Christine T Kovner

Christine Tassone Kovner, PhD, RN, FAAN is a Professor Emerita. She was the Mathy Mezey Professor of Geriatric Nursing at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and a professor of medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Kovner is the Editor-in-Chief of Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice. She is a highly respected nurse educator and researcher with more than 150 published articles. Her research focuses on quality improvement, RN working conditions, and nursing care costs. For five years she was the principal investigator for the TL1 Pre- and Post-Doctoral Program of NYU's NIH funded Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Dr. Kovner was the principal investigator of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant studying the career trajectories of newly licensed registered nurses over the first ten years of their careers. As a clinical nurse, she was proud to provide COVID vaccinations at Langone Health.

Dr. Kovner was a visiting scholar at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy for two years and has served on many government policy committees, including New York’s State Hospital Review and Planning Council. She has served as a grant reviewer for the NIH, NIOSH, and the Department of Defense among others.

Among her many honors, Dr. Kovner was awarded the Diane O. McGivern Award in 2024. The award recognizes an NYU Meyers graduate for outstanding work in legislation and policy on behalf of professional nursing. Dr. Kovner received the Excellence in Policy Award from Nursing Outlook for “Diversity and education of the nursing workforce 2006-2016,” in 2019, the IRGNI Research Mentorship Award from Academy Health (2018), the Eastern Nursing Research Society Distinguished Contributions to Nursing Research Award (2018), the Golden Pen Award from the Journal for Healthcare Quality (2007), and the Lavinia Dock Distinguished Service Award from the New York Counties Registered Nurses Association.

PhD - New York University

MSN - University of Pennsylvania

BS - Columbia University School of Nursing

Post-doctoral Fellowship - Robert Wagner School of Public Service, NYU

Nursing workforce

Community/population health

American Academy of Nursing Fellow

AcademyHealth

Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science

Sigma Theta Tau

International Association of Clinical Research Nurses

Diane O. McGivern Award, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing (2024)

Excellence in Policy Award, Nursing Outlook (2019)

IRGNI Research Mentorship Award, Academy Health (2018)

Distinguished Contributions to Nursing Research Award (2018)

Treasurer, CGFNS International, Inc. (2016)

Distinguished Alumna Award, New York University, College of Nursing (2012)

Nursing Outlook Excellence in Policy Award for “State Mandatory Overtime Regulations and Newly Licensed Nurses’ Mandatory and Voluntary Overtime and Total Work Hours.” (2012)

Vernice Ferguson Faculty Scholar Award, New York University, College of Nursing (2010)

Golden Pen Award for “Exploring the Utility of Automated Drug Alerts in Home Healthcare,” Journal for Healthcare Quality (2007)

Health Policy and Legislation Award, New York University, College of Nursing (2006)

Honorary Recognition Award, New York Counties Registered Nurses Association (1999)

Best of Image Award in Health Policy Scholarship, for “Nurse Staffing Levels and Adverse Events Following Surgery in U. S. Hospitals," Journal of Nursing (1999)

Alumni Award for Distinguished Career in Nursing, Columbia University-Presbyterian Hospital Alumni Association (1996)

Distinguished Nurse Researcher, Foundation of the New York State Nurses Association (1994)

Lavinia Dock Distinguished Service Award, New York Counties Registered Nurses Association (1992)

Martha E. Rogers Scholarship Award, Upsilon Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau (1983)

CMS study: correlation between staffing and quality.

Kovner, C. T., & Harrington, C. (2002). The American Journal of Nursing, 102(9), 65-66. 10.1097/00000446-200209000-00038

Counting nurse practitioners.

Kovner, C. T. (2002). The American Journal of Nursing, 102(1), 92. 10.1097/00000446-200201000-00033

The health care workforce

Kovner, C., & Salsberg, E. (2002). In T. Kovner & S. Jonas (Eds.), Health care delivery in the United States (7th eds., 1–, pp. 68-106). Springer.

