This excerpt is part of Carolina Nursing’s 75th Anniversary series, “From the Vault.” It was originally published as “A Legacy of Scholarship” in the spring 2014 issue of Carolina Nursing.
During Women’s History Month, we honor the lasting legacy of Merle Mishel, PhD, RN, FAAN, a distinguished SON faculty alum and leader in nursing science, who passed away in 2020. Her groundbreaking work on uncertainty in illness led to the development of the widely used Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale, which continues to shape research and patient care.
Barbara Germino, PhD, RN, FAAN (1942-2025), once reflected on Dr. Mishel’s profound impact, stating, “Her insights into the universal importance of uncertainty in illness have had a major influence on how we study the impacts of illness. What I respect most about Merle is her career-long commitment to both theoretical development and the application of theory in research.”
Dr. Mishel’s groundbreaking theory provided a conceptual framework for exploring how uncertainty shapes a patient’s experience with illness, treatment, and hospitalization. Her seminal paper remains one of the top 50 most-cited publications in nursing journals, and the scales she developed to measure uncertainty have been translated into more than 17 languages, impacting researchers worldwide.
Her work on interventions to help long-term survivors of breast and prostate cancer manage uncertainty received continuous support from the National Institutes of Health for 27 years. Her dedication to advancing nursing science was recognized with her induction into the Sigma Theta Tau International Researcher Hall of Fame.
Dr. Mishel was deeply committed to doctoral education, mentoring a generation of nurse scientists who have become leaders in their own right. During her tenure at the SON, she chaired 18 doctoral dissertations and postdoctoral projects, with 13 of her mentees securing tenure-track positions at prestigious institutions.
“Merle changed the lives of those around her by creating an environment where critical inquiry and discovery were modeled and expected. She made significant contributions to nursing science and to the next generation of scholars,” said Donald “Chip” Bailey, Jr., PhD ’02, now an associate professor at the Duke School of Nursing.
“Merle was passionate about helping individuals and teams solve the complex issues we study,” said Leslie Davis, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, FACC, FAHA, FPCNA, a former mentee. “She opened my mind to different ways of seeing the phenomena I study, variation in methodologies to address the research questions I pose, different ways to analyze the data collected, and new ways to interpret findings in light of theory.”
Dr. Mishel’s impact on nursing science and education is profound and enduring. Though she is deeply missed, her mentorship continues to shape the field, inspiring new generations of nurse scientists to push the boundaries of knowledge and care.
