Marilyn A. (Dee) Ray, RN, Ph.D., CTN-A, FAAN

Expertise Areas:

Nursing Theorist: Designed and Developed the Theory of Transcultural Caring Dynamics in Nursing and Health Care;

Nursing Theorist—Grounded Theory of Bureaucratic Caring (from the study of human caring in complex organizational cultures, including diverse patient, nursing, administrative and military groups;

Retired Colonel in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps (Colonel (Ret), USAF, NC with expertise in flight nursing, aerospace nursing research, education, practice,  administration and policy; and military and theory consultant to the USAF Surgeon General; Veteran Partnership Liaison, Florida Atlantic University, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing.

Application of the Ray Theory of Bureaucratic Caring as the structural framework in nursing and interprofessional practice in the United States Air Force and Defense Health Agency (military healthcare system);;

Global Scholar in Person-centered Healthcare and Holistic Nursing; Attended a course of study at the United Nations via Dept. of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, NJ.; Attended courses of study in Biomedical Ethics at Georgetown University and at the Pari Center for New Learning (complexity science and quantum theory), Pari, Italy.

Qualitative research specialist in caring inquiry, phenomenology, hermeneutics, ethnography and grounded theory, participatory action research; ethnonursing.

Currently a transcultural nursing qualitative researcher in mental health nursing in Haiti.

Certified advanced transcultural nurse, was bestowed the Leininger Award, and was inducted as a Transcultural Nursing Scholar. Ray also was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2013, and other international Fellowships. Recognized as Nursing Theorist, American Academy of Nursing, and at Website for the repository of  Nursing Theories: www.nursology. net.  She has received Lifetime Achievement Award, University of Colorado; Distinguished Alumna Award, University of Utah; Legacy of Caring Award, International Association for Human Caring; Lifetime Achievement, Marquis (2017), Marquis, Who’s Who in Nursing, America, and World; United States Department of Defense, Meritorious Service and Commendation Medals; Research awards, American Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S. (AMSUS) and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, United States Department of Defense.

Languages spoken, read/write*:

English and some beginning Spanish

Select Publications:

Chapter:

Ray, M. (2018). Ray’s theory of bureaucratic caring. In M. J. Smith & P. Liehr (Eds.). Middle range theory for nursing (4th ed.). Springer Publishing Company. (5th edition in process)

Book:

Ray, M. (2016). Transcultural caring dynamics in nursing and health care (2nd ed.). F. A. Davis Company.

Journal Articles:

Ray, M. (in press). Evolution of Ray’s theory of bureaucratic caring. International Journal for Human Caring.

Rosa, W., Dossey, B., Koithan, M, Kreitzer, M, Parse, R., Ray, M., Watson, J. et al. (2020).  Nursing theory in the quest for Sustainable Development Goals. Nursing Science Quarterly, 33(2), 178-182.

Poudel, N. & Ray, M. (2019). Consciousness: Humanoid robots and caring in nursing from a multicultural perspective. International Journal for Human Caring, 23(2), 185-195).

Present/Future Directions 

As a transcultural nurse and global ambassador in Holistic Nursing, I will be networking and developing local and global strategies in transcultural nursing and caring science to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and national and international programs to promote attributes of diversity, social justice, equity, and communitarian ethics for the improvement of health care around the world. I will continue my contribution to the United States military health care system, and to veterans in nursing education and primary care practice.

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Updated 03/2021