Kelly Chapman, BSN, RN, CWOCN, a certified wound, ostomy and continence nurse in the Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery and the team-lead and supervisor of the UAB inpatient wound care team, was named the inaugural Certified Nurse of the Year by the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB).
This new award honors a wound care nurse who models professional integrity, lifelong learning, and dedication to certification excellence in practice and mentorship, while upholding the mission and values of the WOCNCB. Chapman received the award in Indianapolis during the WOCNext 2026 conference.
Marty Vander Noot, M.D., the medical director of the inpatient wound care team at UAB and a professor in the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, said that Chapman’s clinical judgement, accountability, and systems-level thinking distinguishes her as a WOCNCB-certified nurse. He noted that her advocacy for maintaining high standards has had a positive impact on her team, ensuring consistent, evidence-based practice that supports improved patient outcomes and interdisciplinary trust.
“Kelly functions as a true clinical partner; her expertise informs medical decision-making, strengthens care plans, and reinforces the values that our certified WOC nurses deliver as an essential component of the high-quality patient care we strive for across the UAB Hospital System,” Vander Noot said. “She certainly deserves to be named WOCN nurse of the year.”
Chapman began her career as a nurse in 1996 at UAB. After shadowing a WOC nurse in the MICU, she was inspired to learn more about wound care. She attended the Emory WOCN program in 2004, becoming a certified wound ostomy and continence nurse.
Kelly Chapman, BSN, RN, CWOCN, and Alex Aningalan, DNP, RN, CWON, NEA-BC, CPHQ, the Financial Officer of the WOCNCB Board of Directors, at the WOCNext 2026 conference.
“I’m proud to be serving as the team lead for the UAB WOC nursing team,” Chapman said. “I have seen so much growth and continued excellence from our tea over the years. It is so rewarding to be able to meet WOC nurses from across the country and be able to talk to them about our team.”
The UAB Wound, Ostomy and Continence team currently has 15 certified WOC nurses, two wound care techs, a physician medical director, and a nurse practitioner certified in wound care. Last year, the team received national-level recognition for excellence, including the 2025 Employer Recognition Award, highlighting UAB’s support for WOC nurses, and the Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses with a Bright Future, which was awarded to Dylan Carpenter, MSN, RN, CWOCN, PCCN, MEDSURG-BC.
About the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board
The Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB) is a professional, international nursing organization which certifies over 10,000 register nurses who are specialists in the field of wound, ostomy, continence and foot care. Its mission is to set the standard for wound, ostomy, continence and foot care nursing certification by validating nurses’ knowledge to provide safe, patient-centered care.