Phyllis Stern

Phyllis Noerager Stern (September 2, 1925 – May 4, 2014) was an American registered nurse, college professor and nursing theorist. Stern was known for her contributions to international women's health and for developing Glaserian grounded theory approaches used in nursing research. She held faculty appointments at several schools, including Dalhousie University and Indiana University. She was designated a Living Legend of the American Academy of Nursing in 2008.

Biography

Early life Stern was born in San Carlos, California in 1925. She attended the Mount Zion Hospital School of Nursing under the Cadet Nurse Corps program during World War II and earned a nursing diploma. She worked on nursing units until she was almost 40 years old and returned to the College of San Mateo for an associate degree.

Continuing with her studies, Stern earned a bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University. She completed a master's degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and landed a faculty position at California State University, Hayward. She returned to UCSF for a Doctor of Nursing Science so that she could secure a tenure-track position.

Later contributions Stern taught at Dalhousie University and Indiana University. She became known for her qualitative research expertise, having trained in grounded theory techniques under Barney Glaser. In discussing qualitative research techniques, Stern said that researchers often ask misguided questions of their subjects, but she said that the subjects always return to the topic that they really want to discuss.

She was a co-founder of the International Council on Women’s Health Issues and she served as editor-in-chief of the organization's journal, Health Care for Women International, from 1983 to 2001. Her writings often involved cultural issues and sometimes described the frustrations in academic work. The University of Pennsylvania named a distinguished lectureship in honor of her. Stern received an honorary doctorate from Dalhousie.