Complementary Therapies in Nursing

Ruth Lindquist, PhD, RN is Professor Emeritus of Nursing and Graduate Faculty member of the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the University of Minnesota Academy of Distinguished Teachers and the Academic Health Center Academy of Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. In her practice and research, Dr. Lindquist uses evidence-based complementary therapies and behavioral strategies to reduce cardiovascular disease risk and promote health-related quality of life. She cofounded an innovative women’s only cardiac support group to enhance self-care and transform lifestyles to reduce heart disease risks. As a Densford Scholar in the Katherine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership, she worked with her team to conduct a landmark national survey of critical care nurses’ attitudes toward and use of complementary therapies. Complementary therapies have been the core of her care, research, and scholarship for 40 years including co-editing this text, now in its 9th edition.

Mary Fran Tracy, PhD, RN, APRN, CNS, FCNS, FAAN is an Associate Professor, University of Minnesota School of Nursing and an Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota School of Medicine. Dr. Tracy is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Fellow of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute, as well as a Past President of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Her research focus is in symptom management for acute and critically ill patients. As a Densford Scholar in the Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership, she conducted a national survey of critical care nurses’ attitudes towards and use of complementary and alternative therapies and this survey has been further used by researchers in more than 15 countries.

Mariah Snyder, PhD, is professor emerita, University of Minnesota School of Nursing. Independent nursing interventions and complementary therapies have been the focus of her career. Dr. Snyder studied the effects of complementary therapies in promoting the health and well-being of elders, particularly those with dementia. She was a founding member of the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota and instrumental in the establishment of the Center’s graduate interdisciplinary minor. In retirement, she continues to incorporate complementary therapies in her volunteer activities with women in recovery programs, elders, and in her personal wellness.