Faculty and staff
D. Patricia Gray, Ph.D., RN
Associate Professor
Chair Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems
P.O. Box 980567
Richmond, VA 23298-0567
Phone: (804) 828-3320
E-mail: dpgray@vcu.edu
“"Of all things in life, what is the most astounding?"
"That a person, seeing others die all around him, thinks that he will never die."
From the Mahabharata
Education
- 1982 - Ph.D. - University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Physiological Nursing
- 1976 - M.S.N - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C. Medical-Surgical Nursing
- 1974 - B.S.N. - University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C. Nursing
Memberships in Professional Organizations
- Southern Nursing Research Society, Past President (2006-2008)
- Chair, Nominating Committee (2008-present)
- Geurilla Yoga Project; coordinator for Fluvanna Correctional Facility for Women's Yoga Program.
Research Activities
Dr. Gray's work is on the development and application of critical qualitative approaches to inquiry. Such approaches have usefulness in examining healing processes and in facilitating the healing process within individuals and systems. She conceptualizes healing as an evolving process of experiencing and claiming one's wholeness. Specific areas of current interest include end of life issues and experiences of living with life-altering illnesses such as HIV infection & cancer. These areas provide a context for the exploration of healing processes and outcomes.
Dr. Gray's research in the area of immunocompetence focuses on the exploration of experiences related to altered immunocompetence, particularly when the cause of that alteration is HIV infection or cancer.
