Florence Wald

Few Americans have had a more profound impact on individuals' quality of life at its final stages than Florence Wald. The former dean of the Yale University School of Nursing, Florence was devoted to compassionate care of patients and became the driving force behind the American Hospice Movement.
Raised in Scarsdale, New York, Wald received a bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College in 1938 and a master's degree in nursing from Yale. Between 1941 and 1955 she worked in nursing and research in Boston and New York City, as well as serving in the Women's Army Corps' nursing branch.
Wald initiated her teaching career in 1955 at Rutgers University School of Nursing and two years later became assistant professor of psychiatric nursing at Yale School of Nursing. The following year she was named acting dean of the nursing school. In 1959 she was appointed permanent dean at Yale where she remained until 1967. As dean in the 1960's, she revamped curriculum providing greater focus on providing comfort for terminally ill patients and their families. She was a staunch advocate in involving the patients, their families and nurses in patient care, an innovation that was in contrast to the extant practice of physicians working alone.
It was during this time in her career that Wald became associated with Dr. Cicely Saunders, who had begun the hospice movement in England. At Wald's invitation, Saunders visited Yale to speak about providing treatment to terminally ill patients.
In 1967, after an extensive association with Saunders, Wald resigned as dean to study at St. Christopher's Hospice in London. She returned to Yale where she developed an interdisciplinary team of doctors, clergy and nurses to study the needs of dying patients, thus beginning the American Hospice Movement. During that time she continued her work at Yale as a research associate and from 1970 to 1980 she was clinical associate professor. The team, under Wald's leadership, organized Connecticut Hospice in 1974 in Branford, widely accepted as the first U.S. Hospice program. Her husband, Henry Wald, a health facility planner joined her in what became their life's work. "It was a family affair", said her daughter, Shari Vogler, a nurse and trained hospice worker. "My mother was interested in the entire span of life, from birth through death, and she shared everything she was interested in with us all along the way".
In her 80's, Wald extended her attention to bring more hospice care to U.S. prisons and train inmates as hospice volunteers. Florence Wald, writing in JAMA, wrote about her beliefs, stating that family, doctors and nurses should all be caregivers and that health maintenance should involve birthing centers, schools, health maintenance organizations, centers for aging and hospice.
Wald has been widely recognized for her efforts in hospice care, receiving honorary degrees from Yale, University of Bridgeport and Mt. Holyoke College. She received a Nursing's Living Legend Award in 2001. The Connecticut Nurses Association established the Florence S. Wald Award for outstanding contributions to nursing practice in her honor. In 1996, Wald was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame. Later, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Hall of Fame and received the Connecticut Treasure Award.
At 91, Florence Wald, who lived in Branford for decades, passed away on November 8, 2008. Her daughter, Shari Vogler and son, Joel Wald, survive her. Her husband, Henry Wald, predeceased her.
Raised in Scarsdale, New York, Wald received a bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College in 1938 and a master's degree in nursing from Yale. Between 1941 and 1955 she worked in nursing and research in Boston and New York City, as well as serving in the Women's Army Corps' nursing branch.
Wald initiated her teaching career in 1955 at Rutgers University School of Nursing and two years later became assistant professor of psychiatric nursing at Yale School of Nursing. The following year she was named acting dean of the nursing school. In 1959 she was appointed permanent dean at Yale where she remained until 1967. As dean in the 1960's, she revamped curriculum providing greater focus on providing comfort for terminally ill patients and their families. She was a staunch advocate in involving the patients, their families and nurses in patient care, an innovation that was in contrast to the extant practice of physicians working alone.
It was during this time in her career that Wald became associated with Dr. Cicely Saunders, who had begun the hospice movement in England. At Wald's invitation, Saunders visited Yale to speak about providing treatment to terminally ill patients.
In 1967, after an extensive association with Saunders, Wald resigned as dean to study at St. Christopher's Hospice in London. She returned to Yale where she developed an interdisciplinary team of doctors, clergy and nurses to study the needs of dying patients, thus beginning the American Hospice Movement. During that time she continued her work at Yale as a research associate and from 1970 to 1980 she was clinical associate professor. The team, under Wald's leadership, organized Connecticut Hospice in 1974 in Branford, widely accepted as the first U.S. Hospice program. Her husband, Henry Wald, a health facility planner joined her in what became their life's work. "It was a family affair", said her daughter, Shari Vogler, a nurse and trained hospice worker. "My mother was interested in the entire span of life, from birth through death, and she shared everything she was interested in with us all along the way".
In her 80's, Wald extended her attention to bring more hospice care to U.S. prisons and train inmates as hospice volunteers. Florence Wald, writing in JAMA, wrote about her beliefs, stating that family, doctors and nurses should all be caregivers and that health maintenance should involve birthing centers, schools, health maintenance organizations, centers for aging and hospice.
Wald has been widely recognized for her efforts in hospice care, receiving honorary degrees from Yale, University of Bridgeport and Mt. Holyoke College. She received a Nursing's Living Legend Award in 2001. The Connecticut Nurses Association established the Florence S. Wald Award for outstanding contributions to nursing practice in her honor. In 1996, Wald was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame. Later, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Hall of Fame and received the Connecticut Treasure Award.
At 91, Florence Wald, who lived in Branford for decades, passed away on November 8, 2008. Her daughter, Shari Vogler and son, Joel Wald, survive her. Her husband, Henry Wald, predeceased her.