Margaret Newman, early nurse theorist and faculty emeritus, dies

Margaret Ann Newman, PhD, RN, FAAN who served as a nurse theorist and professor at the University of Minnesota from 1984 to 1996, died Dec. 18 at the age of 85. She is widely known for her theory of health as expanding consciousness and published the earliest primer on developing nursing theory, Theory Development in Nursing.

 “Her focus on the expanding consciousness, the patient as a whole, the impact of nurses’ transforming presence, designing nursing interventions that foster patients finding meaning in their care experience, and viewing disease as a meaningful part of health are as important in health and care transformation today as four decades ago. We celebrate her contributions as a professor at the University of Minnesota and her commitment to working closely with doctoral students.”