Karen Bogenschneider, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2021 Wiley Prize in Family Science: The Alexis Walker Award, which recognizes the best Family Science paper published in a Wiley journal in 2019 and 2020.

Her article, Realizing the Promise of Research in Policymaking: Theoretical Guidance Grounded in Policymaker Perspectives, was published in NCFR's Journal of Family Theory & Review (Vol. 11, Issue 1) — a March 2019 special issue on family policy. This article advances Dr. Bogenschneider's work on community dissonance theory, providing a theoretical framework to ease the cultural friction between researchers and policymakers. It explores how research can be used to greater effect to cross the divide to implemented public policies.

Dr. Bogenschneider is an NCFR Fellow and past member of the NCFR Board of Directors. She is a Rothermel-Bascom professor emeritus of human ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Bogenschneider is a renowned expert in family policy and her work has been influential to family scholars, policymakers, and professionals alike. Her scholarly articles have been widely published in peer-reviewed journals, and she has been invited to present at NCFR, the United Nations, and countless conferences and events all over the world.

The Alexis Walker Award, sponsored by publisher John Wiley & Sons, was created in memory of the late Alexis Walker. Dr. Walker served as NCFR president and was editor of the Journal of Marriage and Family from 2002 to 2006. She was an NCFR Fellow, eminent scholar, and pathfinder in the family field. 

A prize of $5,000 is presented biannually for the award, which recognizes the best Family Science research paper published in a Wiley journal in the preceding two years.

Dr. Bogenschneider was recognized for her achievement during the Awards Ceremony at the 2021 NCFR Annual Conference. Watch the video above to learn more about Dr. Bogenschneider and this award.