Faculty of the School of Nursing

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Sr. Mary Elizabeth O'Brien

Ph.D., R.N, FAAN, AHN
Professor
The Catholic University of America
School of Nursing
202-319-6459
obrienm@cua.edu

Education

M.T.S.     1995              Theology, The Washington Theological Union Washington, D. C.

CPE         1993              Certification in Clinical Pastoral Education, The National Institutes of Health

Ph.D.       1976              Sociology The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C.

M.S.W.    1971               Social Work Howard University Washington, D.C

B.A.          1969              Sociology Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas

R.N.         1958               Nursing, Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, Scranton, Pennsylvania

Professional Activities

Ordinary Professor, The Catholic University of America, School of Nursing, Washington, D.C. -- 1990 - Present

Director, Office of Nursing Research The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. -- 1986 - 1990

Associate Professor, Doctoral Program The Catholic University of America School of Nursing Washington, D.C. -- 1982 - 1990

Project Researcher Robert Wood Johnson Teaching-Nursing Home Program The Catholic University of America School of Nursing/Carroll Manor Nursing Home -- 1983 - 1987

Assistant Professor Doctoral Program The Catholic University of America School of Nursing --1979 - 1982

Assistant Professor Master's in Medical-Surgical Nursing Program The Catholic University, School of Nursing  --1977 - 1978

Clinical Nurse Renal Transplant Unit Washington Hospital Center Washington, D.C. -- 1975 - 1976

Clinical Nurse, Medical-Surgical, Oncology; Dialysis and Renal Transplant Service Howard University Hospital Washington, D.C. -- 1969 - 1975

Campus Nurse, Benedictine College Atchison, Kansas -- 1968 - 1969 

Head Nurse, Medical-Surgical Kansas City General Hospital Kansas City, Missouri -- 1967 - 1969

Assistant Director, Evening Supervisor University of Kansas Medical Center Kansas City, Missouri --1965 - 1967

Head Nurse, Medical-Surgical and Evening Supervisor Queen of the World Hospital Kansas City, Missouri 1962 - 1965

Research Activities

Principal Investigator, Bereavement and Coping Response in HIV Infection funded by National Institutes of Health/National Center for Nursing Research. 1990 - 1995

Principal Investigator, Coping Response in HIV Infection: A Panel Analysis  funded by National Institutes of Health/National Center for Nursing Research. 1989 - 1995

Principal Investigator and Program Director, Therapeutic Options in End-Stage Renal Disease.  Research Program Grant, funded by National Institutes of Health/National Center for Nursing Research. 1985 - 1989 

Co-Investigator, Self Care Agency in the Overweight Chronically Ill.  Funded by National Institutes of Health/Division of Nursing, Component Study, NRE Grant. 1984 - 1986

Principal Investigator, Nursing Research Emphasis Grant Nursing and Quality of Life in Chronic Illness.  The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., funded by National Institute of Health/Division of Nursing. 1984 - 1986

Principal Investigator, Exercise of Self-Care Agency in Hemodialysis Adaptation.  Funded jointly by National Institutes of Health/Division of Nursing, The National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area, and the Catholic University of America Biomedical Research Award. 1981 - 1984

Principal Investigator, Nursing Research Emphasis Grant:  Nursing and Quality of Life in Chronic Illness. The  Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., Funded by National Institutes of Health/Division of Nursing. 1980 - 1983

Principal Investigator, The Gift of Faith in Chronic Illness: An Experiment in Parish Nursing. Funded by Our Sunday Visitor Institute. 2000-2001

Research Interests

Bereavement and Coping Response in HIV Infection

Dealing with Chronic Illness

Publications and Presentations

Books

O'Brien, M.E.:  The Courage to Survive: The Life Career of the Chronic Dialysis Patient.  New York:   Grune and Stratton, Inc., 1983.

O'Brien, M.E.:   Anatomy of a Nursing Home:  A New View of Resident Life.   Owings Mills, MD:  National Health Publishing, 1989.

O'Brien, M.E.:  Living with HIV:  Experiment in Courage.  Westport, CT.  Auburn House, 1992.

O'Brien, M.E.:The AIDS Challenge: Breaking Through the Boundaries.  Westport, Ct.: Auburn House, 1995.

O'Brien, M.E.: SPIRITUALITY IN NURSING: Standing on Holy Ground. Sudbury, MA:  Jones & Bartlett Publishers, First Edition,1999; Second Edition, 2003.

O'Brien, M.E.: The Nurse's Calling: A Christian Spirituality of Caring for the Sick.    Paulist Press, 2001.

O’Brien, M.E.: Prayer In Nursing: The Spirituality of Compassionate Caregiving. Sudbury,  MA.: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2003.

O’Brien, M.E. Parish Nursing: Healthcare Ministry Within the Church. Sudbury, MA:  Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2003.

O’Brien, M.E. A Nurses’ Handbook of Spiritual Care: Standing On Holy Ground. Sudbury, MA.: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2004.

O’Brien, M.E. The Nurse with the Alabaster Jar: A biblical approach to caring for the sick, in press.

Chapters in Books

O'Brien, M.E.:   The Need for Spiritual Integrity.  In:  Human Needs and the Nursing Process.  Yura, H. and Walsh, M. (Eds.). New York:  Appleton-Century-Crofts, July, 1982.

O'Brien, M.E.:  Reaching the Migrant Worker.  In: Readings in Community Health Nursing.  Spradley, B.W. (Ed.), New York:  Lippincott, 1991.

