Brother Ignatius Perkins Named 2025 Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing
Brother Ignatius Perkins, OP, PhD, RN, FAAN ’25Hon, director of the St. Martin de Porres Center for Health and Human Dignity has been named a 2025 Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing—the Academy’s highest honor.
A visionary nurse ethicist and educator, Brother Perkins has devoted more than six decades to advancing nursing practice, education, and policy. His ethical framework—centered on human dignity, freedom, and flourishing—has shaped generations of health care professionals and influenced institutions around the world. His landmark study on personhood among homeless individuals with AIDS was the first to apply the Pellegrino Healing Relationship Model in clinical research.
Brother Perkins was also a key leader in national nursing accreditation, helping to establish the National League for Nursing’s Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation, which now oversees more than 200 institutions globally.
In recognition of his lifetime of service and leadership, Brother Perkins was awarded an honorary doctorate at Providence College’s 107th Commencement in May 2025. He will be formally honored as a Living Legend during the Academy’s Health Policy Conference on October 17 in Washington, D.C.
