Julie Cowan Novak, DNSc, RN, MA, CPNP, FAANP, FAAN, is the recipient of the 2026 College of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award. Novak earned her BSN (72) and MSN (76) from the college, and soon after became the inaugural perinatal nurse clinician at University of Iowa Health Care’s Newborn Nursery and Primary Care Clinic. She furthered her education at the Hahn School of Nursing at the University of San Diego where, in 1989, she was the first graduate of the Doctor of Nursing Science program. 

Novak is a Fellow of both the National Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and has held academic and leadership positions spanning the spectrum —from assistant professor to chief wellness officer to dean – at institutions across the country. In 2024 she received the prestigious Edge Runner Award from the AAN for her Integrated Nurse-led Model of Sustainability and Innovation. Initially focused on primary care workforce development in rural Virginia, the model has expanded nationally and internationally, becoming a network of 14 nurse practitioner- led clinics. 

Novak is also heavily involved in philanthropy in her San Diego community and was recently honored as a 2025 Woman in STEM by the Fleet Science Center.

► Read more from the 2025 Iowa Nursing magazine