Faculty

Mary Jean Etten

Dr. Mary Jean Etten died on Friday, April 16, 2026. Dr. Etten taught adjunct for the Department of Gerontology and developed one of the first Death and Dying courses beginning in the early 1980s, and taught the Death and Dying course up until 2020.  Dr. Etten was one of the original board members of the Center for Hospice, Palliative and End-of-Life Studies at USF, which was founded in 1996.  She was a Dominican sister for 17 years and a tenured full professor in the College of Nursing at St. Petersburg College for 33 years, where she taught nursing, thanatology, and gerontology. Mary Jean held a doctoral degree in education, along with master’s degrees in gerontology, counseling, and nursing, and her life’s work significantly advanced understanding of hospice, aging, and the human experience of grief and loss. Mary Jean was one of the original founders of Suncoast Hospice, established in 1976.  Mary Jean dedicated many years to board service across Empath Health and Suncoast Hospice.  

Dr. Mary Jean Etten along with her colleagues Drs. Sue Saxon and Elizabeth Perkins, wrote a highly praised textbook, “Physical change and aging”, that went through three editions and was named Book of the Year by the American Journal on Nursing in 1995.  It is still circulating in its 9th edition.  Mary Jean also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tampa Bay Business Journal in 2013, fitting recognition for a life defined by purpose, leadership, and service.

Dr. Etten was a compassionate educator and mentor to many students and faculty.  Her lifelong work in the field of palliative and hospice care will be a continued legacy for the students she taught and the faculty she worked closely with in the School of Aging Studies.