Presently, Karen Peterson holds the position of Treasurer & Vice President of Abbott Laboratories and Co-Managing Director at Abbott Holding GmbH and Co-Managing Director at Abbott Laboratories Deutschland GmbH (both are subsidiaries of Abbott Laboratories) and Chief Financial Officer & Director at Redwood Toxicology Laboratory, Inc.

She is also on the board of Alere, Inc., Abbott Laboratories Ltd. and Thoratec Europe Ltd.

She received an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois.