Afaf Meleis

UCLA alumna Afaf I. Meleis, MS ’64, MA ’66, PhD ’68, has been announced as one of the recipients of the 2024 National Humanism in Medicine Medal from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation

Dr. Meleis is an internationally recognized nurse scientist, sociologist, and transformational leader for global health and women’s health. Through her research, she advanced Transitions Theory, a framework for helping nurses facilitate healthy life changes in patients, which has been translated globally into policy, research and practice. She has mentored hundreds of nursing students from across the globe, advancing knowledge to drive change in policy and care. She is also the recipient of the 2023 UCLA Award for Professional Achievement along with many other awards and honors. 

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is a leading nonprofit dedicated to humanism in healthcare for all. Each year, they select honorees that have made a measurable impact on humanism in their healthcare institutions and have illuminated critical factors of health that exist outside of the hospital. 

Along with Dr. Meleis, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Michael J. Dowling were also selected for this year’s medal.