Sr. Mary Elizabeth O’Brien, SFCC, RN, Ph.D., MSW, MTS, FAAN, is Professor Emerita at The Catholic University of America Conway School of Nursing. For nearly four decades, she has shaped the fields of nursing education, research, and practice with a particular emphasis on the integration of spirituality into nursing care.

Her scholarship has had a lasting impact on nursing education worldwide. She is the author of 16 books, four book chapters, and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles that have been widely cited in advancing holistic models of patient care. Her research, supported by federal and private funding totaling approximately $1.25 million, has bridged nursing science with the spiritual and ethical dimensions of health care.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Sr. O’Brien is recognized nationally and internationally as a pioneer in spirituality and nursing. She has taught and mentored generations of nurses, fostering a professional ethos grounded in compassion, evidence-based practice, and faith-informed care.

Her most recent work, Catherine of Siena: A Sacred Covenant of Caring for the Sick (forthcoming, New Priory Press), builds on her lifelong scholarship by exploring the caregiving ministry of Saint Catherine of Siena and its relevance for contemporary nursing practice.

Through her teaching, research, and writing, Sr. O’Brien has left a distinguished legacy that continues to inspire the mission and vision of the Conway School of Nursing and the broader profession of nursing.