Profa. Margarida Maria da Silva Vieira – Notice of Passing

NANDA International is sad to announce the passing of Professora Margarida Maria da Silva Vieira, a Portuguese reference in Nursing, with a career spanning more than four decades dedicated to teaching, research, and the development of the profession. She earned her Nursing degree in 1980 and specialized in Pediatric Health Nursing in 1987. She completed her Master’s degree in Nursing Sciences at the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP) in 1994 and obtained her PhD in Contemporary Philosophy from the Nova University of Lisbon in 2003, with a dissertation entitled “Vulnerability and Respect in the Care of the Other.”

For 25 years, she taught at the Escola Superior de Enfermagem da Imaculada Conceição, which was later integrated into the Universidade Cátolica Portuguesa (UCP). As an Associate Professor at the Institute of Health Sciences (UCP – Porto), she held several prominent roles, including Director of the Nursing School in Porto, and Coordinator of the Nursing PhD Program since 2005. She also served as Dean of the Institute of Health Sciences. Her “Last Lecture,” delivered in January 2025, under the theme “In Pursuit of Just Care for All”, marked the official conclusion of a remarkable academic career.

In April 2025, Professor Margarida Vieira was awarded the Gold Medal of Health, an honor granted in recognition of her pioneering role in advancing nursing research in Portugal.

Professor Vieira was also a key driver in the development of nursing knowledge in Portugal, playing a fundamental role in introducing and promoting standardized nursing language. She was a founding member of the first NANDA-I Portuguese Network, and in 2014, she was the lead organizer of the NANDA-I International Conference in Porto.

As a researcher at the Interdisciplinary Health Research Center (CIIS – UCP), she participated in several projects, contributing significantly to scientific output in the field of Nursing. With more than 160 publications, she has a noteworthy citation index, reflecting the impact and relevance of her scholarly work. 

In her teaching, she guided and lectured on core subjects such as History and Philosophy of Nursing, Ethics and Professional Deontology, Health Unit Management, Nursing Theory, and Research Methodology. 

The quality and diversity of her academic production firmly establish her legacy as one of the leading voices in contemporary Portuguese Nursing.