Major Dr. Karin Chakwas is the human doctor of the Allied Organization of Health. She enlisted in the Alliance soon after she graduated from medical school, seeking "exotic adventure", though she quickly realized that military life was not as romantic as she had imagined it to be. However, she stayed with the Alliance in order to do her duty and serve humanity. Though she sometimes considers starting her own private practice, or going to work at a medical center on one of the colonies, she feels that "there is something special about working on soldiers", and believes she would be abandoning them if she did not stay. Like most Alliance doctors, she has taken courses in alien biology, enabling her to treat the non-human crew members, particularly Liara, Ariel, Stephen and Tekla.
