Faye Glenn Abdellah Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS C 424

Abstract

Rear Admiral Faye Glenn Abdellah, Ed.D., LL.D., Sc.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. has been a leader in both the development of nursing research and nursing as a profession within the Public Health Service (PHS). She has been active in professional associations devoted to nursing and has been a prolific author with over 130 publications to her credit.

Dates

1952-2004

Extent

6.4 Linear Feet (14 boxes + oversize)

Creator

Abdellah, Faye G. (Person)

Physical Location

Materials stored onsite. History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine

Language of Materials

Collection materials primarily in English

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Copyright and Re-use Information

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Biographical Note

Born March 13, 1919 in New York, NY, Rear Admiral Faye Glenn Abdellah, Ed.D., LL.D., Sc.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. was a leader in both the development of nursing research and nursing as a profession within the Public Health Service (PHS). Trained initially as a nurse at the Fitkin Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, Dr. Abdellah went on to receive B.S., M.A., and Ed.D. degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University. Almost her entire professional career was spent in the PHS from which she retired in November, 1989 as Deputy Surgeon General.

Dr. Abdellah was the first nurse to hold the rank of a two star Rear Admiral and Deputy Surgeon General of the United States. She was a national pioneer in the field of nursing research and long-term care policy, mental health and the developmentally disabled, home health services, aging, hospice care, and AIDS. She was the founder and first dean of the Graduate School of Nursing at the Uniformed Service University of Health Sciences. Abdellah was elected in to the National Woman's Hall of Fame in 2000. She was also elected a member of the National Academies of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. Abdellah died February 24, 2017.

Collection Summary

Dr. Abdellah's papers reflect the breadth of her personal and professional interests. The material is divided into five series. There is limited personal and biographical information. There are two series of copies of her publications and speeches. They document Abdellah's research interests in patient care, nursing practice, nursing research, and the care of the elderly. Correspondence about some of the speeches and publications, as well as reviews of and advertisements for her books are also found in the series. A series composed of Abdellah's scrapbooks document fully her professional development, activities, and awards. Of special note is the last series, an extensive collection of photographs that serve as a visual record of federal nursing service and the Public Health Service in the 1970s and 1980s.