MEDIA CONTACT: Susan Feinberg
561-297-4194, sfeinbe4@fau.edu
BOCA RATON, FL (December 19, 2006) - Dr. Marlaine Smith, RN, PhD, AHN-BC, FAAN, has been named the Helen Karpelenia Persson Eminent Scholar and associate dean for academic programs at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University. Smith is widely recognized as a renowned scholar, researcher and educator with a long and sustained record of commitment to the discipline of nursing.
“We are so pleased to have Dr. Smith join the faculty,” said Dr. Anne Boykin, dean of FAU’s College of Nursing. “Her outstanding leadership experience, excellence in teaching and research, and dedication to making a difference in the lives of those seeking healthcare are only a few of the gifts she brings to the College community.”
As holder of the Helen KarpeleniaPersson Eminent Scholar Chair in Community Caring, Smithwill provide leadership in transforming health care through research, teaching and influencing public policies related to health care.
Smith’s research primarily has focused on the importance of touch and how it impacts healing and quality of life. In 2003, Smith and Dr. Jean Kutner, chair of the Division of Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, received the largest grant ever awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the investigation of the efficacy of massage therapy. This multi-site clinical trial focused on the potential for touch to diminish pain and other symptoms of advanced cancer in end-of-life care.
Smith held numerous leadership positions at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center-School of Nursing, where she recently served as professor and associate dean for academic affairs. Her many honors and awards include the National League for Nursing Martha E. Rogers Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship in Advancing Nursing as a Science. Smith is also a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. Her research and scholarly works are published in leading nursing and interdisciplinary journals.
Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Duquesne University; a master’s degree in public health and a master’s degree in nursing, with a focus in education and oncology, from the University of Pittsburgh; and a doctoral degree in nursing from New York University.
“I want to educate nurses so that they really touch the lives of people receiving our care,” said Smith. “We need to work together to create environments that preserve relationship, choice and the wholeness of the persons, families and communities. I believe that caring relationships are central to the healing process.”
-FAU-
Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing is committed to nurturing the wholeness of persons and environment through caring.
