To all of Kristi's family, blessings to each of you as you remember her on her day of birth. She truly was a treasure to so many & certainly to me as a fellow Ole "forever a nurse"! With gentle thoughts, Mary Tifft Froelicher

I just learned that Kris passed away. I remember her well from St. Louis University Hospital where she held an executive director position in the 1970's. She was one of the nicest, most respected leaders at the hospital; someone who could be easily approached. She had a warm demeanor and a welcoming smile for everyone. The last time I saw and spoke with Kris was on her last day at SLU. She was leaving for the upper west coast, having accepted a new position. She will be missed forever by all who knew her.

On behalf of all of us St. Olaf College nurses who graduated with Kristi in 1965 & many others from our class at large, may I say we were all shocked & saddened when we learned of Kristi's death. There is no doubt in my mind that she was filled with the Holy Spirit as well as a touch of stoicism as her life ended since apparently none of us knew both she & Les were struggling with cancer. Most of us last saw them at our 50th college reunion in 2015. Kristi was a true leader even during our college days & to her credit, she certainly contributed mightily to the common good all her life long! Thank you Kristine!
Blessings to all the family.

I was so saddened to just now learn about KMG's passing. I worked with her at Columbia and in public health in New Jersey. She was a mentor and a colleague. May her memory be eternal.

A Tribute to Dr. Kristine Gebbie
by Lloyd F. Novick

https://jphmpdirect.com/2022/06/07/a-tribute-to-dr-kristine-gebbie/

Those of us at the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP) mourn the passing of Kristine Gebbie, DrPH, RN, recognizing her as an exceptional public health advocate, leader, and policy expert. Most important was her support and constant encouragement of her colleagues in the work that we do. She died on May 17th in Adelaide, Australia.

She and I both joined the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) at the same time in 1978 when she was SHO for Oregon and then later for Washington State. As president of ASTHO, she was a forceful leader and pioneered AIDS activities with CDC. Dr. Gebbie, a nurse, was recruited by President Bill Clinton in June 1993 as the first AIDS Policy Coordinator to fulfill his campaign promise that he would make this disease a public health priority.
When JPHMP was founded in 1995, she was on our inaugural editorial board, contributing articles and serving as a tireless reviewer.

After her governmental work, she made important contributions to public health systems research, workforce analysis, and preparedness at Columbia University. She produced the Enumeration2000, and a suite of emergency preparedness competencies and associated trainings. With Jackie Merrill, she trained New York City Public Health nurses in the emergency response running of shelters just 3 weeks before 9/11. She ran the Columbia University Center for Health Policy and was very active in the first CDC-funded Center for Public Health Preparedness at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. While at Columbia, she was involved in research and advocacy in support of the public health workforce, including documenting and comparing legal authority, advising the Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics on occupational codes, and certification for public health workers and organizations.

Public health was a family business for Kristine Gebbie. She met her husband Les Wright, who sadly passed away in April, when he was a State Health Official. Les was also a longstanding member of our editorial board. Her son, Eric Gebbie, DrPH, worked with her in New York in public health preparedness and now directs that effort for Oregon.

I remember Kristine as a passionate Christian, a kind and caring friend and host. She and Les were a great team. They brightened our annual visits to friends and family in Adelaide. I look forward to meeting them again on the other side. To their children and grandchildren I send a big thank you for lending them to us for a while.

Kristine Gebbie, the U.S.'s First AIDS Czar, Has Passed at 78

https://www.hivplusmag.com/news/2022/5/25/kristine-gebbie-uss-first-aids-czar-has-passed-78?amp

The former nurse served in numerous public roles before spearheading the nation’s response to the AIDS crisis.

BY DONALD PADGETT
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2022 - 13:44

Kristine Gebbie, a registered nurse and epidemiologist who later served as the country’s first AIDS czar, died May 17 in Adelaide, Australia. Her daughter, Eileen Gebbie, was quoted in the New York Times saying the cause of death was cancer. She was 78.

Gebbie was born Kristine Elizabeth Moore on June 26, 1943, in Sioux City, Iowa. She later attended St. Olaf College where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in 1965, UCLA where she obtained her master’s in community health in 1968, and she later attended the University of Michigan where she obtained her doctorate in public health in 1995.

Before serving as the country’s first AIDS czar in 1993, Gebbie served as Oregon’s state health administrator (1978 to 1989) and the Washington state secretary of health (1989 to 1993). While an opponent of then-President Ronald Reagan’s policies on AIDS testing, she agreed to serve on the President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic after she was personally lobbied by commission chairperson, Adm. James D. Watkins.

