Deborah Watkins Bruner, PhD, to Receive the 16th Claire M. Fagin Distinguished Researcher Award
The biennial award honors the best scholarly qualities that Dr. Fagin, the School’s third Dean, exemplified. It is given to a Penn Nursing faculty member, or a graduate from the School’s doctoral program, who has made a distinguished contribution to nursing scholarship. Dr. Bruner will deliver the lecture ‘Inspiration, Innovation and Impact’ virtually during the award presentation on April 15, 2021 from 3-4:30 PM EST.
Deborah Watkins Bruner, RN, PhD, FAAN, is Senior Vice President for Research at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Bruner is also Professor and Robert W. Woodruff Chair in Nursing, Professor of Radiation Oncology, and a member of the Winship Cancer Institute. She is an internationally renowned researcher and clinical trialist with a focus on patient reported outcomes, symptom management, and comparative effectiveness of radiotherapy modalities.
Bruner’s most current research is focused on the role of the human microbiome in carcinogenesis and cancer treatment outcomes. She earned her PhD in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and has been continuously funded since 1998, culminating in her ranking among the top five percent of all National Institutes of Health funded investigators in the world since 2012. She is a member of the American Academy of Nursing and National Academy of Science and serves in numerous voluntary leadership roles in the National Cancer Institute including as a Presidential appointee to the National Cancer Advisory Board.