Karen Dybis began writing for U.S. News & World Report in 2018, working as a freelance writer in Michigan doing a special report on health care in rural areas like Cheboygan. Before working with U.S. News as a contributor, Ms. Dybis was a reporter at The Detroit News for five years; she has been a freelance writer for 17 years.

Ms. Dybis has been nominated for many journalism awards and was a nominee for The Gerald Loeb Award for her part in covering Kmart's road to bankruptcy at The Detroit News. Ms. Dybis also is author of four local history books on Detroit.

Born in Michigan, Ms. Dybis received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.