- Name: Victoria Kennel, Ph.D.
- Hometown: Gretna, Neb.
- New title and department at UNMC: Assistant professor, research, College of Allied Health Professions
Research/professional interests:
My research interests include the following:
- Developing organizational culture, leadership skills, and teamwork behaviors to improve system, team, and individual outcomes;
- Developing and applying innovation and implementation science strategies to improve the implementation and sustainment of innovations and interventions, particularly those intended to improve patient safety and quality;
- Evaluating how interactions among people and technology change the nature and experience of work.
Professionally, I am driven by seeing individuals, teams, and organizations develop and thrive to achieve optimal outcomes. Working in the health care field enhances this drive as the development of individuals, teams, and organizations also significantly impacts the quality and safety of care provided to patients, and, ultimately, affects patient outcomes and population health.
How I fell in love with industrial/organizational psychology:
I/O psychologists apply principles of psychology and human behavior to solve problems of importance for organizations and to improve the experience of work. Our work can touch nearly every aspect of an organization and the employee life cycle.
Many people spend nearly one-third or more of their lifetime at work. I find it highly rewarding to bring energy and ideas to a field that is dedicated to helping employees, teams, and organizations develop and thrive to achieve optimal outcomes.
Teaching activities:
- I teach CAHP 431/531 Management in Healthcare.
- I am leading the development of a certificate program in quality improvement. This certificate program will allow health care professionals to develop and apply the skill and competencies needed to conduct quality improvement initiatives and lead effective quality improvement programs using evidence-based practices.
- I recently worked with the Graduate College on its Transferable Skills Workshop Series initiative and co-developed their Critical and Creative Thinking Series along with UNMC COPH faculty and members of UNO’s Critical and Creative Thinking Master’s program.
Previous positions:
- Senior human capital consulting associate, SilverStone Group
- Graduate research assistant, UNMC and UNO
- Adjunct faculty at UNO and Nebraska Wesleyan University
Education:
- Ph.D., Industrial/Organizational Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha (2015)
- M.A., Industrial/Organizational Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha (2012)
- B.S., Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Nebraska Wesleyan University (2009)
Three things you don’t know about me:
- Have completed three half-marathons
- Former soccer player and goalkeeper
- Cat lover at heart