Distinguished Alumni Award

Colleen Konicki DiIorio, 69BSN, has had a tremendous impact on the lives of people with epilepsy and AIDS during a career that has earned her national respect and recognition.

After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, DiIorio completed her master's and doctoral degrees in nursing from New York University. Early in her career, she worked in a variety of clinical services as a staff nurse and supervisor. After pursuing her advanced degrees, she began her academic career, starting at East Carolina University School of Nursing and culminating with her current position as a professor at Emory University in the Rollins School of Public Health.

Raised in Iowa, DiIorio has excelled as an educator. She is highly respected as a classroom teacher, as an advisor to graduate students in research projects at the masters and doctoral levels, and as a mentor to faculty members in their acquisition of research skills. She has directed theses for more than 120 masters students, ten doctoral students, and 13 special project initiatives of students, fellows, and junior faculty members. As the first director of nursing research at Emory, a position she held from 1987 to 1993, DiIorio provided resources and support for faculty seeking funding for research programs.

DiIorio has most distinguished herself for the significant body of work she has created and disseminated as a researcher in the areas of AIDS and epilepsy. Working across disciplines with physicians, clinical psychologists, community leaders, and others, she has been awarded $26 million of research funding from organizations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control, and the Epilepsy Foundation. Her colleagues recognize her as the first in the nursing profession to receive funding for HIV prevention and to publish epilepsy self-management research findings.

With more than 100 published articles to her credit, DiIorio also works tirelessly on behalf of countless professional organizations, including the Epilepsy Foundation of America, the American Nurses Association, the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, the American Public Health Association, the World Federation of Neuroscience Nurses, and the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.

She is also currently associate editor for the Journal of Nursing Measurement and has previously served on the editorial boards of several major publications in her field. As one of her peers states, DiIorio has made an &invaluable contribution to scientific review at NIH.

DiIorios impact on the profession has not gone unrecognized. In 1991, she was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing. She recently received the Pioneer in HIV Award from the Morehouse University School of Medicine. She has also been honored with the 2004 Distinguished Scholarship in Nursing Award, Division of Nursing, New York University and the Distinguished Nurse Researcher Recognition from the National Institute of Nursing Research in 2002. From Emory University, she received the Emory Williams Distinguished Teacher Award, as well as the Professor of the Year Award from the Rollins School of Public Health.

A member of the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club, DiIorio has brought great honor to the College of Nursing through her contributions to the advancement of science and the health and well-being of humankind. As an outstanding researcher, mentor, and teacher, she is simply one of the best in the world in her field.