“I picked her and she was a great asset to me, especially since we were outnumbered,” Watkins said in 1993 in reference to conservative members on the commission. “She was very tough when there was nonsense coming out of some of the other commissioners. She could carry the day.”


Her time as AIDS czar was controversial and short-lived, however, lasting little more than a year. She was not the first choice for the position, and some activists claimed she did not possess the qualities necessary to battle entrenched bureaucrats and the prevailing homophobic sentiments relating to the issue of AIDS treatment and prevention at the time.

“We needed Jurassic Park and we got Sleepless in Seattle,” ACT UP founder Larry Kramer famously said at the time.

Gebbie resigned as AIDS czar in July 1994 after only 13 months on the job. President Clinton praised her work at the time, saying she helped increase funding “for prevention and research, sped the research and approval process for new drugs, and required every federal employee to receive comprehensive workplace education.”

Gebbie was twice married. Her first marriage to Neil Gebbie and the couple had three children before they divorced. Her second husband, musician Lester Nils Wright, passed away last month.

On behalf of the Board, management and musicians of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, I extend my most profound condolences to Kristine's family on her passing. I have come to know and very much enjoy the company of Kristine and Lester over the past eight years. They were ardent supporters of the ASO, as subscribers and donors. Their love of music was very apparent, as was their love for each other. They were inseparable and, poignantly, it seems somehow fitting that would leave us within a month of each other's passing. In deepest sympathy.

Kristine Gebbie, the First U.S. AIDS Czar, Dies at 78

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/health/kristine-gebbie-dead.html

Kristine Gebbie, a health policy expert who served as the nation’s first AIDS czar in the early 1990s, died on May 17 in Adelaide, Australia. She was 78.

The cause was cancer, her daughter Eileen Gebbie said.

After serving as the chief health officer for the states of Oregon and Washington and as a member of two national panels, formed by President Ronald Reagan, seeking to cope with the emergent AIDS epidemic, Dr. Gebbie, a nurse, was recruited by President Bill Clinton in June 1993 to fulfill his campaign promise that he would make the disease a public health priority.

He named her national AIDS policy coordinator to devise prevention strategies, offer resources to states and communities to establish their own programs, and reconcile the efforts of federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Health Service and the National Institutes of Health.

Several more prominent candidates had already rejected the job, and Dr. Gebbie accepted it with no illusions. While the appointment made her a member of the president’s Domestic Policy Council, her office never achieved the stature or effectiveness that AIDS activists had hoped for.

“It leads you into just about every complicated human question that you have to deal with,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 1993. “What does human sexuality mean? What is the balance point between an individual’s rights and responsibilities and a community’s rights and responsibilities? What is our responsibility to people at the end of life? At what point do we accept the reality of death and not fight it with everything we have?”

She favored supplying clean needles to drug addicts, distributing condoms to sexually active teenagers and incorporating AIDS education into health curriculums, even for young children. Many conservatives opposed those positions, as they had opposed her previous criticisms of the Reagan administration’s proposal for routine testing of applicants for marriage licenses, federal prisoners and certain other groups.

“You don’t talk to them about safe sex,” Dr. Gebbie said, “but you teach them that their body is something to take care of, and that viruses can mess it up.”

Federal spending on AIDS increased under Dr. Gebbie’s watch, and her appointment was announced in a Rose Garden ceremony, but she did not work from the White House; her office was in a building across the street that also housed a McDonald’s.

“My guess,” she told The New York Times in 1993, “is that the choice of me makes clear that this isn’t intended to be somebody who spends all their time outside rousing people up, but somebody who is prepared to spend a lot of time inside making it work.

“It’s very clear how many people really did expect miracles,” she added. “When I give what I know are appropriate answers, I know I sound like a bureaucratic stick-in-the-mud: ‘This lady is not worth two bits to us; she talks about coordination and cooperation. Blah!’

“But part of my mission,” Dr. Gebbie continued, “is to help people keep their expectations within reality.”

Several AIDS activist organizations demanded that she be replaced, and she did not last long in the job; she resigned after 13 months, in July 1994.

During Dr. Gebbie’s tenure, President Clinton said in a statement at the time, the federal government had increased funding and other resources “for prevention and research, sped the research and approval process for new drugs and required every federal employee to receive comprehensive workplace education.” He thanked her for giving “this vitally important battle a lift when one was desperately needed and long overdue.”

