ALUMNI & FRIENDS
2008 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT'S AWARD
Katherine Youngberg Kolcaba, PhD '97, MSN '87, RN
Dr. Katharine Youngberg Kolcaba is an associate professor emeritus at the University of Akron College of Nursing in Akron, Ohio, where she continues to teach her intensive theory course and is a guest lecturer. She is also a consultant and the owner of The Comfort Line, Inc. Dr. Kolcaba received her diploma from St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in 1965 and her MSN from Case Western Reserve University in 1987. She received her PhD in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University in 1997.
For 30 years, Dr. Kolcaba was a staff nurse and head nurse at various institutions, joining the University of Akron College of Nursing in 1987, where she taught at various levels. As a student, teacher, and researcher, Dr. Kolcaba developed her Comfort Theory to make the important nursing action of providing comfort more visible. Comfort Theory stresses that nurses traditionally provide comfort to patients and their families through interventions called "comfort measures," and the intentional comforting actions of nurses strengthen patients and their families. Thus, enhanced comfort helps both parties to engage in health seeking behaviors. Her research and publications provide compelling evidence that client outcomes are improved with the implementation of comfort measures.
Dr. Kolcaba's mission is to bring comfort management to the forefront of the nursing profession. Comfort Theory is now being used as a framework for healthcare systems across the country and in many nursing education programs nationally and internationally. One of her most exciting visits was to Catholic University in Portugal, where she helped student nurses and faculty conduct comfort studies and use Comfort Theory in their teaching and practice. Dr. Kolcaba's presentations and workshops also provide methods for the application of Comfort Theory to improve the work environment and patient experiences. She is consulting with Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, California, and Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City to help them incorporate Comfort Theory into their healthcare delivery systems. In addition to articles, she published her book titled Comfort Theory and Practice (2003), and has an award-winning Web site at www.TheComfortLine.com.
Dr. Kokaba's areas of expertise also include gerontology, end-of-life and long-term care interventions, instrument development, nursing theory, nursing research, magnet status, and enhancement of the work environment for nurses. Her recent awards include Researcher of the Year with Dr. Therese Dowd from the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Delta Omega Chapter in 2006, and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007 from The Cleveland General and Saint Luke's Nurses' Alumni Association.