The Mother of Neonatal Nursing

In July, Carole Kenner was appointed the Carol Kuser Loser Dean of the School of Nursing, Health and Exercise Science.

Words by TCNJ's editorial staff

Motherhood is hard, and it can be surprisingly lonely, especially for first-time moms as they work through their roles as caregivers to new lives in tiny packages. But luckily for some women, they’re not alone. Carole Kenner and all of the nurses she has educated and mentored throughout her career at schools like Northeastern University, where she served as dean of the School of Nursing and associate dean of Bouvé College of Health Sciences, and the University of Oklahoma, where she was dean of the College of Nursing in Oklahoma City, are there to help.

Kenner now brings that expertise and guidance to TCNJ, where she’s already begun to address national and global healthcare issues as the new Carol Kuser Loser Dean of the School of Nursing, Health and Exercise Science. “With Carole’s appointment,” says TCNJ Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jacqueline Taylor, “the school is poised to move forward in exciting and innovative ways as we respond to our state’s and region’s healthcare needs.” But Kenner, known as the “mother of neonatal nursing,” who started the Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews journal and edited a go-to text for nursing students now in its fifth edition, hasn’t forgotten about the very important work of bringing healthy babies into the world. At TCNJ she’ll continue to advance global policy, education and training aimed at reducing infant mortality rates. So you can bet she has some advice for all the parents out there: Don’t be afraid to ask questions (you are an essential part of the healthcare team and nobody knows your baby’s behavior like you do), and, of course, enjoy it.

—Maureen Harmon, with reporting by Emily Dodd. Illustration by Leigh Wells/Photo by Wayne Hollendonner