Dr. Blackburn graduated from Western Kentucky University with ASN ’70 and BSN ’80 degrees. She received a MSN degree from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing where she completed the Family Nurse Practitioner program in 1986. She graduated with a PhD in Nursing Science from Vanderbilt University in 1998. She served as Department Head of Nursing at WKU for 8 years. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate students during her tenure at WKU. She currently teaches the following courses in the graduate program: Research Applications and the core courses in the Nursing Administration concentration that focus on leadership/management and application in a healthcare setting. Dr. Blackburn is a member of the American Nurses Association and Kentucky Nurses Association, the Southern Nursing Research Society, and Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. Research interests include: family functioning, chronic illness and cultural sensitivity. She has published articles about coping with a chronic illness cognitive-behavioral interventions for women with rheumatoid arthritis and learning intercultural competence. Dr Blackburn has regular graduate faculty status with The Graduate School.

 Nursing