Kara Whalen

Kara Whalen, PA-C, is a certified physician assistant at the Rein Center, an integrative psychiatry practice based in Iowa City, Iowa. 

Kara graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in 2013. Afterward, she completed a 12-month psychiatry fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. 

Throughout her career, Kara has had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings, including inpatient, emergency psychiatry, crisis stabilization, outpatient clinic, and developmental disabilities programming. She has eagerly worked with family practice providers and therapists to improve patient outcomes.

Kara was first introduced to psychiatry while spending a year abroad as an exchange student in France. Her host father was a psychiatrist and gave her a tour of an inpatient facility. He explained that his primary goal was to reduce the patient's disabling symptoms in order to obtain a life worth living. She was instantly intrigued and has been inspired ever since.