The Dr. Marjory Gordon Program for Clinical Reasoning and Knowledge Development was established through a partnership between INKA (formerly NANDA® International) and the Boston College Connell School of Nursing in 2017.
The program honors the legacy of Dr. Marjory Gordon, whose contributions shaped the development of nursing diagnosis classification internationally. When Dr. Gordon was named a Living Legend of the American Academy of Nursing in 2009, Nurse Theorist Sr. Callista Roy noted that Gordon was responsible for the advancement of the nursing diagnosis movement across North America and the world, including the development of the Eleven Functional Health Patterns framework to guide nursing assessment. Because of her contributions, “nurses have the language to articulate their clinical decisions and to document the links of intervention to health care outcomes” (Jones, Roy & Avant, 2010).
INKA and Boston College established the Gordon Program to advance Dr. Gordon’s legacy through work in the development, validation, and global integration of standardized nursing language and diagnosis-centered clinical reasoning.
The Gordon Program supports INKA’s mission through shared academic and professional goals, including:
Launch of the Gordon International Post-Doctoral Scholars Program, established in 2018.
The Gordon International Post-Doctoral Scholars Program provides mentored learning opportunities and scholarly activities at Boston College for up to six months. The focus is on diagnosis-centered nursing knowledge development, classification research, publication, and international collaboration.
In 2018, Dr. Rita Gengo Butcher (Brazil/USA) became the inaugural Gordon International Scholar. Over the years, ten additional scholars have joined from Africa, the United States, Italy, Brazil, and Spain.
All scholars, whether based in Boston or in their home countries, participate in monthly dialogue sessions to network, share innovative ideas, and collaborate on joint projects across countries.
To date, scholars have produced more than 39 publications in English and other languages. These include research-based and theory-guided scholarship focused on nursing diagnosis classification, knowledge development, education, clinical integration, and care outcomes.
Publications have appeared in journals such as Journal of Advanced Nursing, Nursing Inquiry, Nurse Education in Practice, and the International Journal of Nursing Knowledge.
Scholars have also received international recognition for their work, including:
These awards reflect the program’s contribution to advancing nursing knowledge through diagnosis-centered scholarship.
Former Gordon Scholars have been elected or invited to serve on INKA committees and have pursued significant professional opportunities internationally, including academic leadership roles, faculty appointments, and clinical education positions.
Former scholars describe the program as a unique international community of mentorship, collaboration, and shared professional growth:
Scholars have also emphasized the value of continued mentoring and international teamwork on validation and research projects.
Applications for the Gordon International Post-Doctoral Scholars Program are available through the Boston College website.
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact:
Program Director:
Dr. Dorothy Jones: Dorothy.jones@bc.edu
Program Assistant Director:
Dr. Natalie Borg: Borgn@bc.edu
Follow-up Zoom calls and email communication will provide further details about the program and living in Boston, Massachusetts.
To learn more about INKA’s academic partnerships, history, and nursing knowledge development work, explore:
Join INKA to help advance nursing knowledge, shape global standards, and strengthen evidence-based practice worldwide.