I first learned of Dr. Gertrude Torres’ work when she and Helen Yura published a report of their study of analysis of the conceptual frameworks of several nursology [nursing] baccalaureate programs that were accredited by the National League for Nursing. The analysis revealed four major concepts–man, society, health, and nursing (Yura & Torres, 1975). As I developed my thoughts about nursology’s metaparadigm, I revised these concepts initially to person, environment, health, and nursing and most recently to human beings, global environment, culture, planetary health, and nursologists’ activities (Fawcett, 2023; 2024).
This blog spotlights a particularly provocative paper Dr. Torres wrote in 1981, the content of which has remained relevant through the years, including contemporary times. The paper is Dr. Torres’ experiences of accountability, vulnerability, and oppression of nursing education administrators. Noteworthy is that Dr. Torres identified herself as the former dean of Wright State University School of Nursing, although the content of her paper was not directly linked to her own experiences as the dean.
Readers might wonder what the point was of Dr. Torres identifying herself as the former dean. In a personal communication (December 12. 2025), Peggy Chinn shared with me that “The Wright State [University] administration had started the nursing program (the first 4-year program [in] Dayton [Ohio], which had a couple of still-functioning hospital programs), with a plan to also start a medical school. They promised [Dr. Torres], when she was negotiating her position, that when the medical school started, that nursing would remain autonomous with a reporting structure directly to the academic dean. They kept their word initially, then without warning they announced that they were restructuring and that the nursing school dean would report to the medical school dean. Dr. Torres immediately resigned from her deanship] [and] 26 of the 35 faculty also immediately resigned – Jo Ann Ashley and I among them (P. L. Chinn, personal communication, December 12, 2025).
Dr. Torres ended her 1981 paper with recommendations for research, which are listed here:
- What historical evidence exists regarding the social and political oppression of nursing as a health care discipline? What are the traits of nursing leaders who have historically contributed to the development of the discipline?
- What economic and political resources are actually available to nursing education programs in universities compared to other academic units? What are the processes by which distribution of resources is decided what are the traits of individuals who tend to be the most influential in this process?
- On what basis is the “success” or “failure” of nursing deans judged and do these criteria differ for different groups within the university and the community?
- What political support systems tend to be developed by nursing deans? What is the effect of the difference sources of support on the nursing education program? Do these factors differ for deans in other disciplines?
- Are there different subjective responses or measurable outcomes to the same behaviors exhibited by men and women deans?
- On what model(s) do nursing deans base their political and social strategy? Do these differ from those of other academic deans or of male administrators?
- How do nursing faculty perceive and interpret nursing deans’ behaviors? Which behaviors are perceived as enhancing the effectiveness of the group in achieving development personally and professionally? (Torres, 1981, pp 14-15)
Dr. Torres’ 1981 paper, then, can be seen in the context of her experience, as well as lessons learned and words of caution for deans/directors and faculties to determine who ultimately controls nursology programs and their resources. The research questions posed by Dr. Torres remain current today. Although I am not an expert in dean research, I doubt that many, if any of these questions have yet been answered.
Of note, at some time in the history of the Wright State University, the School of Nursing became part of the current College of Health, Education and Human Services. Apparently, there currently is no dean of the School of Nursing although there is a dean of the College of Health, Education and Human Services. The school website identifies a “Chair” of the nursing program. It is not clear how the program is structured, how the leadership of the program functions or to whom that person/team reports, or the program’s reporting line within the University.
Dr. Torres was very well known and highly acclaimed for her curriculum and theoretical works. “Her early curriculum work was indeed foundational to the evolution of nursing thought and education” (P. L. Chinn, personal communication, January 10, 2026). Dr. Chinn added that Dr. Torres “certainly had a major and lasting effect on the development of nursing curricula! And she was one of the best Deans I ever worked with – she led the creation, at Wright State, of the best undergraduate and nursing curricula I ever worked with (P. L. Chinn, personal communication, January 11, 2026). Specifically, rather than approach illness from a medical perspective, content was identified from the perspective of health: maximum health potential (capable of full function with major concerns related to prevention), impaired health potential (having challenges related to daily living but able to thrive), and depleted health potential (daily function altered because of health-related conditions).
Among Dr. Torres’ many noteworthy publications that had major influences on nursing education are these five books:
- The consultation process in higher education (Torres, 1973)
- Curriculum revision in baccalaureate nursing education (Torres, 1975).
- Today’s conceptual framework: Its relationship to the curriculum development process (Torres,1975)
- Curriculum process in nursing: A guide to curriculum development (Torres, 1982)
- Theoretical foundations of nursing (Torres, 1986)
Given my many years of interest in development of nursology discipline-specific knowledge, I am particularly interested in Torres (1986) book, Theoretical Foundations of Nursing. The contents of that book include: Historical perspectives in the development of nursing theory, Meaning of theory, Nursing theory and nursing process, Environmental theory, Need-oriented theories, Systems-oriented theories, Theories oriented toward the interaction process, and Integration of nursing theories (https://archive.org/details/theoreticalfound0000torr).
