professionals collaborate with external pharmaceutical, medical device, or other medical related entities to develop new treatments and products to improve clinical outcomes for patients. In some instances, the physician has ownership interests in the external entity and/or is compensated for advising or speaking about the entity’s products or treatments. These payments may include compensation for consulting and speaking engagements, equity, and/or royalties for products invented by our physicians. To assure objectivity and integrity in patient care, UChicago Medicine requires all physicians and health professionals to report their relationships and financial interests with external entities on an annual basis. This information is used to review relationships and transactions that might give rise to potential financial conflicts of interest, and when considered to be significant a management plan to mitigate any biases is created.
If you are a patient at UChicago Medicine and would like more information about your physician’s external relationships, please talk with your physician. You may also visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ . CMS Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system. It houses a publicly accessible database of payments that reporting entities, including drug and medical device companies, make to covered recipients like physicians and hospitals.
Information in the CMS Open Payments database could potentially contain inaccurately reported and out of date payment information. All information is open to personal interpretation, if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to their health care provider for a better understanding.
Some of our physicians and health professionals collaborate with external pharmaceutical, medical device, or other medical related entities to develop new treatments and products to improve clinical outcomes for patients. In some instances, the physician has ownership interests in the external entity and/or is compensated for advising or speaking about the entity’s products or treatments. These payments may include compensation for consulting and speaking engagements, equity, and/or royalties for products invented by our physicians. To assure objectivity and integrity in patient care, UChicago Medicine requires all physicians and health professionals to report their relationships and financial interests with external entities on an annual basis. This information is used to review relationships and transactions that might give rise to potential financial conflicts of interest, and when considered to be significant a management plan to mitigate any biases is created.
If you are a patient at UChicago Medicine and would like more information about your physician’s external relationships, please talk with your physician. You may also visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ . CMS Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system. It houses a publicly accessible database of payments that reporting entities, including drug and medical device companies, make to covered recipients like physicians and hospitals.
Information in the CMS Open Payments database could potentially contain inaccurately reported and out of date payment information. All information is open to personal interpretation, if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to their health care provider for a better understanding.