CCU Professor Named Three-Time Book of the Year Award Recipient
Colorado Christian University (CCU) congratulates Dr. Kristen Mauk for winning the distinguished 2017 Book of the Year Award through The American Journal of Nursing. Her book, Gerontological Nursing: Competencies for Care, was chosen by a panel of judges as one of the most valuable texts of the year.
Dr. Mauk is CCU's director of graduate nursing programs in the College of Adult and Graduate Studies - Nursing and Health Sciences Division. This is Dr. Mauk's third time receiving this award.
In addition to her Book of the Year award, Dr. Mauk was named the new editor-in-chief of Rehabilitation Nursing by the International Academy of Nursing Editors (INANE). While in this role, she will be mentored by Marilyn Oermann, editor of Nurse Educator and The Journal of Nursing Care Quality.
"This is the highest level of recognition for a nursing text," said Dr. Barbara White, dean of the Nursing and Health Sciences Division at CCU. "It is a great honor for CCU to have such an exceptional faculty member contributing to the nursing profession and being recognized for her scholarship and service to the discipline of nursing."
This recent publication is the fourth edition, with several updates including a new chapter on disaster preparedness; expanded content on nutrition, sexuality, healthy aging, dementia, and care giving; and additional coverage on substance abuse.
Written to be a student-friendly text, the book covers basic competencies for nursing in quality care of older adults according to the Core Competencies of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing.
It was important to Dr. Mauk that this textbook focused on a holistic view of elder care. She explained, "As a Christian university, we believe that the best care that can be given to aging adults is founded in our respect for them as we are instructed in Scripture. We are to honor and value our elders, and this book helps nurses to give the best care possible to older adults."
Even the cover of the book, which shows an elder couple hiking in the mountains, was chosen to portray active aging. "This is what I see in my community in Ridgway, Colorado," said Mauk. "People living here who are of an older age are outside more, healthier, and continue to have a good quality of life as they pursue healthy aging habits."
Dr. Mauk has over 35 years of clinical and academic experience in rehabilitation and gerontological nursing, and teaches in these specialties at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Prior to CCU, she was Professor of Nursing and Kreft Endowed Chair for the Advancement of Nursing Science for 24 years at Valparaiso University in Indiana. Dr. Mauk is certified in rehabilitation nursing and as a gerontological nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, and advanced hospice and palliative care nurse. She has authored or edited nine books.
Learn more about undergraduate and graduate nursing programs through CCU's College of Adult and Graduate Studies.