Laurie Kennedy-Malone

Laurie Kennedy-Malone, PhD, GNP-BC FAGHE, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN
Recipient of The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing’s 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award

Laurie Kennedy-Malone, PhD, GNP-BC, FAGHE, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN, has been a certified gerontological nurse practitioner since 1982. She served as a professor of nursing and the Eloise R. Lewis Excellence Professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) from 1990 until her retirement in 2024. Known for her leadership, mentorship and educational contributions in gerontological nursing, Kennedy-Malone has been honored with awards from the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing, the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA), Sigma Theta Tau International, and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).

Kennedy-Malone has authored five influential books focused on the care of older adults, including “Advanced Practice Nursing in the Care of Older Adults,” which won the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Award in 2014. Another of her works, “Integrating Gerontological Content into Advanced Practice Nursing Education,” also received an AJN Book of the Year Award in 2010. Her leadership extended beyond academia, serving as president of the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners and holding board positions with GAPNA and NONPF. She is currently a member of the Sigma Foundation Board.

A significant focus of her research and scholarship has been on improving care for older adults and supporting advanced practice nurses in this area. Kennedy-Malone has published 50 peer-reviewed articles, more than 20 were co-authored with students or recent graduates. She has also delivered over 90 national and 10 international presentations, both by invitation and through peer-reviewed submissions, further showcasing her dedication to advancing gerontological nursing practice and education.

From 2017 to 2019, Kennedy-Malone led a Health Resources and Service Administration Advanced Nursing Education Workforce grant project at UNCG, where she oversaw the development of 23 clinical video simulations, 12 of which were interactive. These simulations, designed to align with nurse practitioner (NP) competencies, were shared with NP faculty nationwide. During COVID-19, they became invaluable as clinical placement opportunities were restricted, allowing students to engage in virtual simulations as part of their clinical education. The National League for Nursing recognized these simulations as a virtual simulation option for NP students.

In 2021, Kennedy-Malone received the Foundation for Academic Nursing Faculty Scholars Grant from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Her project, “Enhancing Nurse Practitioner Competency-Based Education and Assessment with Innovative Video Simulations,” aimed to create five new interactive clinical video simulations and align all simulations with AACN's Advanced Essentials using input from NP educator experts. After a distinguished career, Laurie Kennedy-Malone retired as Professor Emeritus from UNCG on July 31, 2024, leaving a profound impact on gerontological nursing education and practice.