View source for Kath M. Melia

{{Short description|Academic with interest in ethics in nursing and healthcare}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = Professor
| name               = Kath M. Melia
| image = Kath_M_Melia_died_2022.jpg
| birth_place        = Cheshire
| death_date         = 22 October 2022
| death_place        = Edinburgh
| occupation         = sociologist, professor of nursing, researcher, academic author and campaigner for ethics in healthcare
| employer           = University of Edinburgh
}}
'''Kath M. Melia''' (died 25 October 2022) was a sociologist, professor of nursing, researcher, academic author and campaigner for ethics in healthcare.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Beil-Hildebrand |first=Margitte |date=17 March 2023 |title=Obituaries - Kath M Melia, Professor of Nursing Studies who fought for ethics in health care |work=The Scotsman |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/obituaries-kath-m-melia-professor-of-nursing-studies-who-fought-for-ethics-in-health-care-4026388 |access-date=31 March 2023}}</ref>
== Career ==
Melia was born in [[Cheshire]], the middle of three sisters. She undertook her undergraduate studies to obtain a BA (Hons) in nursing at [[University of Manchester|Manchester University]]. She worked in intensive and coronary care. In 1975, she moved to take a PhD at the [[University of Edinburgh]] Nursing Research Unit, where she later became lecturer and eventually in 1996 a professor of [[Nursing Studies, University of Edinburgh|Nursing Studies]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=Special Minute: Kath Melia PhD, BN (Hons), RN, HV, DN, Emerita Professor of Nursing Studies |publisher=The University of Edinburgh |year=2016 |pages=13 |language=en |id=Electronic Senate, University of Edinburgh ref H/02/02/02 e-S: May 2016}}</ref> She was the first head of the School of Nursing and [[Social science|Social Science]] for five years, and retired when she had served for 40 years as a lecturer, researcher and then professor.<ref name=":0" /> Melia won research funding at a time when few grants were made to nurses, and this included [[Leverhulme Trust]] researching nursing ethics in the USA (New York and San Francisco) and an [[Economic and Social Research Council|ESRC]] programme studying 'Nursing in the new NHS'.<ref name=":1" /> As Head of the School, Melia led a £2.5m joint bid with [[Queen Margaret University]] and [[Edinburgh Napier University]] to create a centre for integrated healthcare research which in turn developed into UK-wide Clinical Academic Careers for Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals.<ref name=":1" />
Melia was [[visiting scholar]] to numerous universities including; [[University of Alberta]], University of Vancouver, [[University of California, San Francisco|UCSF]] (School of Nursing), International Scholar - [[The Hastings Center|Hastings Center]], New York, Centre for Biomedical Ethics, [[National University of Singapore]], King Edward Memorial Hospital and [[University of Western Australia]], Perth, Institute of Bioethics, [[Monash University|University of Monash]], Melbourne, [[University of Navarra]] Pamplona, Spain, Visiting Professor [[University College Dublin]], and the Swedish School of Nursing, [[Helsinki]], [[University of Turku]], Finland. She was an External Examiner to the Universities of Manchester, [[University of Nottingham|Nottingham]], [[University of Liverpool|Liverpool]], [[King's College London|King’s College London]], [[University of Wales]], [[City, University of London|City University London]], [[University of Tromsø|University of Tromsø]]. She supervised in excess of 30 PhD students and was a member of Editorial Boards of the ''Journal of Sociology of Health and Illness'' (1985-1989), ''[[Qualitative Health Research]]'' (1990-1994), ''Social Sciences in Health: International Journal of Research and Practice'' (1994-1997).<ref name=":1" />
== Writing ==
Melia's writing about nursing and ethics including in an intensive care context<ref>{{Cite book |last=Melia |first=Kath M. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/74491359 |title=Health care ethics : lessons from intensive care |date=2004 |publisher=Sage Publications |isbn=1-4129-3297-1 |location=London |oclc=74491359}}</ref> became a part of the nurse education curriculum.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> <ref>{{Cite book |last1=Audrey |first1=Leathard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zWShmuAQGEoC&dq=Kath+Melia&pg=PA147 |title=Ethics: Contemporary Challenges in Health and Social Care |last2=Goodinson-McLaren |first2=Susan |last3=Susan |first3=McLaren |date=2007-01-10 |publisher=Policy Press |isbn=978-1-86134-755-8 |pages=147 |language=en}}</ref> She  also had identified the stages in the socialisation of nurse students as 'fitting in; learning the rules; getting the work done; and passing through'.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7IGbRoPCO4C&dq=Kath+Melia&pg=PT102 |title=Practice Based Learning in Nursing, Health and Social Care: Mentorship, Facilitation and Supervision |last2=Spouse |first2=Jenny |date=2013-02-07 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-48819-5 |language=en}}</ref> She questioned the merits of qualitative research interviews,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Latimer |first=Joanna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=52YelROjGiwC&dq=Kath+Melia&pg=PA22 |title=Advanced Qualitative Research for Nursing |date=2009-02-12 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4051-4998-3 |pages=22 |language=en}}</ref> and the ongoing 'paternalistic' relationship between doctors and nurses,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Abbott |first1=Pamela |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sgX7iZ1O8PIC&dq=Kath+Melia&pg=PA45 |title=The Sociology of the Caring Professions |last2=Meerabeau |first2=Liz |date=1998 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-1-85728-903-9 |pages=45 |language=en}}</ref> and [[Cognitive dissonance|dissonance]] between theory and practice.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Traynor |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zDklDwAAQBAJ&dq=Kath+Melia&pg=PA44 |title=Critical Resilience for Nurses: An Evidence-Based Guide to Survival and Change in the Modern NHS |date=2017-03-27 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-27249-6 |pages=44 |language=en}}</ref>
