Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, LL (AAN)
Founder, Director, Watson Caring Science Institute
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Dr. Jean Watson is Distinguished Professor and Dean Emerita, University of Colorado Denver, College of Nursing Anschutz Medical Center (retired), where she held the nation’s first endowed Chair in Caring Science for 16 years. She is founder of the original Center for Human Caring in Colorado and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing; past President of the National League for Nursing; founding member of International Association in Human Caring and International Caritas Consortium. She is Founder and Director of the non-profit foundation, Watson Caring Science Institute (www.watsoncaringscience.org). In 2013 Dr. Watson was inducted as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing, its highest honor.
She is a widely published author and recipient of many national/international awards and honors, including: The Fetzer Institute Norman Cousins Award, in recognition of her commitment to developing; maintaining and exemplifying relationship-centered care practices; an international Kellogg Fellowship in Australia; a Fulbright Research Award in Sweden; The Hildebrand Center for Compassion in Medicine Award Notre Dame University; Academy Integrative Medicine and Healing Award for pioneering work in Caring Science; Japanese International Society of Caring and Peace Chair. She holds sixteen (16) Honorary Doctoral Degrees/Awards, including 13 International Honorary Doctorates (E. G. Sweden, United Kingdom, Spain, British Colombia and Quebec, Canada, Japan, Turkey, Peru and Colombia, S. America; Ireland, Slovenia).
Dr. Watson’s Ethic-Philosophy and Transpersonal Theory of Human Caring, and Caritas Processes of Unitary Caring Science are used to guide transformative models of education, research and leadership; her work is foundation for advancing professional caring- healing practices for hospitals, nurses and patients alike, in diverse settings worldwide
At the University of Colorado, Dr. Watson held the title of Distinguished Professor of Nursing; the highest honor accorded its faculty for scholarly work.
As author /co-author of over 30 books on caring, her latest books range from empirical measurements and international research on caring, mindful caring science practices, to new postmodern philosophies of caring and healing, philosophy and science of caring and caring science as sacred science and global advance in caring literacy. Her books have been AJN books of the year awards and seek to bridge paradigms as well as point toward transformative models for now and the future.
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