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Biography

I discovered nursing as a high school student by doing volunteer work. I found myself falling in love with what nurses did before I understood the deep and substantive knowledge that guides that work. I could clearly see that the intimate, caring approach to nursing made a significant difference in how patients and their families experienced illness and struggles on many levels. I am proud to now be a member of the Christine E. Lynne College of Nursing where the science and art of caring is the central focus of our mission, vision, and values.

 

I started my nursing education in a diploma school earning my diploma and becoming a RN being one of the first men in Virginia to become a registered nurse. My career spans clinical nursing in acute care, nursing homes, and psychiatric mental health environments. I pursued a Master of Science in psychiatric mental health nursing which led me to want a PhD in Nursing that focused on theory development. I found the perfect home for my doctoral studies at New York University where I was supported to do a dissertation grounded in the science of unitary human beings. I had the support of many outstanding faculty/scholars including Martha Rogers. Since achieving my PhD, I have served as a faculty member, department chair, associate dean of undergraduate programs, and as a vice president of academic affairs for a university.

My most cherished work has been as a a nursing scholar with an interest and commitment to Martha Rogers’ science of unitary human beings. I am proud of developing the unitary appreciative inquiry methodology and the subsequent work leading to the creation of a praxis model for women in despair. My primary contribution to the discipline of nursing stems from my research and practice work with women experiencing despair in a variety of contexts. I have worked with nurses to promote innovative approaches to holistic and unitary appreciative nursing practice and scholarship throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany. I am certified as an Advanced Holistic Nurse (AHN-BC) and I am a Scholar of the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing (SGAHN). I have collaborated in the development of the Nurse Manifest Project (A Nursing Manifesto: A Call to Conscience and Action | NurseManifest which led to the development of the Nursology website (Nursology | Honoring Our Heritage – Building Our Future) where I serve as member of the management team. I am the editor of the Journal of Holistic Nursing and was named the Holistic Nurse of the Year in 2008 by the American Holistic Nurses Association. I was selected in 2022 as a Charter Scholar in the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing. I am a National League of Nursing, Academy of Nursing Education Fellow as well as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. I serve on the Expert Panel for Theory Guided Practice. I am the incoming President of the Society of Rogerian Scholars.

For more about how I discovered nursing and what it has meant to me and about my personal journey, please take a look at the video I created on Nurstory: Richard Nurstory

Teaching

    I have taught courses at all levels of nursing degree programs throughout my career including BSN, MSN, DNP, and PhD. Since 2005, my primary teaching responsibilities have been at the graduate level along with serving as a dissertation chair and member of dissertation committees as well as guest lecturing in courses and supporting Honors students. A list of courses taught since 2005 are listed below.


    Florida Atlantic University (Current)
  • NGR 7111 Evolution of Nursing as a Discipline (PhD)

    • East Carolina University (2022 - 2024)
  • NURS 6080 Theory for the Practice of Advanced Nursing (MSN &DNP)
  • NURS 8220 Nursing Philosophy and Knowledge Development (PhD)

    • University of North Carolina Greensboro (2005 - 2011 & 2019 - 2022)
  • NUR 712 Theory Analysis in Nursing Science (PhD)
  • NUR 710 Philosophy of Knowledge Development in Nursing (PhD)
  • NUR 792 Health Disparities & Outcomes (PhD)
  • NUR 704 Qualitative Methods in Nursing Science (PhD)
  • NUR 706 Role Development of the Nurse Scientist (PhD)
  • NUR 898A/B Applied Evidence-Based Practice & Translational Methods I & II (DNP)

Grants Awarded

  • Cowling, W. R., III. Co-Principal Investigator. Student attributes, needs, and experiences in a caring science open online course. East Carolina University, Greenville, NC. U. (6/1/2022 - 7/31/2024).
  • Cowling, W.R., III. Principal Investigator. renderings of human field patterning: A unitary appreciative inquiry. 2023 Martha E. Rogers Grant Award. Total Costs: $2,000. (9/1/2023 – 8/31/2023).
  • Cowling, W.R., III. Principal Investigator. Doctoral nursing program to promote health access 2. Competitive Grant, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services. Total Costs: $761,174 (7/1/2008-6/30/2011).
  • Cowling, W.R., III. Project Director. Doctoral nursing program to promote health access. Competitive Grant, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services. Total Costs: $800,000 (7/1/2005- 6/30/2008).
  • Cowling, W. R., III. Principal Investigator. Women survivors of child abuse: A participatory action research project. Regular Faculty Research Award, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC. Total Costs: $5,000. (1/1/06 – 12/30/07).

Recent Publications

    Refereed
  • Cowling, III, W. R. (2023). Unitary appreciative nursing praxis. Advances in Nursing Science, 46(1), 101-117. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000466
  • Cowling, W.R., III. (2024). Mystery and miracle in nursing: A preliminary unitary appreciative inquiry. Advances in Nursing Science, 47(2), 218-230. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000531 (data-based)
  • Cowling, W.R., III. (in press). Firsthand accounts of embodied caring: A unitary science perspective. International Journal for Human Caring. (data-based)
  • Morrow, M. R., & Cowling, W. R., III. (2024). The world of women’s despair: An unfolding unitary conceptual journey. Nursing Science Quarterly, 37(3), 222-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184241246982

    • Unrefereed
  • Cowling, W.R., III. (2024). Deaths of despair: Stories and numbers. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 42(2), 109-110. https://doi.org/10.1177/08980101241253622
  • Cowling, W. R., III. (2023). A time of inconvenience. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 41(4), 324-326. https://doi.org/10.1177/08980101231207473
  • Cowling, W.R. III. (2022). The soul of nursing. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 40(4), 308-309. https://doi.org/10.1177/08980101221127594
  • Cowling, W.R. III. (2022). Nurses in war and peace. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 40(2), 80-83. https://doi.org/10.1177/08980101221100181

    • Refereed Blog Posts
  • Cowling, W.R. III. (2022, December 13). The mysteries of publishing: An author’s perspective. The Mysteries of Publishing: An Author’s Perspective | Nursology
  • Cowling, W.R., III. (2021, November 16). Why I chose a career in theory development in nursing science. https://nursology.net/2021/11/16/why-i-chose-a-...

Honors/Awards

Education