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Teri L. Kennedy, PhD, MSW, ACSW, FGSA, FNAP

Teri Kennedy portrait
Ida Johnson Feaster Professorship in Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE)
tkennedy4@kumc.edu

Professional Background

Dr. Teri Kennedy is Associate Dean, Interprofessional Practice, Education, Policy, and Research (iPEPR) and Ida Johnson Feaster Professor of Interprofessional Practice and Education, University of Kansas School of Nursing; and Professor, Department of Population Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine, The University of Kansas Medical Center. She co-founded and co-facilitates the Health Humanities and Arts Research Collaborative (HHARC). She previously served as Director, Office of Gerontological andamp; Interprofessional Initiatives and Bachelor of Social Work Program Director, School of Social Work, Watt's College of Public Service and Community Solutions; and as Faculty Lead: Clinical Partnerships, Center for Advancing Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research (CAIPER), Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation with Arizona State University.

Dr. Kennedy has 17 years of direct practice and administrative experience serving older adults and their families through the provision of health, behavioral health, and social services in home and community-based, home health, in-patient medical and gero-psychiatric, and skilled nursing facility settings. She received her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Educational Organization and Administration, with a minor in Research Methods/Statistics through the Center for the Study of Higher Education at The University of Arizona. She received her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in Planning, Administration, and Community Development from the Arizona State University School of Social Work. In 2018, she was awarded a Council on Social Work Education Summer Leadership Scholarship and participated in the Harvard Management Development Program.

Dr. Kennedy currently serves on the Advisory Committee for Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is Co-Chair, Research Subcommittee, Public Policy Committee, National Academies of Practice. She previously served on the Nexus Learning System Advisory Committee with the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education.

In 2010 she was honored with the Outstanding Social Work Program Director Award by the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD) and in 2011 she received the Mit Joyner Gerontology Leadership Award through BPD and the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work. In 2016 she was selected as a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow with the National Academies of Practice and Social Work Academy and awarded Fellow status with the Gerontological Society of America’s Social Research, Policy, and Practice Section.

Education and Training
  • PhD, Educational Organization and Administration, Center for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
  • MSW, Planning, Administration and Community Development, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
  • BA, Behavioral Science & Studio Art (double-major), Grand Canyon College, Phoenix, Arizona
Licensure, Accreditations & Certifications
  • Academy of Certified Social Workers, National Association of Social Workers
  • Lifetime Teaching Certificate, Arizona Community Colleges
Professional Affiliations
  • Health and Aging Policy Fellows (HAPF) Alumni Network, , Special Interest Group , Facilitator, 2019 - 2019
  • International Network for the Science of Team Science , Member, 2019 - Present
  • KU Alzheimer's Disease Center, Advisory Committee, Member, 2019 - Present
  • The Global Confederation for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice. , Policy Development Group, Member, 2019 - Present
  • Health and Aging Policy Fellows (HAPF) Alumni Network, , Planning Committee, Member, 2018 - Present
  • Health and Aging Policy Fellows (HAPF) Alumni Network, , Inaugural Planning Committee, Member, 2018 - 2018
  • American Interprofessional Health Collaborative , Member, 2015 - Present

Research

Overview

Dr. Kennedy’s research interests include sustainability, interprofessional leadership, and health and aging policy including Age-Friendly Health Systems, Universities, and Communities. She developed the evidence-based Kennedy Model of Sustainability © 2008, adopted by the National Center of Interprofessional Practice and Education as part of their Nexus Learning System model and used to support interprofessional education and practice (IPE) and geriatric initiatives. She also developed a model of Strengths-Based Interprofessional Practice and Education (SB-IPE).

Dr. Kennedy was a Health and Aging Policy Fellow and American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow, Senate Special Committee on Aging through Senator Jeff Flake's (R-AZ) DC Office, now participating in the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Alumni Network, advancing health and aging policy (e.g., Age-Friendly Health Systems). She is Immediate Past Chair, Interprofessional Education/Collaborative Practice Track with the Council on Social Work Education and formerly served as a National Advisory Council member, site visitor, and sustainability expert with the Accelerating Interprofessional Community-Based Education and Practice initiative of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. She has participated in national and state policy advisory positions and contributed published reports and peer-reviewed work advancing health and aging policy through an interprofessional lens.

In October 2019, Dr. Kennedy founded Interprofessional Health Humanities, an interdisciplinary group of faculty, staff, students, and community members with interests in fine arts, performing arts, literature, music, and film. IHH seeks to explore and foster opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration to advance interprofessional practice and education (IPE) through the intersection of health and humanities. In May 2020, she co-founded the Health Humanities and Arts Research Collaborative (HHARC) with Tamara Falicov and Katie Rhine, and directed by Emily Ryan, The Commons, University of Kansas-Lawrence Campus. HHARC is an interdisciplinary research group of faculty, staff, students, and community members who meet monthly to discuss commonalities in research interests, support collaboration, and increase external grant funding related to health humanities.

Dr. Kennedy provides training and consultation on sustainability, interprofessional practice and education (IPE), and health and aging policy. She has presented internationally and has been an invited presenter at state and national conferences. She is also an indie singer/songwriter with multiple CDs of original, contemporary, and traditional music (YouTube: Teri Woods – Topic; Teri – Topic).

Current Research and Grants
  • Prevention of Financial Abuse Among Elders Affected by Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural Michigan. , School of Social Work, Michigan State University, Administrator