Dr. Marlaine Smith

Marlaine Cappelli Smith, RN, PhD, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, FAAN, Helen K. Persson Eminent Scholar, has served as Associate Dean of Academic Programs from 2006-2011 and Dean of Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing since 2011.

Born and raised in the Pittsburgh area she received her BSN from Duquesne University and Master of Public Health and Master of Nursing Education with an emphasis in oncology and nursing education from the University of Pittsburgh, and a PhD in Nursing from New York University. With over forty years of experience in academia, Dr. Smith held faculty positions at Duquesne University, the Pennsylvania State University, LaRoche College and the University of Colorado School of Nursing where she was the Professor and Director of the Masters Program, Director of the Center for Integrative Caring Practice and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Smith’s research and scholarship are clustered in two areas: developing knowledge related to processes and outcomes of healing, specifically touch therapies, and analyzing, extending and applying existing nursing theories. She has completed four studies related to outcomes of touch therapies including a multi-site randomized clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health focused on the efficacy of massage therapy and simple touch for decreasing pain in patients with advanced cancer enrolled in hospice care. Her work in theory development includes concept analyses, testing and extending nursing theories, meta-theoretical commentaries, and developing and evaluating models of theory-guided practice. In 1999 Dr. Smith received the National League for Nursing’s Martha E. Rogers' Award for her contributions to the advancement of nursing science. She received the Mathew Forbes Romer Foundation’s See the Light Award, New York University’s Division of Nursing’s Distinguished Alumna Award and is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Smith is a certified advanced holistic nursing and has completed educational programs to support her practice of HeartMath, mindfulness, therapeutic touch, Reiki, High Touch Jin Shin, guided imagery, meditation, and aromatherapy. She is certified as an Advanced Holistic Nurse and Health and Wellness Nurse Coach. She has published over 100 articles and book chapters, co-edited four books: Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (3rd and 4th editions) (2010, 2015), Caring in Nursing Classics (2013), Philosophies and Practices of Emancipatory Nursing (2014) and Handbook of Caring Science (2018).

Dr. Smith lives in Boca Raton with her husband, Dr. Brian Smith. Her children and four grandchildren live in California, Colorado and Ireland. She enjoys being a grandmother, walking, yoga, watching movies, and traveling to new places.

She plans on stepping down from the Dean’s position in June, 2019, will take a year-long study leave, and afterwards return to the FAU faculty to pursue her scholarship and teaching.