Kristine Elizabeth Moore was born on June 26, 1943, in Sioux City, Iowa, to Thomas Moore, a career officer in the Army, and Irene (Stewart) Moore, who worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

She moved from Panama to the Philippines to New Mexico as her father was redeployed in the military; she was also raised for a time by her maternal grandparents in Miles City, Mont. She was inspired by an aunt, Susie Stewart, to enter nursing and worked as a nurse’s aide in high school.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from St. Olaf College in Minnesota in 1965, her master’s in community mental health from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1968, and her doctorate in public health from the University of Michigan in 1995.

She served as the Oregon State health administrator from 1978 to 1989 and the Washington State secretary of health from 1989 to 1993.

As an epidemiologist and an authority on emergency preparedness, she was a member of the AIDS task force for the American Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and was later enlisted by Reagan’s White House AIDS Commission, even though she had criticized the Reagan administration’s response to the epidemic as inadequate.

She was a professor of nursing at the Columbia University School of Nursing and director of Columbia’s Center for Health Policy from 1994 to 2008. She was dean of the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing from 2008 to 2010.

She taught at Flinders University’s Torrens Resilience Initiative and the University of Adelaide Nursing School in Australia, where she had moved with her husband, Lester Nils Wright, a physician, and where they both retired. Dr. Wright died last month.

Her first marriage, to Neil Gebbie, ended in divorce. In addition to her daughter Eileen, she is survived by two other children from her first marriage, Anna and Eric Gebbie; her stepsons, Jason and Nathan Wright; her sister, Sina Ann; 10 grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

Kristine Gebbie, first White House AIDS czar, dies at 78

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/05/25/aids-czar-kristine-gebbie-dies/

Kristine Gebbie, who was named by President Bill Clinton as the country’s first coordinator of AIDS policy in 1993, then left the post after a year, saying the job was poorly defined and had little real authority, died May 17 at a hospital in Adelaide, Australia. She was 78.

The cause was cancer, said her daughter Eileen Gebbie. Dr. Gebbie had been living in retirement in Australia.

With a background in nursing and education, Dr. Gebbie was the top public health official in the states of Oregon and Washington before joining the Clinton administration as coordinator of the Office of National AIDS Policy. She was often described as the country’s “AIDS czar.”

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, had claimed the lives of about 200,000 Americans at the time and was the leading cause of death of people ages 25 to 44. It was particularly widespread among gay men.

Dr. Gebbie had previously served on a presidential AIDS commission during the administration of Ronald Reagan and led a national AIDS task force of state health officials. But she said neither Reagan nor his Republican successor, George H.W. Bush, had taken the disease seriously as a public health crisis.

“I would never have been here in the Bush or Reagan administration,” she said in 1993. “They weren’t interested in AIDS.”

After her appointment, Dr. Gebbie’s supporters and detractors both agreed that her mission was poorly delineated by the White House, giving her little chance of leading a breakthrough in the fight against AIDS. She had a staff of only 30, and her office was not next to the White House in the Executive Office Building but across 17th Street NW, 10 floors above a McDonald’s franchise.

Despite being called the AIDS czar, Dr. Gebbie had little control of the federal government’s AIDS response, with little influence of the direction of research and spending. Her primary responsibility was to coordinate research and messaging among several federal agencies, including the U.S. Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health.

During that time, Larry Kramer and other AIDS activists were leading confrontational demonstrations at NIH and around the country. They disrupted national newscasts and once covered the house of Republican Sen. Jesse Helms (N.C.) with a giant condom.

Larry Kramer, writer who sounded alarm on AIDS, dies at 84

“To the very active AIDS advocacy groups, particularly those on the East Coast, I’m an uninfected, straight White woman from the Northwest,” Dr. Gebbie said. “How could I possibly be their hero in this epidemic?”

Dr. Gebbie recognized that AIDS was not just a medical problem but posed a variety of social challenges, as well.

“It leads you into just about every complicated human question that you have to deal with,” she told the Los Angeles Times after joining the Clinton administration. “What does human sexuality mean? What is the balance point between an individual’s rights and responsibilities and a community’s rights and responsibilities? What is our responsibility to people at the end of life?”

Nevertheless, she helped institute mandatory training programs on HIV/AIDS for all federal employees and advocated for more research funding. She also oversaw the development of the first federally funded public service advertisements that mentioned condoms and urged Americans to “talk much more openly about sexual activity.”

