Dr. Karp is a tenured Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine and holds the Richard K. Forster Chair in Ophthalmology and the Dr. Ronald and Alicia Lepke Professorship in Cornea and Ocular Surface Diseases. She is co-director of the cornea service at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. She is an expert in the management of ocular surface tumors and anterior segment surgery. A graduate of Brown University, she did her residency at Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan. Dr. Karp joined the faculty of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in 1994, after completing a fellowship in cornea and external diseases at the center. In the late 1990s, Dr. Karp pioneered the use of interferon for the treatment for ocular surface squamous neoplasia.
A leader in ocular surface oncology, her research has produced several landmark articles on the topic. Her current interests are in the management of ocular surface tumors and ocular surface imaging using the ultra-high-resolution OCT.
Among the significant recognition, Dr. Karp received the Career Achievement Award from the Women in Academic Medicine Society in 2024. In addition, she was bestowed the honour of the Castroviejo Medal for 2022, the highest award bestowed by the Cornea Society. She is the fourth woman to ever get this award. She was named on the 2025, 2024 and 2023 Power list as a top 100 (number 11) ophthalmologist. She was previously in the 2021 top 100 women in ophthalmology, by The Ophthalmologist, and on the 2019 Power list as one of the top 50 most influential ophthalmologists. She was voted one of America’s best Eye Doctors by Newsweek in August 2022 and 2021. In addition, she was given the 2019 Shaler Richardson, MD, Service to Medicine Award from the Florida Society of Ophthalmology, recognized for greatest personal contribution to quality ophthalmic patient care. In addition, she was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, the Senior Achievement Award (2015) and the Secretariat Award (2011) from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) for her accomplishments and service to the AAO, where she served on numerous task forces, and regularly teaches at the annual meetings. She also received the Mentorship Award from Women in Ophthalmology and the American Medical Association Women Physicians Sector in 2013. She was a co-chair of the Cornea Day for 3 years. Along with her service to the AAO, Dr. Karp serves on the executive committee of the Pan-American Academy of Ophthalmology as the President Elect. A member of the prestigious American Ophthalmological Society (AOS), she serves on its program committee. She is the co-director of the Inter-American Course in Clinical Ophthalmology (Curso). She has repeated inclusion in “Florida Superdoctors” and “Best Doctors in America”. Outside of Bascom Palmer, Dr. Karp is an avid athlete, exercising daily in the wee hours of the morning.