E D I T O R I A L

n 1993, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur l Foundation awarded one of their prestigious fel- lowships to a nurse. The MacArthur fellowships are widely known as “genius grants.” They are awarded only to exceptionally talented and dedicated individ- uals whose work has been original, creative, and self- directed.

Ruth Watson Lubic, EdD, CNM, FAAN, is the first nurse to be named a MacArthur Fellow, and she has received an unrestricted grant of $375,000 from the foundation. Those of us in maternal-child health care are privileged to have this genius among us. We are pleased that the contributions of this nurse-midwife have been lauded widely.

Dr. Lubic is the general director of the Maternity Center Association in New York, which was organized and has been operated by women of great distinction since 1918. Dr. Lubic took over the helm at the center in 1970 and by 1975 had created the first demonstra- tion childbearing center in the United States. This freestanding center was in Manhattan, but the model developed there has served as the inspiration for more than 150 other centers.

Later, the Maternity Center Association and Ruth Lubic established a second birth center in the South Bronx. The name-South Bronx-is a code word for poverty: It is an inner city with an unacceptable infant mortality rate and marked economic depression.

Dr. Lubic has worked tirelessly in the South Bronx to make an impact on both the health and social well- being of families. She created an environment that en- couraged community action and individual involve- ment. For example, when mothers needed clothes and baby supplies to care for their newborns, the women began an exchange. Dr. Lubic found that it was not enough to provide regular obstetric care; child- bearing women in the South Bronx needed compre- hensive maternity care that included the exchange, support groups, and education. Where others saw an indigent patient, she saw a woman and her commu- nity.

Recently, the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives gathered to honor Ruth

Lubic-this genius among us. Dr. Lubic told those as- sembled that nurses can contribute to building a bet- ter society, but they cannot do it alone. There are too many people with too many problems, she said, and too few resources. Nurses need allies, and our most important allies are childbearing families.

Ruth Lubic gave principles by which all nurses can unlock the genius within. First, organize your care around the needs of the people you serve. Nurses do not serve a profession, their own or any other. Nurses serve people. Second, take care of all people, includ- ing the underserved.

Third, be aware of the limits of the medical model. Although physicians have been successful in improving the public’s health and it may be seductive to emulate them, the medical model does not serve all people.

Fourth, tolerate uncertainty. Scientific prediction is not perfect. Base your practice on the best science, but then test whether it works for all people.

Fifth, Dr. Lubic urged us to trust our caring in- stincts. Scientific knowledge is important, but emo- tional openness is critical when building alliances with communities. Choose your professional col- leagues for their caring philosophies rather than their credentials.

Sixth, avoid anger and bitterness. Anger consumes energy and clouds vision. Bitterness among col- leagues serves no one.

Last, overcome the fear associated with leader- ship. Listen to the people you serve, and they will be- come your strength.

Ruth Lubic listened to the childbearing women she served. In Manhattan and the South Bronx, she now hears women say that they do not have to ask for support, but they receive it. They do not have to sum- mon the courage to ask questions, but they are given answers. Dr. Lubic hears women say that they appreci- ate being treated as people. In these comments, she also hears what had not been said: Somewhere in the past the women had been treated as nonpersons.

JOGNN joins the nursing community in saluting genius-both the genius among us and the genius within us.

Karen B. Haller, RN, PhD Editor

Reference

Lubic, R.W. (1994, February). Building alliances and sup- porting innovation: A new era in maternal-child health. Paper presented to the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Baltimore, MD.

June 1994 J O C N N 373