Associate Professor (Retired), Boston College, William F. Connell School of Nursing, USA
Nurse Scientist, Munn Center for Nursing Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, USA
IPONS Vice-Chair 2018-2021
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My interest in nursing philosophy developed out of the unanswered questions I had related to practice problems I encountered during a long nursing career. A course in Medical Ethics during master’s studies determined my decision to complete a PhD in philosophy. My dissertation was a philosophical analysis of the concept of advocacy and resulted in reconceptualizing this as ‘professional advocacy’. Post dissertation I taught moral reasoning, nursing epistemology, nursing philosophy across curricula. The tools of philosophical inquiry have proven invaluable in developing nurses who will question the status quo.
I became a member of IPONS at its inception in 2003.
Selected Publications
- Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice, 3rd Ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 2018. Link
- With M. Zumstein‐Shaha. “Using Ockham’s razor to redefine “nursing science,” Nursing Philosophy, 21(2), e12246. (2020). Link
- “Philosophical Inquiry and Professional Advocacy,” Nursing Philosophy, 20(3):e12242 (2019). Link
- With C. Cuchetti, “Authentic intention: Tempering the dehumanizing aspects of technology on behalf of good nursing care,” Nursing Philosophy, May 28:e12255 (2019). Link
Education
- PhD 1998, Philosophy, University of Tennessee – Knoxvile, USA
- MSN, 1989, Adult Primary Care, University of West Virginia, USA
- BSN 1987, University of West Virginia, USA
- 1972 State Registered Nurse, Walton Hospital, Liverpool, UK