A late nursing pioneer from Knoxville will be nationally honored next month.

The American Holistic Nurses’ Association, with the Space Nursing Society and the Society of Rogerian Scholars, will present 2001: A Nursing Odyssey, A Tribute to Martha Rogers Thursday through Sunday, June 21-24, at the Huntsville Marriott and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Dr. Martha E. Rogers (1914-1994) was a nursing professor, theorist, author and space nursing pioneer whose theories continue to inspire and educate nurses. Rogers grew up in Fort Sanders, graduated from Knoxville High School and attended the University of Tennessee before graduating from Knoxville General Hospital School of Nursing as a registered nurse. She later received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from George Peabody College in Nashville, a master’s degree in public health from Teachers’ College of Columbia University and master’s and doctoral degrees in science from Johns Hopkins University.

For 21 years, she headed New York University’s Division of Nursing, continuing to teach after she retired in1974. An advocate of a holistic approach to health, she encouraged meditation, imaging, relaxation and “therapeutic touch” and believed that by the end of this century, people would adopt a new world view to see Earth as a living, unified whole. The Society of Rogerian Scholars is composed of devotees of her theories.

Rogers spoke around the world and received many honors, including being the namesake of a star in the region of the Big Dipper.

Health-care professionals, students, providers and entrepreneurs are invited to the conference, which will include 16 workshops, an exhibit on nursing research, networking, exhibits and two interactive nursing simulations of health-care situations on Mars and on the moon. Continuing education credits will be available.

Caption: Rogers; DR. MARTHA E. ROGERS

Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel – Monday, May 14, 2001 – Edition: Final – Section: Health and Science – Page: B2