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International Journal of Nursing Practice 2014; 20: 561
EDITORIAL FOR IJNP
Greatness and quiet determination: Tribute to Professor Alan Pearson Some men are born to lead others. They have a way about them: an ability to inspire others to achieve greatness. It was William Shakespeare who wrote, ‘Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them’. Professor Alan Pearson has never been one to seek the limelight. Throughout his esteemed career he was quietly passionate, persistent and determined to make a difference to nursing care. He was prepared to do things that were challenging, but in his view necessary. He affected people to open their minds to the possibilities—a great gift to those individuals and to health care more broadly. Highlights of his prestigious career include: He completed a Master of Nursing Science at Manchester University (the first university in the United Kingdom to offer such a programme). His intake became known as the Manchester Mafia who has all played significant roles in changing nursing practice. He established the Burford Nursing Development Unit and Oxford Nursing Development Unit in the United Kingdom—these units pioneered innovations in practice such as primary nursing where a nurse and doctor have joint responsibility over a patient. He published The Clinical Nursing Unit in 1983, which demonstrated the interdependence of practitioners, managers, educators and researchers essential for excellence in nursing. He was appointed as Foundation Dean and Australia’s first Professor of Nursing at Deakin University in 1987—designing a university programme for nursing that firmly linked education and research with practice. As a result of this work he consulted at Monash University in Victoria, Griffith University in Queensland and Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia. Then established the Department of Clinical Nursing at the University of Adelaide in 1995 (and with it the Joanna
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Briggs Institute)—maintaining his work around linking research and practice in very pragmatic ways. In 2010 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours List, and in 2012 he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (very prestigious). He also founded the International Journal of Nursing Practice in 1995. In his first editorial in the first issue he wrote of his hopes for the journal to ‘significantly contribute to the development of international links between nurses and the art and science of nursing’. He described with great sincerity and passion the globalization of human activity and the difficulties nurses were facing with respect to their work. He wrote:
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Within this context it is easy to forget that the need for nursing continues unabated and that nurses across the world continue to creatively engage in complex, sophisticated, human practices to assist people towards health.
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doi:10.1111/ijn.12378
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The journal was to be one focused on nursing practice, clinical research and clinical scholarship as they reached new heights internationally and it was his hope that the journal would increase understanding of what and how it was to nurse people and improve the quality of care delivered to communities around the world. It is a courageous act to do things differently when everyone around you is closed to change. It is bold and brave to take on challenges that others shy away from and then bring others on that journey with you. Professor Pearson brought many of us along with him and we owe him a debt of gratitude for teaching us to be brave and to see the world differently. This journal is but one achievement in a long list over a great career, but we feel sure that it will continue for many years to come following the ideals he set forth in the very beginning. Dr Kylie Porritt
© 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
Copyright of International Journal of Nursing Practice is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
International Journal of Nursing Practice 2014; 20: 561
EDITORIAL FOR IJNP
Greatness and quiet determination: Tribute to Professor Alan Pearson Some men are born to lead others. They have a way about them: an ability to inspire others to achieve greatness. It was William Shakespeare who wrote, ‘Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them’. Professor Alan Pearson has never been one to seek the limelight. Throughout his esteemed career he was quietly passionate, persistent and determined to make a difference to nursing care. He was prepared to do things that were challenging, but in his view necessary. He affected people to open their minds to the possibilities—a great gift to those individuals and to health care more broadly. Highlights of his prestigious career include: He completed a Master of Nursing Science at Manchester University (the first university in the United Kingdom to offer such a programme). His intake became known as the Manchester Mafia who has all played significant roles in changing nursing practice. He established the Burford Nursing Development Unit and Oxford Nursing Development Unit in the United Kingdom—these units pioneered innovations in practice such as primary nursing where a nurse and doctor have joint responsibility over a patient. He published The Clinical Nursing Unit in 1983, which demonstrated the interdependence of practitioners, managers, educators and researchers essential for excellence in nursing. He was appointed as Foundation Dean and Australia’s first Professor of Nursing at Deakin University in 1987—designing a university programme for nursing that firmly linked education and research with practice. As a result of this work he consulted at Monash University in Victoria, Griffith University in Queensland and Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia. Then established the Department of Clinical Nursing at the University of Adelaide in 1995 (and with it the Joanna
•
Briggs Institute)—maintaining his work around linking research and practice in very pragmatic ways. In 2010 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours List, and in 2012 he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (very prestigious). He also founded the International Journal of Nursing Practice in 1995. In his first editorial in the first issue he wrote of his hopes for the journal to ‘significantly contribute to the development of international links between nurses and the art and science of nursing’. He described with great sincerity and passion the globalization of human activity and the difficulties nurses were facing with respect to their work. He wrote:
•
Within this context it is easy to forget that the need for nursing continues unabated and that nurses across the world continue to creatively engage in complex, sophisticated, human practices to assist people towards health.
• •
•
doi:10.1111/ijn.12378
•
The journal was to be one focused on nursing practice, clinical research and clinical scholarship as they reached new heights internationally and it was his hope that the journal would increase understanding of what and how it was to nurse people and improve the quality of care delivered to communities around the world. It is a courageous act to do things differently when everyone around you is closed to change. It is bold and brave to take on challenges that others shy away from and then bring others on that journey with you. Professor Pearson brought many of us along with him and we owe him a debt of gratitude for teaching us to be brave and to see the world differently. This journal is but one achievement in a long list over a great career, but we feel sure that it will continue for many years to come following the ideals he set forth in the very beginning. Dr Kylie Porritt
© 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
Copyright of International Journal of Nursing Practice is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
