UAH's Louise O'Keefe to participate in NLN LEAD program, nominated for Lamplighter Award

Louise C. O'Keefe (PhD, CRNP, FAANP), a member of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) College of Nursing faculty has been selected to participate in the National League for Nursing (NLN) LEAD program. She was also nominated for the Alabama League for Nursing Lamplighter Award for exemplary contributions to the nursing profession. And, in June, O'Keefe was selected as a 2017 Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (aanp.org) for outstanding contributions and demonstrated commitment to advancing the nurse practitioner role.

"This has been quite the year! I feel very honored to have been recognized in this way for the two areas in my professional life that mean so much to me: practice and academic scholarship" she said.

O'Keefe has been at UAH since 2006 and has served in various education and academic roles, with a focus on excellence in teaching, scholarship, and community service. She established the UAH Faculty/Staff Clinic on campus in 2007 and continues to serve as director of the facility. Additionally, O'Keefe holds a faculty appointment as Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing.

"Dr. O’Keefe is a wonderful faculty member. Her investment and dedication to UAH and the College of Nursing is evident in everything that she does. The College is extremely proud and congratulates her for these accomplishments," said Dr. Marsha Howell Adams, Dean and Professor at UAH College of Nursing.

At UAH, O'Keefe teaches in the graduate nurse practitioner program. Her research interests include occupational and cardiovascular health and diabetes and metabolic syndrome. She has clinical expertise in I.C.U. nursing, family practice and employee health. O'Keefe has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on numerous university research projects including "Cancer Survivorship in the Workplace," "Mobilizing Advanced Nursing Education for Rural and Underserved Populations," and "FITWAY Colorectal Cancer Screening Program."

She has given numerous public health presentations and has authored and co-authored many research and scholarly publications including "Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus," and "Benefits of On-site Clinics" both published in Workplace Health & Safety: Promoting Environments Conducive to Well-Being and Productivity; and "Practical Guidance on the Recognition of Uncontrolled Asthma and Its Management," The Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

O'Keefe's university and college service activities include Chair of the UAH Communicable Disease Policy Committee, SACSCOC Educational Programs Committee, Medical Director of the AED Program at UAH, Emergency Management Operations Group, Chair of Nursing Space Life Science Committee, Just Move It, the Nursing Strategic Management Committee and first Chair of the CON Faculty Organization.

She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including 2015 and 2017 Recipient of the Golden Pen Award. The award recognizes Workplace Health & Safety Journal contributors for excellence in writing. The publication is the official journal of The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN); and 2014 American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Nurse Practitioner State Award for Excellence.

O'Keefe received her BSN and MSN FNP degrees from George Mason University, (Fairfax, VA). She earned a PhD in nursing from The University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, AL).

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