The health care workforce in Los Angeles County and New York City: A comparison and analysis

Berliner, H. S., Kovner, C. T., & Reimers, C. (2002). International Journal of Health Services, 32(2), 299-313. 10.2190/4KEL-LKTB-AU12-1RQK

Abstract

Abstract

New York City and Los Angeles County have the largest health systems in the United States, but they differ significantly in structure. This study compares and analyzes the structural and workforce differences between the two. The health system in New York City is centered around its large hospitals, and as a result New York employs many more health workers than Los Angeles County, where the health system is centered around physician groups. Health care is a significant contributor to the economy of both areas, but a larger contributor to the economy in New York City.

Nurse staffing and postsurgical adverse events: An analysis of administrative data from a sample of U.S. Hospitals, 1990-1996

Kovner, C., Jones, C., Zhan, C., Gergen, P. J., & Basu, J. (2002). Health Services Research, 37(3), 611-629. 10.1111/1475-6773.00040

Abstract

Abstract

Objective. To examine the impact of nurse staffing on selected adverse events hypothesized to be sensitive to nursing care between 1990 and 1996, after controlling for hospital characteristics. Data Sources/Study Setting. The yearly cross-sectional samples of hospital discharges for states participating in the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 1990-1996 were combined to form the analytic sample. Six states were included for 1990-1992, four states were added for the period 1993-1994, and three additional states were added in 1995-1996. Study Design. The study design was cross-sectional descriptive. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. Data for patients aged 18 years and older who were discharged between 1990 and 1996 were used to create hospital-level adverse event indicators. Hospital-level adverse event data were defined by quality indicators developed by the Health Care Utilization Project (HCUP). These data were matched to American Hospital Association (AHA) data on community hospital characteristics, including registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical/vocational nurse (LPN) staffing hours, to examine the relationship between nurse staffing and four postsurgical adverse events: venous thrombosis/pulmonary embolism, pulmonary compromise after surgery, urinary tract infection, and pneumonia. Multivariate modeling using Poisson regression techniques was used. Principal Findings. An inverse relationship was found between RN hours per adjusted inpatient day and pneumonia (p < .05) for routine and emergency patient admissions. Conclusions. The inverse relationship between pneumonia and nurse staffing are consistent with previous findings in the literature. The results provide additional evidence for health policy makers to consider when making decisions about required staffing levels to minimize adverse events.

Nursing care providers in home care: a shortage of nonprofessional, direct care staff.

Kovner, C. T. (2002). The American Journal of Nursing, 102(1), 91. 10.1097/00000446-200201000-00031

The nursing workforce

Kovner, C. (2002). In D. Mason, J. Leavitt, & M. Chaffee (Eds.), Policy and politics in nursing and health care (1–). W.B. Saunders.

Who cares for older adults? Workforce implications of an aging society

Kovner, C. T., Mezey, M., & Harrington, C. (2002). Health Affairs, 21(5), 78-89. 10.1377/hlthaff.21.5.78

Abstract

Abstract

There is a critical shortage of geriatrics-prepared health care professionals. In 2002 more than thirty-five million people were age sixty-five and older, and 23 percent of them reported poor or fair health. Older adults use 23 percent of ambulatory care visits and 48 percent of hospital days, and they represent 83 percent of nursing facility residents. Yet 58 percent of baccalaureate nursing programs have no full-time faculty certified in geriatric nursing. Only three of the nation's 145 medical schools have geriatrics departments, and less than 10 percent of these require a geriatrics course. We argue that every health care worker must have some education in geriatrics and access to geriatrics care experts.

Acute care nurse practitioners. The geriatric resource nurse.

Kovner, C. T., & Harrington, C. (2001). The American Journal of Nursing, 101(5), 61-62. 10.1097/00000446-200105000-00022

Counting nurses: what is community health-public health nursing?

Kovner, C. T., & Harrington, C. (2001). The American Journal of Nursing, 101(1), 59-60. 10.1097/00000446-200101000-00051

Faculty