Kirkendoll Helps Navigate Pandemic

It’s 11 p.m., well past the traditional working hours of a university employee, and Director of Student Health Chrissi Kirkendoll, ‘09, and Dean of Students, Brad Dixon, ‘07, are deep in the weeds of health guidelines and testing schedules. Since March, this has been the routine for the team of employees leading the Central Methodist University oncampus response to COVID-19.

In between the late-night emails and early-morning consults, Kirkendoll, a CMU nursing alumna, spearheads the bi-weekly, campus-wide COVID-19 testing program. Each morning, from 8:30 a.m. to as late as 3 p.m., Kirkendoll conducts COVID-19 antigen testing for the students of Central. She dons her personal protective equipment (PPE) and spends hours each day talking through the testing, quarantine, isolation, and recovery process with students, faculty, and staff. She helps students discern between symptoms that are “just allergies” and symptoms that are something more concerning, all because keeping the campus community healthy is at the heart of all she does. nurse practitioner when the position was

“It has been an adventure since day vacated in early 2020. one,” Kirkendoll said, “I feel like I am able But she was no stranger to public and to make a difference on campus and work community health. In 2017, she obtained to make it possible for everyone to stay on her Master of Science in Nursing in campus for as long as possible, despite the the Family Nurse Practitioner program circumstances. It from Maryville is really a team University. For effort, and our “IT IS REALLY A TEAM the better part of success wouldn’t be possible EFFORT AND OUR the last decade, Kirkendoll assisted without the SUCCESS WOULDN’T health efforts in efforts of every BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT long-term care rockstar—from those in the THE EFFORTS OF EVERY facilities, labor and delivery and Office of Student ROCKSTAR.” postpartum units, Development to – Chrissi Kirkendoll ‘09 and public health those running and primary care contact tracing settings. Her and all the others who devote their time position at Central has served not only as to make the process run as smooth as an opportunity to return to her alma mater possible.” to teach and lead, but also an opportunity

Kirkendoll didn’t anticipate becoming to—quite literally—meet everyone on Director of Student Health in the middle campus. of a global pandemic. She began her “The most surprising thing about this role at Central with a request from Dean work has been the level of detail and time Dixon to simply fill in as a temporary required for the testing, contact tracing,