Joanne Kern
Coordinator of the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program and Assistant Professor of Nursing
Catherine McAuley School of Nursing
Academic Bio
Joanne Kern, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, ANP-BA, is an assistant professor of nursing and the coordinator of the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner concentration at Maryville University. Prior to joining Maryville University, Dr. Kern maintained a clinical practice in neurosurgery in the St. Louis metropolitan area and gained experience in oncology, primary care, and acute care in the adult and geriatric population.
Dr. Kern has served as an invited speaker and faculty at sponsored workshops for national and international surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other health professionals. She was instrumental in designing patient education booklets in her clinical practice setting and managed her own company as a consultant to a metropolitan health system and local surgery centers.
Dr. Kern proudly contributes to several organizations from the international to local levels, including:
Professional Memberships
- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
- National Association of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF)
- St. Louis Nurses in Advanced Practice
- Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI)
- Omicron Iota Chapter
- Tau Iota Chapter
- Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA)
- American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN)
- Missouri Nurses Association (MONA)
- American Nurses Association (ANA)
Dr. Kern is a 2012 graduate of Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, where she earned dual doctorates and received the Anna Ikeda-Tabor Nursing Research Award. She graduated in 2000 from the adult nurse practitioner program at Jewish College of Allied Health at Washington University with her Master of Nursing Science. She is also an alumni of Maryville University’s Bachelor of Science weekend college program.
Dr. Kern is passionate about health literacy. Throughout her career, Dr. Kern witnessed how a new diagnosis can overwhelm any individual, regardless of age or education level. She understands that without considering the whole individual and their cultural background, there is little chance the individual will fully understand the health information.
Dr. Kern is a firm believer that you are never too old to learn. She has encouraged and mentored many nurses over years as they sought to further their education.
Areas of Expertise
- Nursing
- Healthcare
- Health literacy
- Patient education
- Online education
- Nurse education
- Healthcare management
- Clinical research
- Neurosurgery