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CHAP TER

Madeleine M. Leininger
1925 to 2012

Culture Care Theory of Diversity

and Universality

Marilyn R. McFarland

“Care is the essence of nursing and a distinct, dominant, central and unifying focus”
(Madeleine Leininger, 2002e, p. 192).

instructor, staff nurse, and head nurse on a medical-
Credentials and Background surgical unit and opened a psychiatric unit while
of the Theorist director of nursing service at St. Joseph’s Hospital in
Madeleine M. Leininger is the founder of transcultural Omaha. During this time, she pursued advanced
nursing and a leader in transcultural nursing and hu- study in nursing at Creighton University in Omaha,
man care theory. She was the first professional nurse Nebraska (Leininger, 1995c, 1996b).
with graduate preparation in nursing to hold a PhD in In 1954, Leininger obtained a master’s degree in
cultural and social anthropology. Leininger was born psychiatric nursing from Catholic University of
in Sutton, Nebraska, and began her nursing career after America in Washington, D.C. She became employed
graduating from the diploma program at St. Anthony’s at the University of Cincinnati College of Health,
School of Nursing in Denver where she was also in the where she began the first master’s-level clinical spe-
U.S. Army Nurse Corps. In 1950, she obtained a bach- cialist program in child psychiatric nursing. She
elor’s degree in biological science from Benedictine initiated the first graduate nursing program in
College in Atchison, Kansas, with a minor in philoso- psychiatric nursing at the University of Cincinnati
phy and humanistic studies. After graduation, she was and a Therapeutic Psychiatric Nursing Center at the

Photo credit: Kathleen Leininger, Shiner, TX

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