“I might choose for all children to stay abstinent from sex till they’re 23 years old and married, but I know that choice is not real,” she told the Oregonian newspaper in 1994. “And therefore I think we’re obliged to give kids information about condoms and safer sex practices. We’re obliged to give them the information that can help them live.”

After 13 months, Dr. Gebbie resigned under pressure. Critics said she was overwhelmed by the job, partly because she had too little guidance from the White House and was unable to build support on Capitol Hill. (The Office of National AIDS Policy was discontinued under President Donald Trump but was revived last year by President Biden.)

“This was a new job with almost nothing written down about what it should be, and expectations were too high,” she said in 1994. “Some people will never be happy about this position unless it is the job of a real czar who can command viruses, money and jobs.”

Kristine Elizabeth Moore was born June 26, 1943, in Sioux City, Iowa. Her father was an Army officer, and her mother was an administrator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She spent part of her childhood overseas and in Montana and New Mexico.

She received a nursing degree in 1965 from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1968. Early in her career, she was a hospital administrator and taught nursing at UCLA and St. Louis University. She helped develop nursing standards that were adopted nationwide. She received a doctorate in public health from the University of Michigan in 1995.

Dr. Gebbie was Oregon’s top-ranking public health official from 1978 to 1989 and then led the state of Washington’s health department until 1993. After her year as AIDS coordinator in Washington, Dr. Gebbie became a nursing professor at Columbia University and directed the school’s Center for Health Policy from 1994 to 2008. She later served two years as dean of the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing at New York’s Hunter College before retiring to Australia, where she was an adjunct professor at several colleges.

Her marriage to Neil Gebbie ended in divorce. Her husband of 27 years, Lester Wright, died in April. Survivors include three children from her first marriage, Anna Gebbie of Binghamton, N.Y., Eileen Gebbie of Urbana, Ill., and Eric Gebbie of Portland, Ore.; two stepsons, Jason Wright of Portland and Nathan Wright of Tacoma, Wash.; a sister; 10 grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

It was sad to read of Kristine Gebbie's death. I remember her fondly in the School of Nursing & Midwifery at Flinders University in South Australia, as a strong voice for nurses and nursing. Her contribution to the discipline from both the USA and Australia was appreciated and will be missed. Vale Kristine. Adjunct Professor Ann Harrington, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Charles Sturt University, Barton ACT, Australia.

I am saddened to know of Kristine's death. She was a treasured mentor, colleague and friend at Columbia School of Nursing. Thank you to her children for sharing photos of family whom she loved dearly. Kristine will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her!

I will be forever grateful to Kristine for her friendship, guidance and support. It is with great sadness that we farewell one of our great leaders, but treasure and remember all she gave the world.

With great sorrow, I received the news of Kristine's death.
Our ways intersected in a joint activity at WADEM when I was just starting as a member of the organization and Christine was for me a role model of the nurse character, smart, intelligent, knowledgeable, and willing to share and share with partners, pleasantly, modesty and assertively, accepting and embracing.
When I was elected as WADEM Nursing S.I.G I talked with Kristine and learned from her about her professional belief and her activity to promote nursing as a significant partner in disaster. response. 
On behalf of the nursing community at WADEM, I would like to express our sincere condolences to the family.
Her legacy will stay with us forever.
Odeda Benin- Goren
Chair, WADEM Nursing S.I.G

Kristine was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Adelaide, Nursing School, South Australia. Kristine's wisdom, sense of fun and practical approach to life and academia will be greatly missed by us all.
It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye.
Dr Lynette Cusack. Adelaide Nursing School.

Staff and colleagues from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University pay our respects to the family of our dear colleague Prof Kristine Gebbie. She was an inspirational nurse and leader. Her legacy will live on.

Rest in peace Professor Kristine. Thoughts and prayers with all the family.

I was so saddened to know that Christine and Les had died. They were phenomenal leaders. Christine was my professor in my masters program at St. Louis University in the mid-70s. When I became editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Nursing, I invited her to join my editorial board, which she did and was always encouraging and supportive. I could count on her to be forthright in her thoughts on what the journal could do better. I sometimes sought her counsel on challenges that arose and she consistently offered sage advice. When she became the dean at Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, she recruited me to be the inaugural Rudin Endowed Professor and supported my vision for a Center for Health, Media & Policy. She knew how to lead and to 'manage up'--I learned so much from her. She wrote for my book, Policy and Politics in Nursing and Health Care, and graciously agreed to be interviewed for a case study on local responses to pandemics when I was moving the International Council of Nurses' Global Nursing Leadership Institute online in 2020. I will miss her.
And Les graciously gave my colleague, Barbara Glickstein, and me a tour of a women's prison in NY and the progressive approaches to health and wellbeing of the women that he had implemented, including a program where incarcerated women could apply to take care of their newborns for the first year of life. He also started a program for prisoners with dementia. Barbara and I reported on these initiatives on our health radio program, then in NYC.
Two fine, ethical people that I am sorry we have lost.

