Former President of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), the Nurses Association of the Counties of Long Island (NACLI), the American Association for the History of Nursing (AAHN), and American Nurses Association (ANA) Hall of Fame Inductee, Nettie Birnbach, passed away peacefully on December 18, 2019. Born March 2, 1926, Dr. Birnbach was a graduate of Kings County School of Nursing in Brooklyn, New York. A dedicated nurse, she returned to school in her 40’s earning a Bachelors in Nursing from Molloy College, and a Masters in Nursing Education and a Doctorate of Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College. She is Professor Emeritus at the College of Nursing, State University of New York at Brooklyn, where she assisted in the development of a clinical Master’s Degree program in Nursing.
Dr. Birnbach was well known for her many talents as a practitioner, educator, researcher and historian, as well as her dedication to and love of the nursing profession. Her distinguished leadership was recognized with the highest honors by a plethora of nursing organizations including the NACLI, NYSNA and the Nursing Education Alumni Association of Teachers College, Columbia University. Upon her induction into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame, it was noted, “Dr. Birnbach, described as a renaissance woman by those who nominated her, has extended the profession’s boundaries and truly enhanced its services to society. Her many enduring accomplishments make her most worthy of induction into the ANA Hall of Fame.”
For those who wish to remember Dr. Birnbach in a special way, please consider making a contribution to the Nettie Birnbach Endowed Scholarship for Piano Education at Lynn University, 3601 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL 33431; Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814; or SECU Lakeside Reserve, 811 Martin St., Wilmington, NC 28401.
