50 Making a Difference profile: Carole A. Kenner, University of

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Sep 26, 2008

Carole Kenner's contributions to the medical profession have earned her the nickname of 'mother of neonatal nursing.' She entered the profession as a nurse and is now a professor and industry leader on neonatal nursing and policy development.

Kenner is a dean and professor of the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing and is deputy director of its Joanna Briggs Collaborating Center for Evidence Based Practice. She also is an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri in Kansas City.

Kenner guided the formation of the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, an Edmond-based organization, after she recognized the need while serving as the president of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. The council is the first international organization to represent neonatal nursing and policy development at this level. She considers her efforts with these organizations and her groundbreaking text Comprehensive Neonatal Nursing Care in 1993 - still the only comprehensive neonatal nursing text in the world - to be her most significant accomplishments.

Since 2003, Kenner has been a trainer in pediatric palliative care for the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium in Washington, D.C., and a copy editor for Western Schools and Specialty Catalog Corp. in South Easton, Mass. She also continues to serve as a reviewer of numerous neonatal and pediatric nursing journals.

Kenner, a member of Leadership Oklahoma City Class XXV, received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Cincinnati and her master's and doctorate in the field from Indiana University.

She is active in numerous industry associations including the World Health Organization Collaborating Center, American Academy of Nursing and American Association of Colleges of Nursing. She also co- chairs the Oklahoma Attorney General's Task Force on Palliative Care and is a member of the National Nurse Advisory Council for the March of Dimes.

Kenner has received numerous honors throughout the years for her hard work and dedication in the health care industry, including many national as well as international "Who's Who" lists. Earlier this year, she received the Excellence in Nursing Education Award from the Society of Pediatric Nurses as well as the Advanced Practice Nursing Forum Mentorship Award. In 2007, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Indiana University School of Nursing and the Award for Excellence in Education from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetrics & Neonatal Nurses and Mead Johnson Nutritionals. A 2006 recipient of a Byliners Award from the Association of Women in Communication, Kenner also is the past recipient of the Distinguished Leader Award from the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, Nursing Leadership Award from the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing and is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing - the profession's highest honor, just to name a few.

"I strongly believe that visibility is the key provoking change," said Kenner, who is a three-time honoree of The Journal Record's 50 Making a Difference. "I relish a challenge and firmly will not accept the status quo based on 'It has always been this way.'"

About Carole:

Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio

First job: Newborn intensive care nurse

Dream job: "The one I have now - teaching and mentoring."

Pets: Bichon Frise

Hobbies: Needlepoint

Favorite type of food: Mexican

Favorite type of music: Light rock

Favorite vacation spot: Sydney, Australia