Associate Professor Rebecca Kronk, PhD, MSN, CRNP, ANEF, FAAN, CNE, was recently inducted in the National League of Nursing’s (NLN) prestigious Academy of Nursing Education. She is one of only 15 distinguished nurse educators in the country chosen for this fourteenth class of fellows.
“I am most grateful to be accepted into the NLN Academy of Nurse Educator Fellows,” said Dr. Kronk.
The National League for Nursing established the Academy of Nursing Education in 2007 to foster excellence in nursing education and to recognize nurse educators who have made sustained and significant contributions to the field. Induction into the academy is a significant achievement in a nurse educator’s career.
As an NLN Academy of Nursing Fellow, Dr. Kronk will serve as an important role model and as a resource for new educators and for those who aspire to become nurse educators.
A Nurse Educator
School of Nursing Dean Mary Ellen Glasgow, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, believes Dr. Kronk has made meaningful contributions to nursing education, disseminating knowledge about the care of children with genetic conditions and developmental disabilities and their families.
“Her work focuses on educating nurses about the most vulnerable in our society and how to empower those individuals, their families, and those caring for them. Her induction into the Academy is a testament to the sustained and significant ways she has contributed to nursing education,” Dr. Glasgow said.
Dr. Kronk has a long history in helping children and families with a range of genetic conditions and developmental issues. She is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner with more than 40 years of experience, who has effectively combined her clinical passions for caring for children with genetics/genomics and developmental disabilities with nursing education to become a distinguished leader in nursing education.
“Being a nurse educator goes beyond the walls of a brick and mortar or virtual classroom. Nursing education began centuries ago and flows into the future with every graduate, and touches every life, culture and people,” said Dr. Kronk. “Being a nurse educator is the culmination of a rewarding professional career. It is a great honor to be a part of this most significant work.”
Throughout her career, Dr. Kronk has established a nurse led multi-disciplinary Fragile X clinic; developed sleep practice guidelines for this population published through the National Fragile X Foundation; established BSN competencies for students to care for individuals with disabilities; launched a standardized patient program employing individuals with disabilities as standardized patients; created an interdisciplinary summer theater camp for youth with disabilities. Her work has been disseminated internationally.
A Duquesne Faculty Member
Dr. Kronk joined the School of Nursing faculty in fall of 2010 and earned tenure in 2016. In addition to being an associate professor, she is also the associate dean for Academic Affairs in the Duquesne University School of Nursing.
She received Teacher of the Year Award in 2012, the Cameo of Caring-Nurse Educator Award in 2014, and was the first recipient, along with her colleague, Dr. Yvonne Weideman, of the Gaultier Fellowship for community-engaged scholarship. She was recognized for her extraordinary contributions to the nursing profession in 2018 when she was inducted as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow.
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