Barbara Berner named director of the School of Nursing

TO: UAA faculty, staff and students
FROM: Susan Kaplan, acting dean, College of Health

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Barbara Berner as the director of the School of Nursing in the College of Health. Berner has had a long career in nursing. She received her bachelor's degree from St. Anselm College, her master's degree in nursing as an adult nurse practitioner from Oregon Health and Science University, a post-master's certificate as a family nurse practitioner from the George Washington University and her doctorate in Adult Education, Policy and Program Planning from Boston University.

Berner came to UAA in 1998 and became coordinator of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program, a position she held for 10 years. She then accepted a position as project director to develop the Doctor of Nursing Practice at the School of Nursing. She has been interim director for the School of Nursing since November of 2010.

Berner has maintained her professional career as a practicing nurse practitioner and has had numerous leadership roles. She is past president of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, served two terms as president of the Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association, chaired the Professional Practices Committee for the Alaska Nurses Association and chaired the Legislative Committee for the Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association. In addition, she served on the Alaska State Board of Nursing and chaired the board for two years.

She has received numerous awards. She was Alaska Nurse Practitioner of the Year 2000, a statewide award presented by the Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association. She also received a national award from the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty as Outstanding Nurse Practitioner Educator of the Year, 2008. In addition, she received the 2010 Nurse Practitioner Advocate Award from the Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association. She became a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2005.

Berner has had many publications and presentations. She did original national research on clinical competence in distance-delivered nurse practitioner programs. She has spearheaded statewide research that is now providing the first data on nurse practitioner practice trends in Alaska. That data has begun to identify and quantify the role and impact of nurse practitioners in primary care in Alaska.

In the new College of Health, Berner will continue to lead the School of Nursing as we head toward the implementation of a multidisciplinary curriculum, greatly expanded multidisciplinary experiences in clinical simulation and the continued enhancement of the nursing programs.

Please join me in congratulating Professor Berner on her new position.