I was so sad to hear of Kristine’s passing. I am so lucky to have had Kristine as one of my PhD supervisors and will never forget the day she agreed to share that journey with me. Kristine’s formidable nature scared me at first but I soon discovered the kind, soft hearted woman that lay beneath. The world has lost a true nurse leader and a wonderful woman.

So many delightful memories. So many Kris stories. The 1973 First National Conference on the Classification of Nursing Diagnosis may have birthed NANDA but the two years of preparation with Kris and Sr. Mary Teresa Noth and Barb Groneck, our Administrative Assistant and all the Saint Louis University School of Nursing Faculty and students was an unparalleled experience in and of itself. Nursing diagnoses were not new. Their classification was. So, one day in the cardiovascular nursing lab in the basement of the School, Kris and I decided to call the first conference on their classification. Then, Kris said, “We’ll call it The First ‘National’ Conference on the Classification of Nursing Diagnoses.” “How can we do that? We are not a national organization,” I said. “Well,” Kris responded, “since we are inviting nurses from across the nation, it is ‘National.” Who could ever argue with such affirmative, empowering, towering logic! That was Kris Gebbie, dear friend, co-author, and colleague! You are missed — Mary Ann

I´m so sorry to hear these news. I cannot say that I know Prof Gebbie, but I had the honor to sit beside her during a congress dinner, and I still remember our conversation. When discussing disaster nursing and carriers, she looked into my eyes and said "you know Karin, when a door opens, you should just jump in". That made a real impression on me. She was not only a wise, encouranging person, she also opened doors for others. On behalf of many disaster nurses, I would like to express my deepest THANK YOU to Kristine for being a true role model, a great inpiration and for all the important work you did for the world. Thank you!

The Torrens Resilience Institute, Flinders University notes the passing of Adjunct Professor Kristine Gebbie with great sadness. Kristine is remembered for her influential research and development in the field of disaster nursing and global health. Her legacy continues on among the many TRI colleagues, disaster practitioners and doctoral students who benefit from her guidance, humility and example. She is greatly missed and will not be forgotten.

Knowing Kristine and being supervised by Kristine has been one of the highlights of my doctoral journey. She has been an inspiration, and an example to look up to. She will be greatly missed. Thoughts to her family.

Kristine has been a gentle empowering force in my PhD journey and life. She encouraged me to take the lead and go forth with courage while accepting the vulnerability of the research journey. Her insights and learning attitude have inspired many. Thank you Kristine. Rest In Peace.

Remembering a strong woman of principal and beautiful neighbour. Thoughts and prayers with all the family.

Saying our Goodbyes to Dr. Kristine Gebbie
May 20, 2022

On Wednesday, the NANDA-I Board of Directors learned of the death of one of our founders, Kristine Moore Gebbie, DrPH, MN, BSN, RN, FNI, FAAN. In 1973, Kristine Gebbie and Mary Ann Lavin called the First National Conference on the Classification of Nursing Diagnoses (Gebbie & Lavin, 1975), which was held in St. Louis, MO. From there, the Association known as the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (now NANDA International) was born. In her message, her daughter, Eileen, recounted that her mother was pregnant with her at the first NANDA conference, and she subsequently returned to celebrate the 25th NANDA-I conference with Kris. She noted that she and her siblings “grew up in NANDA”.

Dr. Gebbie was an academic and public health official, most recently working as a professor at the Flinders University School of Nursing & Midwifery in Adelaide, Australia. She also served as a Professor of Nursing at Columbia School of Nursing, the Joan Hansen Grabe Dean of the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing at Hunter College, at City University of New York. She is probably best known for her work as the first White House AIDS Policy Coordinator (1993-1994), and as the Secretary of the Washington State Department of Health (1989–1993). Her work in disaster management and competency based education also brought her many accolades. She worked across multiple levels of governmental and health care agencies to ensure disaster readiness and emergency preparedness.

