In Memorium: Maria Miriam Lima da Nóbrega, PhD, RN
As we awoke yesterday morning, we were struck by sad news as we learned that Prof. Maria Miriam Lima da Nóbrega, PhD, RN, passed away. In the late 1980s, Prof. Nóbrega was a pioneer Brazilian researcher on the concepts and the classification of nursing diagnosis, as represented by the recently founded North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (now NANDA International). She was one of the authors of the first translation of Taxonomy I in Brazil, in 1990, and worked on its early dissemination.
As a professor at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), a member and director of the Brazilian Nursing Association, a founder-member of the Brazilian Nursing Process Research Network (RePPE), she was recognized by her peers as a champion and authority on the evaluation of nursing theories. She was an advisor of numerous undergraduate and graduate students, had extensive scientific publications on the nursing process and its elements, and on the use and dissemination of standardized nursing languages.
In addition to her legacy as a nurse professor and researcher, Prof. Nóbrega leaves a collective memory of strength, generosity, persistence, friendship, wisdom, openness, cordiality, knowledge, humbleness, simplicity, and excellence!
She will be greatly missed and never forgotten by her family, friends, and colleagues. Brazilian nurses are thankful for her existence and for her contributions to nursing science and the profession, and those who knew her internationally will also mark her passing with sadness and appreciation for her work and commitment to the profession.