Ainat Koren

Ainat Koren, Ph.D., DNP, PMHNP

Ph.D. Program Director, Professor

College
Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Department
Susan and Alan Solomont School of Nursing
Phone
978-934-4429
Fax
978-934-2015
Office
Health & Social Sciences Building, Room 204
Email
Ainat_Koren@uml.edu

Expertise

Reproductive Health, Pediatrics and Psychiatry. Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods

Research Interests

  • Teen reproductive health 
  • Childhood overweight and obesity 
  • The use of technology in health care
  • Program evaluation

Education

  • 2020 DNP, PMHNP, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
  • 2004 PH.D. Nursing, Health Promotion Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell.
  • 1996 M.A Demography, Department of Human Science, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel.
  • 1989 B.S.N Nursing, Medical School, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel.

Biosketch

Ainat Koren, Professor, School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She earned her DNP from the university of Massachusetts Amherst in 2020 and her PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell in 2004 where she focused her studies on health promotion. She received her Master of Science degree in Demography from the Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel in 1998.

Koren’s research interest is in the area of Maternal and Child health. Her research in the area of family planning, especially delaying unintended pregnancy and STI prevention among high-risk populations received numerous grants and publications. Prevention of childhood overweight and obesity focusing on the infancy time period is another research interest.

Koren is also involved in the integration of point of care technology to health care practice. She serves on the University of Massachusetts, Lowell M2D2 executive board.

In response to the COVID-9 Pandemic Koren and colleagues received an NIH grant to establish a testing site by the Solomont School of Nursing as part of the federal agency’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) an initiative, created to assist private industry develop affordable and accurate COVID-19 screening tests that can be administered and analyzed within minutes.

She is a member of nursing and public health organizations at the local and national levels, including the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses (MARN), Eta Omega Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the American Public Health Associations (APHA) and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA).

Selected Awards and Honors

  • 2020 - National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) JPHC Ellen Rudy Clore Excellence in Scholarly Writing Award
  • 2018 - Selected as one of Solomont School of Nursing ‘50 Leaders in 50 Years
  • 2013 - Finalist, March of Dimes Nurse of the Year in Research
  • 2012-2017 - Difference Maker Fellow
  • 2008 - University of Massachusetts Lowell Faculty Teaching Award
  • 2003 - Honor Society of Nursing Sigma Theta Tau International

Selected Publications

  • Koren, A., Alam, MAU., Koneru, S., DeVito, A., Abdallah, L., Liu, B. (2021). Nursing Perspectives on The Impacts of COVID-19: A Social Media Analytics Approach. JMIR Formative Research, 5(12), e31358. DOI: 10.2196/31358
  • Nehl, E.J., ….Koren, A….et al, (2021). The RADx Tech Test Verification Core and the ACME POCT in the Evaluation of COVID-19 Testing Devices: A Model for Progress and Change. IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology, 2, 142-151. DOI: 10.1109/OJEMB.2021.3070825 
  • Ding, E., Ensom, E., Hafer, N., Buchholz, B., Picard, M., Dunlap, D., Rogers, E., Lawton, C., Koren, A., Lilly, C., Fitzgibbons, T., McManus, D. (2019). Point-of-care technologies in heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders from the Center for Advancing Point-of-Care Technologies. Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering,11 58-67.
  • Koren, A. (2019). Reproductive Health for Teens: Parents Want In Too. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy,45(5) 406-413. DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2018.1549635
  • Koren, A., Kahn-D'angelo, L., Reece, S.M., Gore, R. (2019). Examining Childhood Obesity From Infancy: The Relationship Between Tummy Time, Infant BMI-z, Weight Gain, and Motor Development—An Exploratory Study. Journal of Pediatric Health Care,33(1) 80-91.
  • Koren, A., Giannetti, M., Haynes, R., Favre, M. (2017). Integrating Male Reproductive Health Services: One University Clinic Story. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy,43(1) 15-23.
  • Koren, A., Giannetti, M., Hynes, R., Favre, M. (2017). Integrating Male Reproductive Health Services: One University Clinic's Story. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy,43(1) 15-23.
  • Zlotnick, C., Jones, S.M., Koren, A., Peters, A.B., Saffer, C., Torsvik, M., Wilhelm, D. (2016). Work Role Perspectives of Clinical Instructors From Three Countries. Nursing Education Perspectives,37(5) 250-255.
  • Koren, A., Giannetti, M., Haynes, R., Favre, M. (2015). Integrating Male Reproductive Health Services: One University Clinic Story. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy
  • Koren, A., Mawn, B. (2010). The Context of Unintended Pregnancy among Married Women in the USA. The journal of family planning and reproductive health care / Faculty of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care, Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists,36(3) 150-8.

