Dr. Curley is the Ruth M. Colket Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing at Children’s Hospital pf Philadelphia and Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Her research has focused on nurse-implemented interventions in pediatric critical care. Over several decades, her studies have illuminated relationship-based care when partnering with parents of critically ill children, supported parent presence during invasive procedures and resuscitation, and have informed the practice of caring for critically-ill pediatric patients with acute respiratory failure.

Her multisite clinical trials have high international impact and are considered standard setting in the interprofessional management of critically-ill children with acute respiratory failure. In addition, Dr. Curley's transdisciplinary collaborative efforts have enriched multiple programs of research in pediatric critical care. Her passion for the practice of pediatric critical care, specifically nurse-led therapies that contribute to improved patient outcomes, centers her research.

Dr. Curley has also led the development and dissemination of core metrics in the field of pediatrics; for example, the State Behavioral Scale, the Withdrawal Assessment Tool (WAT-1), individualized numeric rating scale and the Braden QD scale.

Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine - Perelman School of Medicine
Claire M. Fagin Hall, Room 425
418 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4217 USA

BS, University of Massachusetts (Nursing), 1985

MSN, Yale University, 1987

PhD, Boston College (Nursing), 1997

Nurse Scientist

Ruth M. Colket Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing

Professor of Nursing

Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine - Perelman School of Medicine

American Association of Critical Care Nurses, 1981-

Sigma Theta Tau -Delta Mu and Beta Zeta, 1985-

Society of Critical Care Medicine, 1991-

American Academy of Nursing, 1998-

American Thoracic Society, 2000-

Elizabeth McWilliams Miller Award for Excellence in Research, Sigma Theta Tau International Foundation for Nursing, 2011

Distinguished Research Lecturer Award, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, 2012

Claire M. Fagin Distinguished Researcher Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, 2013

ACCM Distinguished Investigator Award, Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2013

Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 2014

Distinguished Contributions to Nursing Research Award, Eastern Nursing Research Society, 2015

Member, National Academy of Medicine, 2016

Martha A.Q. Curley, RN, PhD, FAAN

After PICU