W.G.Pheifer, and M.E. O?Brien,> Nursing Care of Persons Infected  with HIV.  In: Nursing Clinics of North America.  Maas, M.,  Buckwalter, K.C. and Titler, M. (Eds.), Spring 1993.

Articles

Korniewicz, D.E. and O'Brien, M.E.: Evaluation of a Hemodialysis Education  and Support Program, ANNA Journal, 21:1, 33-38, February 1994.

O'Brien, M.E. A Note from the School Nurse, The Union, Silver Spring, Md.:  The Washington Theological Union, 1-2, April 1994.

O'Brien, M.E. Martyrdom in the Twentieth Century: The Assination of Jean Marie Vincent, The Union, 1-2 Silver Spring, Md.: The Washington Theological Union, September 1994.

O’Brien, M.E. In His Image. Journal of Christian Nursing, 18: 2, 25, Spring 2001.

O’Brien, M.E. Navy Nurse: A Call to Lay Down My Life. Journal of Christian Nursing, 20:4, 32-33, Fall 2003.

O’Brien, M.E. The Parish Nurse: A Modern Veronica. Bigger Than Ourselves: Newsletter of the Detroit Parish Nurse Network, 3:4, 1, Winter 2003.

O’Brien, M.E. The Nurse’s Call: A Nurse’s Prayer for Faithfulness. Bigger Than Ourselves: Newsletter of the Detroit Parish Nurse Network, 4:1, 5, Spring 2004.

Selected Papers

Coping and Bereavement issues in HIV Infection, invited paper, Kappa Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau, Washington, DC, February 23, 1991.

Surviving HIV: Long Term Coping with HIV/AIDS, invited paper, Kappa Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau, Washington, D.C., December 6, 1992.

Spirituality and Nursing Practice, invited paper, Washington Metropolitan  Area Nursing Research Consortiuum, April 26, 1996.

Spirituality in Nursing, invited paper, National Association of Catholic Nurses Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., June 20, 1998.

Spiritual Needs in Long-Term Care, invited paper, Sacred Heart Nursing Home, Hyattsville, Md., August 14, 1999.

“In the Potter’s Hands: The Spirituality of Nursing”, Nursing Workshop, St. Benedict Monastery, Bristow, Virginia, June 9, 2000.

The Spirituality of Caring for the Sick, Annual Symposium of the Knights and Dames of Malta, Georgetown University, Wash, D.C., December 9, 2000.

Parish Nursing: Healthcare Ministry in the Church, St. Mary of Sorrows Church, Fairfax, Virginia, May 2001.

The Spirituality of Parish Nursing, Annual Parish Nursing Conference, Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA. June 21, 2002.

The Spirituality of Nursing, Conference on Spirituality and Caring for the Sick, The Catholic University of America School of Nursing, Fall, 2003.

Spirituality: the Heart and Soul of Parish Nursing, Annual Parish Nursing Conference, Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, Md., April 23, 2004.

Additional Professional Activities

Editorial Board, Journal of Christian Nursing, 1999-Present.

Member, Mental Health Services Advisory Committee, Whitman-Walker Clinic, Washington, D.C.  1991.

Member, Operating Committee, Bill Austin (AIDS) Day Treatment Center, Whitman-Walker Clinic, Washington, D.C. 1992 - 93.

Member, Advisory Committee, Intercultural Nursing Graduate Program, University of Maryland, 1992.

Member, AIDS Advisory Board, Montgomery County Hospice, 1990 - 1993.

Member, Board of Trustees, Sacred Heart Nursing Home, Hyattsville, Maryland, 1998-present.

Reviewer, AIDS and Related Research Review Group Meeting, N.I.H. (ARR2-AHR-V2) March 1990.

Reviewer, AIDS and Related Research Review Group Meeting, N.I.H. (ARR2-AHR-V2) March 10-11, 1989.

Reviewer, Specialized Center Grants Review Panel, N.I.H.  National Center for Nursing Research, April, 1989.

Affiliations

National Association of Catholic Nurses

University Faculty for Life

American Nurses' Association

District of Columbia Nurses' Association

Community Service Activities

Member, Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, Maryknoll, New York, 1959-65.

Lay Apostolate Member, Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, Kansas City, Missouri, 1965-67.

Volunteer, Les Petites Soeur de Jesus, Washington, D.C., and Fort-de-France, Martinique, French West Indies, 1976-77.

Volunteer Nurse, Aerosolized Pentamadine Clinic, Whitman-Walker Clinic, Washington, D.C.,  Summer, 1988.

Commissioned Lieutenant, United States Navy Nurse Corps Reserve, (SELRES), N.R. 2706, Naval Hospital Bethesda, 1987-1991.

Promoted: Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy Nurse Corps Reserve,(IRR) Fall 1992 (Retired 1995).

Member, Sisters For Christian Community, August 22, 1994-present.

Volunteer, Pastoral Care Department, Providence Hospital, Washington, D.C., Fall 1996.

Spiritual Advisor, The Catholic University of America School of Nursing, 1996- present.

Honors And Awards

Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing 1990

Elected to Who's Who in American Nursing 1990 ‑ 1991

Nurse of the Year Award for Excellence in Nursing Research, District of Columbia Nurses Assoc. 1989

Academic Vice President's Research Excellence Award The Catholic University of America Washington, DC 1988

Excellence in Nursing Award, Kappa Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau The Catholic University of America. Washington, DC 1981

Tuition Scholarship, Doctoral Program in Sociology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, 1971 ‑ 1975

National Institute of Mental Health Traineeship in Community Organization, The Howard University School of Social Work Washington, DC 1969 – 1971.