Selected Presentations

  • Koren, A. Partnering with Schools to Close the Service Gap: A Pilot Study Evaluation. - American Psychiatric Nurse Association conference (APNA) October 27, 2021
  • Koren, A. School-based tele-behavioral and family psychoeducation: A program evaluation. - Presentation at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, October 2020
  • Whitney, A., Koren, A., Pho, H. Transforming Education: Teaching Creative Problem Solving to Ignite Entrepreneurial Thinking in College Students. - 8th Annual Deshpande Symposium for Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Higher Education, June 10-12, 2019 - Lowell, MA
  • Koren, A. Teen Peer Leaders in Health Promotion: It was just a job and ended up much more. - Accepted for presentation at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, November 2018 - San Diego, CA
  • El Ghaziri, M., & Koren, A. Entrepreneurship and innovation in baccalaureate nursing curriculum: Time for nursing education to be a part of the game! - American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN) 2018 Annual Conference, October 2018 - Milwaukee, WI
  • Tello, S., Buttler, H., & Koren, A. Difference Maker: Developing Entrepreneurial Thinking Across Campus - UMass Academic Innovation Conference , April 2017 - Boston
  • Koren, A. Photovoice Empowerment Activity: Engaging High-risk Youth in Civic Engagement and Leadership Program - Sigma Theta Tau International’s 28th International Nursing Research Congress, July 2017 - Dublin, Ireland, Peer Reviewed and published abstract

Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research

  • 2020 - NIH POCTRN, RADX no cost extension
    National Institutes of Health NIH3U54HL143541-02S1, NIH3U54HL143541-02S2 Principal Investigators: David McManus (UMass Medical School); Bryan Buchholz (UML) Amount: University of Massachusetts Medical school; University of Massachusetts Lowell
    SSON sub award: Koren, A., Fantasia, H.C., Enah, C, & Marchand, L. (Co-Investigators) “Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies (CAPCaT) Administrative Supplement (RADx)”

  • 2020 - University of Massachusetts Zuckerberg College of Health Science COVID 19 rapid mini grant: Research Partnerships Leading to Understanding of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
    Project Title: COVID 19 Pandemic: The Voices of Nurses on the Front Lines
    Koren, A. (Prinipal), Alam, M., Benjuan, L. Abdallah, L.(Co-Investigators)

  • 2020 - Commercialization & New Venture Award University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

  • 2019 - University of Massachusetts, NIH Training Mini Grant
    Project Title: A Preliminary Evaluation of the Help Wanted Prevention Intervention
    Shields, R., Koren, A. (Co-Investigators)

  • 2019 - School Based Tele-Behavioral Health Services in Rural Massachusetts Heywood Hospital
    Funding Agency: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) Foundation grant
    Program Evaluation (DNP capstone project)

  • 2017 - Integrating the Difference Makers Principles into the Nursing Curriculum UMass Lowell Transformational Education Student Success Mini-Grant
    El Ghaziri, M., Koren, A (Co-investigators)
    Funding Agency: UMass Lowell Transformational Education Student Success Mini-Grant

  • 2016 - Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Evaluation, Southeastern MA (Fall River, Taunton) for DPH

  • 2016-17 - Youth civic engagement and leadership grant proposal to Southcoast Health System Community Benefits Program
    Submitted with collaboration by Citizen for Citizen Inc.