Afaf Ibrahim Meleis is an Egyptian-American nursing scientist and educator. She is the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Professor of Nursing and Sociology, and Director of the School's WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership. Prior to coming to U. Penn, she was a Professor on the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, San Francisco for 34 years.
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing and a member of the Institute of Medicine, the Forum of Executive Women and the Pennsylvania Women's Forum. She is a Trustee of the National Health Museum, and a Board Member of CARE.[1] She is the former President and Council General (2002–10) of ICOWHI, the International Council on Women's Health Issues.[2]
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Meleis graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alexandria in 1961. She then went on to earn an MS in nursing (1964), an MA in sociology (1966) and a PhD in medical and social psychology (1968) from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Meleis' scholarship is focused on global health, immigrant and international health, women's health, and on the theoretical development of the nursing discipline. She is the author of more than 175 articles in social sciences, nursing and medical journals; 40 chapters; and numerous monographs, proceedings, and books. Dr. Meleis is a keynote speaker for national and international conferences on women's health and development, disparities in healthcare, and international health. She has been invited for visiting professorships and to conduct symposia, present keynote addresses, serve on boards, plan conferences, and consult on women's health research and doctoral education nationally and internationally (in Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, South America and North America).
Meleis is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, as well as honorary doctorates and distinguished and honorary professorships around the world. In 1990, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak presented her the Medal of Excellence for professional and scholarly achievements, and in 2000 she received the Chancellor's Medal from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 2001, she received the Chancellor's Award for the Advancement of Women from the University of California, San Francisco and in 2004, she received the Pennsylvania Commission for Women Award in celebration of Women's History Month and the Special Recognition Award in Human Services from the Arab American Family Support Center in New York. In 2006, she was awarded the Robert E. Davies Award from the Penn Professional Women's Network for her advocacy of women, and an Honorary Fellowship by the UK Royal College of Nursing for her outstanding contribution to academic achievement in the fields of nursing theory, women's health and global health.[3]