Barbara Leonard Becomes a Professor Emeritus in the School of Nursing
May 2, 2010
Congratulations to Barbara Leonard, PhD, RN, FAAN, who retired May 2010, is now a Professor Emeritus in the School of Nursing. Dr. Leonard began her faculty career at the University of Minnesota in 1965, and has taught in the School of Nursing and the School of Public Health. Dr. Leonard initiated the first pediatric nurse practitioner program at the University of Minnesota in the School of Public Health and subsequently in the School of Nursing. She was also the founder of the Center for Children with Special Health Care Needs which been continuously funded by the Maternal Child Health Bureau since 1993. Dr. Leonard is nationally known for her leadership in maternal child health and children with special health care needs.
Dr. Leonard has received numerous awards, including an Academic Excellence in Leadership Maternal Child Health Award, Excellence in Leadership Award, a Public Health Achievement Award, an Award for Outstanding Service to Children and induction as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. These awards reflect her outstanding contributions and long-standing commitment to improving the health of children and their families through advocacy and policy, educating students in maternal child health and preparing pediatric nursing leaders. Dr. Leonard’s areas of scholarship have focused on children and adolescents with special healthcare needs and complementary and alternative therapies.