Luther Christman
Luther Parmalee Christman (February 26, 1915June 7, 2011) was an American nurse, professor of nursing, university administrator and advocate for gender and racial diversity in nursing. His career included service with the Michigan Department of Mental Health and academic posts at the University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University and Rush University. In 1967, Christman became the first man to hold the position of dean at a nursing school. While serving as vice president for nursing affairs at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Christman implemented the Rush Model of Nursing, an influential model for delivering hospital nursing services. He was involved in the founding of the National Male Nurse Association, which later became the American Assembly for Men in Nursing. After his 1987 retirement, Christman received several awards and honors for his contributions to nursing. He died in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2011. Education Christman earned a diploma from the Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing for Men in 1939. He received an undergraduate degree from Temple University in 1948, then an Ed.M. degree in clinical psychology from the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute. He completed a Ph.D. from Michigan State University, where he studied anthropology and sociology. Christman overcame gender discrimination during his own education; he