Beebe Awarded Inaugural Puma Award for Outstanding Alumni

Dr. Lora H. Beebe, professor at the University of Tennessee College of Nursing, was recently awarded the Dean’s Puma Award from the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.

Established in 2015 by Dr. Janie Heath, Dean of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, the Dean’s Puma Award is awarded annually to those who “shepherd the flock” and make outstanding contributions for the College of Nursing. The puma is a Peruvian symbol of strength, agility, wisdom and patience; a symbolic leader who helps others reach their full potential. For the first time ever, and to coincide with the “2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife,” this year the Dean’s Puma Award will be presented to notable College of Nursing alumni. Beebe was one of five alumni selected for this honor. Beebe will be honored with this award in a virtual Grand Celebration later in 2020.

“We are honored to award Dr. Beebe with the University of Kentucky College of Nursing’s Dean’s Inaugural Puma Award for her outstanding achievements and research in the field of nursing and mental health,” says Janie Heath, Dean of UK’s College of Nursing and Warwick Professor of Nursing. “As a two-time graduate of the UK’s College of Nursing, we are proud to recognize her as a standout nurse leader among our school’s more than 7,000 alumni and look forward to celebrating her accomplishments in transforming psychiatric nursing practice and education for years to come.”

Dr. Beebe received her BSN from Marshall University, her MS and PhD from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Beebe’s research interests are improving physical and mental health for community dwelling persons with schizophrenia and programs to enhance student learning of the provision of team based care to this vulnerable group. Through her research (funded by NIH, HRSA and AHRQ), she has masterfully shepherded scholarly practice for her work to transform psychiatric nursing practice and nursing education nationally and internationally.

Dr. Beebe is a book review editor for Issues in Mental Health Nursing and a reviewer for several psychiatric journals. Dr. Beebe is two-time past president of the Tennessee chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.