The content about Dr. Torres’ personal life and career was obtained from her obituary https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/buffalonews/name/gertrude-torres-obituary?id=6512787
Personal Life
Dr. Torres was born in Manhattan, New York City, on July 18, 1933. She was 83 years of age when she died on July 24, 2016, at the Brothers of Mercy Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Clarence, New York. As a young woman, Dr. Torres rode motorcycles and piloted speedboats—clearly, she liked to go fast, which I imagine was a catalyst for her commitment to rapid advancement of our discipline through so much curriculum work. Would that all of us could have so much influence on how we teach the knowledge of our discipline.
Career
Diploma, Flower and Fifth Avenue Hospital, New York, NY, 1953
Public Health Nurse, New York, NY, circa 1953-1956
Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing, Columbia University, New York NY, 1956
Instructor, Hospital-Based Nursing Schools, New York, NY, Circa 1956-?after earning her master’s degree
Master’s Degree in Teaching, Curriculum, and Community Health Nursing, Columbia University, New York NY, Date unknown. It is unknown whether this is the same master’s degree as the master’s degree in student personnel service in higher education, Columbia University, mentioned in her obituary.
Assistant Professor of Nursing at Molloy College, Rockville Center, NY, Dates unknown but during the time she was working on her doctoral degree
Assistant Professor, Northwestern State University. Shreveport, LA, Dates unknown but during the time she was working on her doctoral degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D), Administration of nursing education programs and curriculum Columbia University, New York NY, Date unknown
Professor, Dean of Academic Affairs and Vice President of the College, D’Youville College, Buffalo, NY, 1981-1989. Carol Batra, Dr. Torres’ colleague, wrote in her obituary that “She taught nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy to thousands of students here”.
Chair, Health Sciences Division and Head of the Nursing Department, Misericordia College, Wilkes-Barre, PA. Dates of 3 years unknown
Consultant, National League for Nursing, which provides accreditation for nursing education programs, 1972-1975
Dean, School of Nursing, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio
Dr, Torres was a recognized expert and sought after consultant for “several colleges to bring them into compliance for accreditation. In addition to correcting bachelor’s degree programs, she established master’s degree programs. As Dean at Wright State University, Dr. Torres established the first 4-year School of Nursing in Dayton, OH.
.Executive Director, Professional Nurses Association of Western New York, which provides home health care services, 2001-unknown date.
Dr. Torres presented papers at many conferences. She published 12 books and 26 chapters and articles in numerous professional nursing association publications. She also was an editorial board member for several nursing journals. Unfortunately, I could not locate Dr. Torres Curriculum Vitae or a list of all her publications from any other source.
Noteworthy is that Dr. Torres received the prestigious American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award in 1978, 1979 and 1980. The books for which she received these awards is not known.
References
Fawcett, J. (2023, January 17). Evolution of One Version of Our Disciplinary Metaparadigm. nursology.net. https://nursology.net/2023/01/17/evolution-of-one-version-of-our-disciplinary-metaparadigm/
Fawcett, J. (2024). More thoughts about the evolution of the metaparadigm of nursing: Addition of culture as another metaparadigm concept and definitions of all the concepts. Nursing Science Quarterly, 37(2), 183-184. doi: 10.1177/08943184231224409.
Torres, G. (1973). The consultation process in higher education (Publication Number 15-1508). National League for Nursing. OCLC/World Cat 10418962
Torres, G. (1981). The nursing education administrator: Accountable, vulnerable, and oppressed. Advances in Nursing Science, 3(3), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1097/00012272-198104000-00002
Torres, G. (1982). Curriculum process in nursing: A guide to curriculum development. , Prentice-Hall. ISBN 10 0131962612
Torres, G. (1986). Theoretical foundations of nursing. Appleton-Century Crofts. ISBN 100838589456
Torres, G., & Kelly, J. (1975). Today’s conceptual framework: Its relationship to the curriculum development process. (Publication Number 15-1529. National League for Nursing. ISBN 10 0887372023
Yura, H., & Torres, G. (1975). Today’s conceptual framework within baccalaureate nursing programs. In Faculty‑curriculum development. Part III: Conceptual framework—Its meaning and function (pp. 17–25). National League for Nursing.
Thank you Jacqui for this contribution. The current CHEH dean is a nursologist. In the org structure, the SoN chair reports directly to the Associate Dean, of the college and then the Dean.
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Dr. Torres taught nursing research at D’Youville College, Buffalo, NY, my alma mater. Years later as a doctoral student at UCSF her name was mentioned in a lecture. Although the faculty didn’t know if this was the same Gert Torres who taught me more than 30 years ago I was going to find out. After a bit of research, I discovered my former professor was an icon in the world of nursing. I learned about Wright State University and the exodus of others who arrived in Buffalo at a time when I was just a student. I felt truly blessed to be touched by these nursing heroes.