Madeleine Leininger, RN, PhD, CTN, FAAN, FRCNA, the founder and international leader of transcultural nursing, died Aug. 10 in Omaha, Neb., at age 87.

Leininger, a nurse and anthropologist, led the development of transcultural nursing into a recognized discipline in the profession. Transcultural nursing emphasizes the importance of providing culturally compatible care for people of diverse cultures, and of the role of culture in a patient’s health and preferred modes of care.

Often described as a visionary, Leininger launched the study and practice of transcultural nursing in the 1950s. She coined the terms "culturally competent" and "culturally congruent care" by the following decade, and those terms became part of the lexicon of transcultural nursing in federal agencies, universities, therapeutic health centers and accrediting agencies.

In a 2009 speech at a conference to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Transcultural Nursing Society, Leininger explained what first motivated her to prioritize transcultural nursing. She had spent three years of field research in the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea, home of a tribal group called the Gadsup.

"Culture and care were closely related to their health outcomes," Leininger said. "I realized that nurses would have a difficult time serving these people unless prepared about the culture and their care needs. I realized that nurses needed to be prepared to understand and help cultures receive care that fit their needs."

To make healthcare effective for people of diverse cultures, Leininger explained, health professionals needed to establish educational programs and culturally competent care practices. She and her colleagues studied about 100 cultures worldwide and have established transcultural nursing courses around the globe.

A noteworthy career

Leininger’s most recent position was adjunct professor of nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Nursing, where she had worked since 1997.

"She was a nursing theorist who made nursing very personal," said Mary McNamee, PhD, assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs and former assistant dean for administration at UNMC Nursing. "She was passionate in what she did and a very forward-thinking leader who was in tune with the times. She moved nursing forward. It was exciting to have her here on campus and talk about her theory. She also was very approachable."

Leininger, who died of lung failure, had remained an active lecturer, consultant, theorist and author. She was an emeritus professor of nursing and anthropology at Wayne State University in Detroit, and previously was dean and professor of nursing at the University of Washington and University of Utah and director of three university research centers.

Leininger was a past president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and founder of the Transcultural Nursing Society. She was a 2009 inductee into the Nebraska Nursing Hall of Fame and has written 30 books, published more than 200 articles and given more than 1,500 lectures.

Tributes to Leininger can be made online at www.madeleine-leininger.com/en/tributes.shtml. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Transcultural Nursing Society Foundation (www.tcns.org/Foundation.html for more information).