Dr. Margaret A. Newman Center for Nursing Theory
The center’s mission is to promote the development of nursing theory and to generate new theories or expand existing theories with a particular focus on Dr. Newman’s theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness. Using a model of scholarship, leadership, innovation, and practice, the Center provides for direct collaboration with international nurse scholars, practitioners, and students committed to generating knowledge for nursing education, practice, and research.
The Dr. Margaret A. Newman Distinguished Visiting Professorship on Aug. 6, 2024, drew 228 nurses and nursing students to the FedEx Event Center to hear about the impact of nursing theory on nursing practice. Associate Professor Jane Flanagan, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, ANP-BC, FAAN, was the keynote speaker. Her presentation was titled, “Nursing Without Boundaries: Creating the Opportunity for Wellbecoming through Dialogue Guided by Health as Expanding Consciousness.” Dr. Flanagan is a department chair at the Connell School of Nursing at Boston College and editor of the International Journal of Nursing Knowledge. The recording is available for viewing via Digital Commons, or viewing for credit at CE Now. To register for a CE Now account, go to https://cenow.uthsc.edu/.
About Nursing Theory
Learn more about Health as Expanding Consciousness (HEC).
The center has been featured recently on the podcast, That's Healthful. This episode covers nursing theory, and this episode covers HEC Theory. A more recent podcast shows how HEC Theory is used in research with Hmong women who have diabetes.
Memphis native Margaret Newman, PhD, RN, FAAN, was a world-renowned nurse theorist who earned her nursing degree at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She earned her master’s degree in medical-surgical nursing at the University of California at San Francisco, and her PhD in Nursing Science at New York University. Her books related to her theory include, “Health as Expanding Consciousness,” “A Developing Discipline,” and “Transforming Presence: The Difference That Nursing Makes.” She served as a professor at the University of Minnesota, on faculty at UTHSC, as the PhD program director at New York University, and as a civilian consultant to the U.S. Surgeon General for Nursing Research. She also led the graduate and research in nursing program at Pennsylvania State University. She was named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Newman died in 2018.
Center Leadership
Nursing Theory Center Director
.Associate Professor Marie Gill, PhD, RN, is the director of the Dr. Margaret A. Newman Center for Nursing Theory. She joined the UTHSC College of Nursing in October, 2022, after nearly 10 years on the faculty of the University of Memphis, Loewenberg College of Nursing. Dr. Gill earned her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) from the UTHSC College of Nursing and her master of science in nursing (MSN) from the University of Memphis. She also earned her Master of Science in Education for Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership from the University of Memphis. Dr. Gill attained her PhD in Nursing Science with a minor in public health nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2012.
In Appreciation
We would like to share our gratitude for two founding members of the Center Advisory Board who stepped down from their roles in August 2024. Emiko Endo, PhD, RN, and Margaret Pharris, PhD, RN, MPH, AHN-BC, were integral to the establishment of the Center. We also would like the recognize the vital contributions of the late Mellody Waller, PhD, RN, who was the first director of the Center and a founding board member.
Center Advisory Board
- Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP, Dean – UTHSC
- Jane Flanagan, PhD, RN, ANP- BC, AHN-BC, FNAP, FNI, FAAN – Boston College
- Carolyn Graff, PhD, RN, FAAIDD – UTHSC
- Dorothy Jones, EdD, APRN, FAAN, FNI– Boston College (retired)
- Marlaine Smith, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, FAAN – Florida Atlantic University (retired)
- Mona Wicks, PhD, RN, FAAN – UTHSC
- Marie Gill, PhD, RN, Director – UTHSC