Emeritus School of Nursing professor Jacqueline Fawcett died on March 22.
Nursing School Dean Antonia Villarruel notified the school’s community of Fawcett’s death in a Monday email. Fawcett’s career in nursing spanned more than 45 years before her retirement in 2025.
“Jacqui as she was known to many of us, was clear in her conviction to nursing and nursology as a discipline,” Villarruel wrote. “Her work shaped how generations of nurses think about theory, knowledge, and the intellectual foundations of our field. She was generous and deeply committed to collegiality. She believed in interdisciplinary work and contributing through service to students and faculty alike.”
Fawcett joined Penn’s faculty as an assistant professor in 1978, a position she held until 1999, when she left to teach at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
According to Villarruel’s message, then-Nursing School Dean and former Penn President Claire Fagin recruited Fawcett to the University to help establish the Doctor of Nursing Science program — the precursor to Penn’s current Nursing Ph.D. program.
Fawcett received numerous awards throughout her career, including the Nursing School’s teaching award and the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award for her novel, “The Relationship of Theory and Research.”
She received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a master’s degree in nursing and Ph.D. from New York University.
In 2017, Fawcett co-founded nursology.net, which describes itself as “a website for nurse scholars, developed and maintained by nurse scholars.”
In the message, Villarruel wrote that Fawcett’s “pioneering” work helped shape the “foundation of modern nursing science and continues to influence curricula and professional frameworks around the world.”
Villarruel added that she will share plans to honor Fawcett with the nursing community at a later date.
CAMPUS RESOURCES
- The Division of Public Safety’s HELP line (available 24/7): 215-898-HELP or 215-898-4357
- Student Health and Counseling (if you have a personal or academic concern and want to talk to someone at Penn): 215-746-WELL or 215-746-9355
- The University Chaplain’s Office: 215-898-8456
- Student Intervention Services (if you aren’t sure where to go or you’re concerned about a friend): vpul-sisteam@pobox.upenn.edu and/or 215-746-1203
Ethan Young is the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Pennsylvanian and can be reached at young@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies history and political science. Follow him on X @EthanYoung.
