Kimberly Bergen-Jackson is best described as a gerontological nursing Renaissance woman. She has decades of clinical and administrative experience, a twin passion for older adults and students, a gift for connecting people and resources, and a steadfast determination to make an impact on the future of aging and long-term care. Bergen-Jackson is a three-time alumna who recently became faculty, and the College of Nursing has played a large part in her development into a compassionate, dynamic, and impactful nurse leader and educator.
Bergen-Jackson’s nursing career began with an 18-year stint as a licensed practical nurse in Iowa, Washington, and Georgia. She earned her Associate Degree in Nursing in 2005, completed the College of Nursing RN-BSN program in 2008, and then returned to the college for a master’s degree (2009) and PhD (2013) with a focus on aging. She began working at Oaknoll Retirement Residence in Iowa City, Iowa, as the director of nursing in 2005. By 2016 she had risen to chief operations officer—health services.
After her 2023 induction into the American Academy of Nursing, Bergen-Jackson began contemplating a career shift. “I always [precepted] students while I was at Oaknoll and encouraged them to be involved in every level of care,” she recalls. She also enjoyed teaching as an adjunct and guest lecturing in the School of Social Work and the College of Nursing. Considering where she could make a bigger impact on the future of long-term care, Bergen-Jackson left Oaknoll in 2024 and joined the college as an associate clinical professor. “I made that switch and I’m thrilled to be here,” she says. “Faculty and staff are great, I really like the sense of community, and I love the students.”
In addition to teaching undergraduate and Master of Science in Nursing-Entry into Practice students, Bergen-Jackson enjoys collaborating with other faculty. “I’m not a researcher, per se, but here I have the opportunity to work with researchers, and I’m already knee deep in a couple of projects that are really exciting for me,” she says. She also continues to lead the Iowa Nursing Home Quality Improvement Coalition and serves on the leadership team of the Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence.
Earlier this year, Associate Dean for Research Tracie Harrison suggested Bergen-Jackson apply for the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program, a year-long fellowship that aims to create leaders who will serve as change agents in health and aging policy. Fellows are selected from a national pool of applicants based on their commitment to health and aging issues, leadership potential, and interest in impacting policy. Bergen-Jackson was accepted into the program and begins her fellowship in October. The fellowship “is perfect in my trajectory to having a bigger impact,” says Bergen-Jackson. “This would give me a national opportunity to write policy that could change the way people age. It’s exciting and scary and awesome and anxiety provoking. I hope I do a good job and learn how to incorporate policy into what I’m teaching people.”
Reflecting on her return to the college as faculty brings up fond memories for Bergen-Jackson. “Janet Specht, Paula Mobily, and Meridean Maas were my mentors, and they were a powerful force to be reckoned with,” she recalls. “I wish Janet could have seen this day happen. I think she would be very pleased because she was pretty sure I was going to stay at Oaknoll forever, much to her chagrin.” Specht wanted Bergen-Jackson to join the faculty early on, but Bergen-Jackson wanted to gain some experience first. Now she has come full circle, bringing the richness of her experiences back for the next generation of students. “That’s how I teach,” she says. “I tell stories, and that experience is invaluable to me and puts things in a concrete way to the students.”
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