Two nurse scientists from the College of Nursing were recognized with honorific awards at the Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) Annual Conference held this spring.
Dr. Kathleen “Kitty” Buckwalter, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor emerita, received the MNRS Lifetime Achievement Award.
During Buckwalter’s 40-year career, she authored hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, edited nine books and two gerontological nursing journals, served on 147 master’s theses and PhD dissertation committees, and mentored 27 post-doctoral students. In 1999, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and in 2020 was recognized as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.
As her nominators made clear, Kitty is a pioneer, role model, and mentor who has truly changed healthcare through her contributions to gerontological and geropsychiatric practice, research, education, and policy.
Dr. Sandra Daack-Hirsch, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and executive associate dean, received the Distinguished Contribution Award.
A world-renowned nurse scientist in the field of genetics, Daack-Hirsch’s work has focused on three specific areas: the genetic and environmental risk factors of birth defects; public knowledge and perception of genetic information; and communication/perception of familial health risks.
“The scope and impact of her work has been transformational in terms of broadly touching the nursing community at the local, regional, national, and international levels,” wrote one of her nominators.
“Her science is impeccable, her findings meaningful, and her impact on families, providers, and nursing science, profound,” added another.