Buzzworthy

In Memoriam

Last June , the wound care world lost one of its most passionate advocates . Barbara Braden , PhD , FAAN , passed away after a twoyear battle with cancer , but her legacy lives on in her namesake pressure injury risk assessment tool . Since its introduction in 1987 , the Braden Scale , created with research in collaboration with Dr . Nancy Bergstrom , has become an everyday staple . It ’ s also been translated into 20 languages .

Dr . Braden received her bachelor ’ s degree at Creighton University in Omaha , Nebraska , a master ’ s at UC San Francisco and her doctorate at the University of Texas , Austin . She began her academic career back at Creighton where she was first an assistant professor in medical surgical nursing and rose to become the Dean of University College , the first woman to be named dean of a school other than nursing . She retired in 2011 after 37 years as faculty and administrator .

Dr . Braden also served on the NPIAP board and was a constant caregiver , involved with organizations such as the Nebraska AIDS Project and Nebraska Appleseed . Dr . Braden made a lasting impact on wound care and was one of the inaugural inductees in the Nebraska Nursing Hall of Fame . As quoted in the Omaha World- Herald , Dr . Braden ’ s wife , Dr . Erin Wetzel , noted , “ Whatever she did , she contributed in the best ways possible . That ’ s who she was .” 1

Reference 1 Julie Anderson World-Herald Staff Writer . ( 2023b , June 28 ). Barbara Braden , creator of tool to predict pressure sores , dies at 79 , Omaha World- Herald . https :// omaha . com / barbara-braden-creator-of-tool-to-predict-pressure-sores-dies-at-79 / article _ 02823d28-15c0-11ee-820b-9f3a1be023c1 . html

Issue 12 / 2023 5