Her work continued the thinking of Glaser and Strauss on [[Grounded theory|''Grounded Theory'']]  (1987) which challenged received wisdom in the scientific community. Her own research on ''<nowiki/>'Learning and Working''<nowiki/>' <ref>{{Cite book |last=Melia |first=Kath M. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/16473186 |title=Learning and working : the occupational socialization of nurses |date=1987 |publisher=Tavistock |isbn=0-422-60130-6 |location=London |oclc=16473186}}</ref> was published during that time, when there were serious nurse staff resource shortages in the UK,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Melia |first=Kath |date=2007-01-31 |title=Panic response is bad news: Why has the government only just realised that its NHS Plan requires long-term investment? |url=http://journals.rcni.com/doi/10.7748/ns.21.21.28.s34 |journal=Nursing Standard |language=en |volume=21 |issue=21 |pages=28 |doi=10.7748/ns.21.21.28.s34 |issn=0029-6570}}</ref> and the changes of nurse education from hospital based (student as worker)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goodman |first=Benny |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mPEaCAAAQBAJ&dq=Kath+Melia&pg=PA189 |title=Psychology and Sociology in Nursing |date=2015-04-25 |publisher=Learning Matters |isbn=978-1-4739-2755-1 |pages=189,191 |language=en}}</ref> into a tertiary education and academic pathway was being progressed, when routine care may have been seen as menial work. She also studied drop-out from nurse education in China, later.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Junhong |first1=Zhu |last2=Rogers |first2=Sheila |last3=Melia |first3=Kath |date=August 2018 |title=Understanding Human Resource Wastage in the Nursing Shortage: Lessons Learned from Chinese Nurses Leaving Nursing Practice |url=https://www.athensjournals.gr/health/2018-5-3-2-Zhu.pdf |journal=Athens Health}}</ref>
Her approach to practical ethics for nurse education is now in its 5th edition.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Melia |first=Kath M. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/853495605 |title=Ethics for nursing and healthcare practice |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-85702-930-0 |location=London |oclc=853495605}}</ref> Melia attracted criticism from some,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Morscher |first1=E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AMnrCAAAQBAJ&dq=Kath+Melia&pg=PA120 |title=Applied Ethics in a Troubled World |last2=Neumaier |first2=O. |last3=Simons |first3=Peter M. |date=2012-12-06 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-94-011-5186-3 |pages=120 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKubDwAAQBAJ&dq=Kath+Melia&pg=PT43 |title=Nursing Power and Social Judgement: An Interpretive Ethnography of a Hospital Ward |date=2018-08-20 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-82537-8 |language=en}}</ref>  for example when she wrote in the ''Journal of Sociology of Health and Illness, a Review Essay: Imperialism, paternalism and the writing of introductory texts in Medical Sociology.''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Melia |first=Kath |date=1986 |title=Imperialism, Paternalism and the Writing of Introductory Texts (Book). |url=https://www.academia.edu/51054215 |journal=Sociology of Health and Illness |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=86–98 |doi=10.1111/1467-9566.ep11346508 |issn=0141-9889|doi-access=free }}</ref>
Her introductory text book on nursing and ethics is still regarded as relevant to UK,<ref name=":1" /> German<ref name=":0" /> and Irish<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Rita W |date=2016 |title=Reviews - Ethics for Nursing and Healthcare Practice |url=https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/ethics-for-nursing-and-healthcare-practice/book235980 |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=SAGE Publications Ltd |language=en}}</ref> nursing and healthcare education.<ref name=":0" />
Melia retired in 2015, and became [[Emeritus|professor emerita]].<ref name=":1" />
== Death and legacy ==
She died on 22 October 2022 in Edinburgh, leaving a legacy to the Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR) which is interdisciplinary across [[stem cell]] biology, tissue and inflammation research. She said in 2019, '''the'' ''work of IRR will revolutionise the nature of the treatment of patients with injured hearts.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Testimonial |url=https://www.ed.ac.uk/regeneration-repair/support-our-research/testimonial |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=The University of Edinburgh |date=25 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
== References ==
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[[Category:20th-century births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester]]
[[Category:Scottish scholars and academics]]
[[Category:People from Cheshire]]
[[Category:People from Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Academics of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Nursing researchers]]
[[Category:British sociologists]]
[[Category:Medical ethics]]