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Died 27 June 2015, Seattle, Washington, United States | ||
Kathryn Elaine Barnard (April 16, 1938 – June 27, 2015) was a nurse known for her discovery of the role mother-newborn interactions have in early childhood development.
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Early life and education
Barnard was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and attended the University of Nebraska for her undergraduate nursing education, graduating in 1960. She attended Boston University for her postgraduate study, graduating in 1963 with a master's degree in nursing. She then moved to the University of Washington for her doctorate, which she earned in 1972 with a dissertation on the role of rocking in infant development.
Career and research
Her doctoral research began a lifelong study of early childhood development. Barnard's research focused on the mother-child relationship, especially with regards to neonates. She discovered that rocking chairs and listening to heartbeats could help infants; this research caused hospitals to install rocking chairs in labor and delivery and neonatal units. Her parent-child interaction scale was invented to show the effect that these interactions could have on development in various realms. She was part of the team that invented the isolette, a neonatal incubator that rocks in order to support sensorimotor development and weight gain. Her research also showed that physical contact was essential for infant development. Her research also included interventions for children who were at risk of future problems due to their environment.
Barnard ended her career as an emerita professor at the University of Washington.
Honors and awards
Barnard received numerous awards for her work:
Legacy
The Center on Infant Mental Health and Development, founded by Barnard in 2001, continues research at the University of Washington and is now named for her. She was a founder of Zero to Three, an early-childhood nonprofit organization. Barnard died from chronic illnesses at the age of 77.