Philadelphia, PA – At its 21st Annual Conference, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) today presented its prestigious President’s Award to Kathleen Baldwin, PhD, RN, ACNS, ANP, GNP, CEN, for work with and commitment to NACNS, including time she spent directing the CNS Foundation, which closed in 2014.
Baldwin is a nurse researcher at Texas Health in Fort Worth, and a former faculty member at Texas Christian University.
The NACNS President’s Award recognizes an individual or entity for extraordinary service to NACNS. It was established in 2013 to honor individuals or groups that make significant contributions toward the accomplishment of the NACNS mission.
In addition to working with the CNS Foundation, Baldwin has served on the CNS Educational Standards Taskforce, the Education Committee, and the Doctoral Competencies Taskforce. She also held many leadership positions in NACNS, serving as chair of the Nominating Committee, on the Board of Directors, including as president for a term.
“Kathy’s history of service to nursing, to patients and to NACNS is unparalleled,” said NACNS 2015 President Peggy Barksdale, MSN, RN, OCNS-C, CNS-BC. “Her contributions to building this association into what it is today are legion. She has worked tirelessly in every position she has assumed and served as a mentor and a cheerleader to many of us, including me. She encouraged and supported so many of us, while working alongside us to strengthen the CNS role and help to ensure that patients always get the highest quality, evidence-based care.”
Baldwin is also a member of the Quality and Research Council of Texas Health at Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital, a Nursing Research Consultant with Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital and an Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner.
Her association memberships include the American College of Nurse Practitioners, the National Council of Geriatric Nurse Practitioners, the American Nurses Association, the Association of Critical Care Nurses, the Emergency Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International and the Alpha Chi Honorary Scholastic Fraternity.
She holds a diploma from the West Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pa., and a BS, MS and a PhD in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University in Denton.