Dr. Gebbie was the recipient of recognitions from multiple organizations and associations, including the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Nursing, the New York Academy of Medicine, Flinders University Australia, and she was in the inaugural class of NANDA-I Fellows. We had looked forward to welcoming Kris to Boston, MA for our 50th Anniversary conference in 2023. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, and colleagues, and our thoughts go out especially to her children, Eileen, Anna, and Eric

https://nanda.org/2022/05/saying-our-goodbyes-to-dr-kristine-gebbie/

“Who said we can’t do that?”
Remembering Prof. Kristine Gebbie (1948 – 2022)

By David Stewart, Associate Director (Consultant), Nursing and Health Policy
at the International Council of Nurses

It is with great sadness that I share the passing of Professor Kristine Gebbie. Kristine has been working as a consultant with the International Council of Nurses for the past few years. She supported our work particularly in Disaster Management and Competency Based Education. Many may remember her presentation on Disaster Nursing at the ICN Congress in Singapore in 2019.

I am proud to say that I have had the honour of working closely with Kristine who was undoubtedly an internationally renowned nurse and public health official. She will ultimately be remembered as a prominent nursing leader who transformed the profession.

Kristine was both a friend and mentor. Her motto, “Who said we can’t do that?”, which she frequently said and lived by, will continue to resonate in my ear. What impressed me was her breadth of knowledge and wisdom and the ability to articulate this succinctly to make change happen. She would regularly say “Words matter. Be clear and be concise for we need people to understand.”

This is reflected in the ICN Core Competencies in Disaster Nursing which she led. This seminal document is used by education providers, researchers and health systems across the world preparing nurses for disaster management. Kristine also provided consultation on the World Health Organization’s Global competency framework for universal health coverage that was recently released.

Kristine was born in Iowa, USA. She held numerous degrees in nursing and science including a Master of Nursing and a Doctorate in Public Health. Whilst she has held many academic positions, Kristine was best known for serving as the first White House AIDS Policy Coordinator, known as the “AIDS Czar.” She would boldly call for healthcare reform, improving access to care, addressing the social determinants of health, and mobilising the nursing and healthcare workforce to care for vulnerable population groups. Prior to this role, she served as a Public Health Director for two US states, Oregon and Washington State.

Kristine was then inspired to prepare nurses and other health professionals for disasters. This came about as a result of leading responses to a number of emergencies and disasters including volcanic eruptions and an anthrax-bioterrorism event. She worked with federal, state and local professionals across multiple professions to develop guidelines on practical emergency preparedness plans for public health agencies, clinics and medical officers. She would also develop short courses on emergency preparedness for all levels of health professionals. Shortly before the 9/11 tragedy, she had just finished conducting a disaster training course for nurses.

She also served as a Professor of Nursing at Columbia School of Nursing, the Joan Hansen Grabe Dean of the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing at Hunter College, at City University of New York, and Professor of Nursing at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

Her contributions have been widely recognised by numerous entities including the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Nursing, the New York Academy of Medicine, and Flinders University Australia. The University of California, Los Angeles recognised Professor Gebbie with one of its Nurse 21 Awards for inspiring individuals helping to transform the nursing profession and raising awareness of the valuable role nurses play in 21st Century healthcare.

Kristine was immensely practical, and action orientated. She was willing to meet people to share and inspire new ideas. She will be remembered as an inspiring leader, not just because she was the smartest in the room (which she really was), but because she would take the time to listen, engage and meet with you. She selflessly promoted and recognised the contribution of others.

Today we remember and mourn the loss of a beloved teacher, researcher, mentor, leader, colleague, and friend.

https://www.icn.ch/news/who-said-we-cant-do-remembering-prof-kristine-gebbie-1948-2022

From the Australian Lutheran College:

The College community mourns the passing of ALC Board Chair, Professor Kristine Gebbie, who died on 17 May following a hard fought battle with cancer.

Kristine was appointed to the Board following the 2015 General Convention of Synod. During her term, she served in a variety of executive roles including as Secretary 2017-2019 and Vice Chair 2020. Following the resignation of the then Chair, Nathan Klinge, in September 2020 Kristine was appointed as his replacement by the LCANZ General Church Board.

As the first female Chair of the Board, Kristine, who would have turned 79 next month, will be remembered for her commitment to her Christian faith, her powerful intellect and her decisive leadership style.

Despite her struggles with illness over the past year, Kristine’s commitment to ALC’s mission, vision, and direction did not waver; she continued her Board involvement up until her last days.

https://alc.edu.au/connect/news/vale-kristine-gebbie/https://alc.edu.au/connect/news/vale-kristine-gebbie/