Dr. Carole Kenner, DNS, RNC, FAAN
BSN `76

Dr. Carole Kenner, Dean and Professor of the College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma, is an internationally recognized leader in maternal-child nursing with special emphasis in neonatal palliative care.

Dr. Kenner has taught for over 25 years, developed masters level programs in the United States and abroad, and has lectured in over 20 countries.  She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati and her Masters and Doctorate at Indiana University.

Dr. Kenner is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, president of the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, past president of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses and the Foundation of Nursing Research and Education. She serves on the Nursing Advisory Board of the National March of Dimes.  She represented the American Nurses Association, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Neonatal Nursing, and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses to the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on Fetus and Newborn which was responsible for Guidelines for Perinatal Care.  She also serves on the Recommended Guidelines for the NICU Environment. This group sets the recommendations worldwide for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit designs. 

Dr. Kenner has been awarded educational and research grants totaling more than $7,204,277. Her research interests are in the areas of transition from hospital to home for mothers and babies, fetal alcohol syndrome, family context for clinical genetics, as well as her current NINR project focusing on families of newly diagnosed children with cancer.

Dr. Kenner has published more than 100 journal articles and is the editor of 15 textbooks leading her to receive four publishing awards including the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year. Her recent textbook, “Teaching IOM: Implications of the IOM Reports for Nursing Education (2007) co-authored with Anita Finkelman,” won the Society of Technical Communication Award for Excellence (2007-2008).

Dr. Beth Marks, RN, PhD
BSN `85, MSN `91

Dr. Beth Marks is a leader in Rehabilitation and Developmental Disabilities research.  Currently Dr. Marks serves as the Associate Director for Research in the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Also at UIC, Dr. Marks serves as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Disability and Human Development.  In this role, Dr. Marks directs intervention research programs and other activities related to the empowerment and advancement of persons with disabilities through health promotion, health education, health literacy, health advocacy, primary health care, and occupational health and safety activities. 

Dr. Marks has co-edited a special issue for Nursing Clinics of North American entitled Promoting Health across the Lifespan for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, a Feasibility Study Report  to advance nursing education at Bel-Air Sanatorium and Hospital in Panchgani, Maharashtra, India  through The Global Health Leadership Office/WHO Collaborating Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, and a monograph on Primary Health Care in the Americas for Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization.

In February 2009, Dr. Marks produced a documentary with Dr. Bronwynne Evans entitled Open the Door, Get ‘Em a Locker; Educating Nursing Students with Disabilities.  This summer, Dr. Marks will have two books published by Brookes Publishing Company.  The first book is entitled Health Matters: The Exercise and Nutrition Health Education Curriculum for People with Developmental Disabilities and the second Health Matters for People with Developmental Disabilities: Creating a Sustainable Health Promotion Program.

Currently, Dr. Marks is working with a colleague to develop a moderated, interactive distance learning health promotion course for Direct Support Professionals to build capacity in providing health/wellness initiatives in day/residential programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  She is also working with Western Regional Pacific Office of the World Health Organization to prepare a concept paper and a trainer-of-trainers course on disaster preparedness and response for persons with disabilities as components of the technical, research and capacity-building aims of the Asian Pacific Emergency Disaster Nursing Network.

Criteria for the Distinguished Alumni Award

• Graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing
• Has made a significant contribution to the nursing profession through clinical practice, teaching, administration, education, research, writing, organizational work involving health care or an innovation in health care

OR

• Has contributed significantly to the growth and development of the community