Martha B. Baird PhD, PMHCNS, FTNSS

Expertise Areas:

In 2019 Dr. Baird retired as Associate Clinical Professor and Director of Global Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center after 46 years of psychiatric clinical practice, research, and teaching. Her clinical experience includes psychiatric mental health nursing of adults, children, and displaced populations. She has educated nurses in basic and advanced PMHN practice, research and theory, and global health principles. Her published work includes 25 papers and chapters related to transcultural and mental health nursing. She graduated from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma: Global Mental Health. In 2018, she was a Fulbright Scholar to Uganda. She is Past President of the Board of Trustees of Jewish Vocational Service (JVS), a refugee resettlement agency in the Kansas City metropolitan area and Director of the Scholars’ Group in TCNS.

Languages spoken, read/write*:

Minimal Spanish

Select Publications: 

Baird, M.B., Whitney, L. & Caedo, C. (2018). Experiences and Attitudes Among Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Nurses (PMH-APRNs) In the Use of Telemental Health (TMH): Results of An Online Survey. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. 24(3), 235-240 doi: 10.1177/1078390317717330

Baird, M. B., Domian, E. W., Mulcahy, E. R., Mabior, R., Tanui, G. & Filippi, M. (2015). Creating a bridge of understanding between two worlds: Community-based collaborative action research with Sudanese refugee women. Public Health Nursing, 32(5), 388-396, doi: 10.1111/phn.12172.

Baird, M. B. & Reed, P. G. (2015). Liminality in cultural transition: Applying ID-EA to advance a concept into theory-based practice. (2015). Research and Theory in Nursing Practice: An International Journal, 29(1), 25-37. doi.org/10.1891/1541-6577.29.1.25

Baird M. B., Smith C. M  & Debacco K. M. (2015). Perspectives of northern Ugandan health providers about the effect of cultural beliefs and practices on birth outcomes. Health Care for Women International (0), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2014.942907

Book Chapters

Boyle, J. S. & Baird, M. B, Collins, J.W. (2025). Culture, family, & community (Chapter 11). In J. S. Boyle, Collins, J. W., Ludwig-Behmer, P. & M. M. Andrews. (Eds.) Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care (9^th ed.). Wolters Kluwer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: Philadelphia.

Baird, M. B. & Boyle, J. S. (2025) Transcultural Nursing Assessment Guide for Migrants/Refugees (Appendix D). In J. S. Boyle, Collins, J. W., Ludwig-Behmer, P. & M. M. Andrews. (Eds.) Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care (9^th ed.). Wolters Kluwer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: Philadelphia.

Present/Future Directions 

The Transcultural Nursing Society is unique in its position to partner and collaborate with health providers globally to share knowledge and address the challenges. As Director of the TCNS Scholars, my goal is to promote mentorship to advance culturally informed and relevant health care. TCNS nurses can extend our reach to educate and empower those in limited and low resource environment to improve health and quality of life

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Updated 09/2025