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CHAPTER 20 Afaf Ibrahim Meleis 379

Transitions Theory was developed. In 2002, Meleis sciences, nursing, and medical journals; 45 chapters;
was nominated and became the Margret Bond Simon and numerous monographs, proceedings, and books.
Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Her award-winning book, Theoretical Nursing: Devel-
Pennsylvania. opment and Progress (1985, 1991, 1997, 2007, 2011),
Meleis, a prominent nurse sociologist, is a sought- is used widely throughout the world. In addition, her
after theorist, researcher, and speaker on the topics of book entitled Women’s Health and the World’s Cities
women’s health and development, immigrant health (Meleis, Birch, & Wachter, 2011) supports her recent
care, international health care, and knowledge and efforts on health issues of urban women.
theoretical development. She is currently on the The development of Transitions Theory began in the
Counsel General of the International Council on mid-1960s, when Meleis was working on her PhD, and
Women’s Health Issues. Meleis received numerous it can be traced through years of research with students
honors and awards as well as honorary doctorates and and colleagues. In Theoretical Nursing: Development
distinguished and honorary professorships around the and Progress (Meleis, 2007), she describes her theoreti-
world. She received the Medal of Excellence for profes- cal journey from her practice and research interests.
sional and scholarly achievements from Egyptian Her master’s and PhD research investigated phenomena
President Hosni Mubarak in 1990. In 2000, Meleis of planning pregnancies and mastering parenting roles.
received the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of She focused on spousal communication and interaction
Massachusetts, Amherst. In 2001, she received UCSF’s in effective or ineffective planning of the number of
Chancellor Award for the Advancement of Women for children in families (Meleis, 1975) and later reasoned
her role as a worldwide activist on women’s issues. that her ideas were incomplete because she did not con-
In 2004, she received the Pennsylvania Commission sider transitions.
for Women Award in celebration of women’s history Subsequently, her research focused on people
month and the Special Recognition Award in Human who do not make healthy transitions and the discov-
Services from the Arab American Family Support ery of interventions to facilitate healthy transitions.
Center in New York. In 2006, Meleis was presented the Symbolic interactionism played an important role in
Robert E. Davies Award from the Penn Professional efforts to conceptualize the symbolic world that
Women’s Network for her advocacy on behalf of shapes interactions and responses. This shift in her
women. In 2007, she received four distinguished theoretical thinking led her to role theories as noted
awards: an honorary doctorate of medicine from in her publications in the 1970s and 1980s.
Linkoping University, Sweden; the Global Citizenship Meleis’ earliest work with transitions defined
Award from the United Nations Association of Greater unhealthy transitions or ineffective transitions in
Philadelphia; the Sage Award from the University of relation to role insufficiency. She defined role insuf-
Minnesota; and the Dr. Gloria Twine Chisum Award ficiency as any difficulty in the cognizance and/or
for Distinguished Faculty at the University of Pennsyl- performance of a role or of the sentiments and goals
vania for community leadership and commitment to associated with the role behavior as perceived
promoting diversity. In 2008, she received the Com- by the self or by significant others (Meleis, 2007).
mission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools This conceptualization led Meleis to define the goal
(CGFNS) International Distinguished Leadership of healthy transitions as mastery of behaviors, senti-
Award based on outstanding work in the global health ments, cues, and symbols associated with new
care community. In 2009, Meleis received the Take the roles and identities and nonproblematic processes.
Lead Award from the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Meleis called for knowledge development in nurs-
Pennsylvania. In 2010, she was inducted to the UCLA ing to be about nursing therapeutics rather than
School of Nursing Hall of Fame for her work in to understand phenomena related to responses
advancing and transforming nursing science. to health and illness situations. Consequently, she
Meleis’ research focuses on global health, immi- initiated the development of role supplementation
grant and international health, women’s health, and as a nursing therapeutic as seen in her earlier
the theoretical development of the nursing disci- research (Meleis, 1975; Meleis & Swendsen, 1978;
pline. She authored more than 170 articles in social Jones, Zhang, & Meleis, 1978).