1.

We cannot wait for the world to changeThose of us with intelligence, purpose, and vision must
take the lead and change the world. Let us move forward together! I promise never to rest until my
work has been completed! Faye AbdellahFAYE GLENNABDELLAHSandy Winter, Mike
Bregenzer, and DianneGrimmett
2. Where she came from Dr. Abdellah was born in New York in 1919. Her father was of Algerian
heritage and her mother of Scottish. She grew up in a family that was committed to service to their
country. Her only brother died of pancreatic cancer related to his World War II military Lessing, 2004,
p. 4
3. Why she became a nurse She became a nurse because of a startling historical event, the
explosion of the Hindenburg.I could only view the tragedy of the poor scorched victims exiting the
dirigible. it was then that I decided that I would never again be powerless to assist when people were
in so dire a need. It was at that moment that I thought that Ive got to do something. Ive got to
become a nurse. Lessing, 2004, p. 4
4. Nurse, Researcher, Educator She was trained first as a diploma nurse, but went on to earn 3
degrees from Columbia. Advanced degrees in nursing were unavailable at the time so she chose a
masters in physiology and a doctorate in education. True to her training, nursing, research, and
education were her lifelong passions. Virginia Healthcare Association
http://www.vhca.org/consumers/whos-who/2010/ww2.asp
5. Career highlights: positions Dr. Abdellah had an astonishing career, marked by the passion and
commitment to public service that had first led her to be a nurse. She joined the U.S. Public Health
Service in 1949. She achieved the rank of a two-star rear admiral. She was chosen as the
Deputy Surgeon General, the first time that of Fame a woman or a National Womens Hall either
http://www.greatwomen.org/women-of-the-hall/search-the-hall- nurse had been appointed to serve in
that role. results/details/2/1-Abdellah
6. Career highlights: publications In 1960, Abdellah published her foundational theory in Patient-
Centered Approaches to Nursing. At the time, Abdellah was already a research consultant with the
U.S. Public Health service, so she collaborated with three nurse educators who wrote chapters on
applying Abdellahs theory to diploma, associate, and bachelors level degree programs. The main
principle of Abdellahs book was that the patient should be at the center of nursing inquiry National
Womens Hall of Fame http://www.greatwomen.org/women-of-the-hall/search-the-hall- and work, not
the disease or the physician or the results/details/2/1-Abdellah
7. Career highlights: publications(cont.) Abdellah updated this work over the next two decades in
works such as New Directions in Patient-Centered Nursing (Abdellah et al., 1973). She also
published highly-regarded works in nursing research, such as Better Patient Care through Nursing
Research (Abdellah, F.G. & Levine, E., 1979). One of her most recent books on research was
Preparing Nursing Research for the 21st Century (Abdellah, F.G. & Levine, E., 1994).
8. Retirement? Dr. Abdellah supposedly retired in 1989, but she then founded the graduate school of
nursing at the Uniformed Services University. A center there has been named in her honor. She
served as its dean until about 2002, when Senator Daniel Inouye rose to pay tribute to her
remarkable career in this speech:Dr. Faye Glenn Abdellah honored Capitol Words,
http://capitolwords.org/date/2002/05/16/S4488- 3_tribute-to-dr-faye-glenn-abdellah/
9. Dr. Faye Glenn Abdellah today Dr. Abdellah finally slowed down enough to take up residence in
the Arleigh Burke Pavilion in Manassas, Virginia. She is now 93 years old. Since Dr. Abdellah gave
special attention to the improvement of long-term care facilities and the training of geriatric nurse
practitioners, we hope her years of service are now rewarded with the excellent care she deserves!
Virginia Healthcare Association http://www.vhca.org/consumers/whos-who/2010/ww2.asp
10. Why she still matters Abdellah gave preliminary form to many current nursing concerns: patient-
centered care, access to health care, improving health education, providing service to hospice,
patients with AIDS, and residents of nursing homes. She contributed both language and concepts
to the development of a nursing process, including the then-new idea that nurses should make
nursing diagnoses. National Womens Hall of Fame http://www.greatwomen.org/women-of-the-
hall/search-the-hall- results/details/2/1-Abdellah
11. BibliographyAbdellah, F.G., Beland, I.L., Martin, A., & Matheney, R.V. (1960). Patient- centered
approaches to nursing. New York, NY: Macmillan.Abdellah, F.G., Beland, I.L., Martin, A., &
Matheney, R.V. (1973). New directions in patient-centered nursing. New York, NY:
Macmillan.Abdellah, F.G. & Levine, E. (1994). Preparing nursing research for the 21st century. New
York, NY: Macmillan.Lessing, M. 2004. Up close and personal: Interview with Rear Admiral Faye
Glenn Abdellah. Military Medicine, 169, (11), 3-11.National Womens Hall of Fame. (2011). Faye
Glenn Abdellah. Retrieved from http://www.greatwomen.org/women-of-the-hall/search-the-hall-
results/details/2/1-AbdellahSunlight Foundation. (2006). Tribute to Dr. Faye G. Abdellah. Retrieved
from http://capitolwords.org/date/2002/05/16/S4488-3_tribute-to-dr-faye-glenn- abdellah/Virginia
Healthcare Association. (2011). Whos who in Virginias long-term care facilities. Retrieved from
http://www.vhca.org/consumers/whos- who/2010/ww2.asp
http://fayeglenn.blogspot.com/2012/07/application-of-theory.html