Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a pioneering Hispanic nursing leader who shattered barriers for Latina leaders in education, research, and nursing. We are honored to celebrate her contributions on National Hispanic Nurses Day.
Her background in academics and healthcare policy is impressive, and to add to her resume, she founded the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) in 1975 and served as president until 1980.
Throughout her career, Dr. Murillo-Rohde has campaigned for Hispanic diversity in nursing, emphasizing the importance of understanding a patient’s culture when caring for their needs.
Her legacy has left behind more Hispanics who represent the nursing population by giving back to their community as dedicated leaders.
Nursing Beginnings
Dr. Murillo-Rohde was born in Panama on September 6, 1920. Her career ambitions came from wanting to “join the army and help” during World War II in the 1940s. After immigrating to the United States, she graduated with a nursing degree from the Medical and Surgical Hospital School of Nursing in San Antonio, Texas, in 1948.
Her nursing studies inspired her to complete a bachelor’s degree in psychiatric nursing from Teachers College, Columbia University. This degree motivated her to become an expert in psychotherapy and marriage and family therapy later in her career.
She completed several other degrees in education administration and teaching, earning a PhD from New York University and becoming the first Latina to do so. She became an academic leader at many different universities across the U.S., including Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing in New York City, the University of Puerto Rico and SUNY’s School of Nursing.
In the early years of her career as a family therapist in New York City, Dr. Murillo-Rohde noticed how important representation is within the healthcare system for Hispanic families who want professionals to understand their culture. Even as a nurse in San Antonio, she didn’t find others like her representing the large Latino population in the city.
She found this to be the same case in Washington, D.C., when she worked with the federal government reviewing research and educational grants.
“I began to realize that something had to be done about this,” said Dr. Murillo-Rohde, according to Minority Nurse. “There was nobody else. I looked behind me and thought: ‘Where are my people?'”
Founding the National Association of Hispanic Nurses
Dr. Murillo-Rohde was a member of the American Nurses Association during the 1970s but felt like the primarily white members weren’t receptive to the needs of Hispanic nurses at the time.
With a group of about 15 Hispanic nurses, the National Association of Spanish-Speaking Spanish-Surnamed Nurses (NASSSN) was created in Washington State, where Dr. Murillo-Rohde was an associate dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Washington. As the organization grew, it was renamed the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.
Today, NAHN provides healthcare opportunities to Hispanic nurses in the U.S. and is actively raising awareness for effective health policy, improving the quality of Hispanic care, and increasing Hispanic nurses’ engagement in the workforce.
The organization sponsors an award and scholarship in her name, honoring members who have achieved excellence in nursing education, research, and practice.
Her Contribution to Hispanic Nurses
Where many Hispanics didn’t see a pathway to healthcare, Dr. Murillo-Rohde paved the road for Hispanics of any origin to work in any nursing field.
Wherever Dr. Murillo-Rohde went, she became an advocate for nursing education, AIDS, cancer care, marriage and family therapy, family relations, and cultural diversity to improve the lives of others. The former nurse believed that all patients, especially Hispanics, deserved respect and compassion for their respective cultures.
She passed away on September 5, 2010, a day before her 90th birthday in her homeland of Panama.
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