The nursing profession’s ability to merge art and science is what initially drew Rebecca Kronk to her career, and it remains the driving force behind her work today.

“It challenges you when it comes to diseases and biology and pathophysiology and pharmacology, but it also is this art of really connecting to people. It was really important to me to have that balance,” she says.

Kronk joined UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in 1978 as a registered nurse and after becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner continued to work there for decades. While on the child development unit, she met a 2-year-old patient whose grandmother was concerned about his behavior. Kronk knew he was simply acting like a normal toddler, but she pulled from the many lessons her patients, parents and colleagues had taught her about effective patient communication to get to the root of the woman’s worry.

“She said, ‘His dad’s in jail, and I don’t want him to grow up and be his dad,’” says Kronk. “Once that came out, we could make progress. I could understand where her fear was coming from. The colleagues I had helped me learn how to communicate and to really understand where people are coming from.”

Similar interactions inspired Kronk to earn a doctorate in applied developmental psychology, and she began teaching the next generation of nurses at Duquesne in 2010. She has been a positive supporter for the school since, and while she is always excited to teach about advances in the field, she also loves reminding students about the parts of nursing that always stay the same — the art of building relationships.

“It’s that true connection with people — how to help someone, how to reach out and meet that person or group of people where they’re at,” she says. “Those things don’t change and that’s important.”