Mary Rockwood Lane, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a professor, nurse, healing artist, painter and works as a professional Caritas coach with individuals and healthcare settings, both nationally and internationally.
Her mission is to bring love, caring, and art into the light and celebrate the gifts of the Divine Feminine. She is a visionary creative activist. Her enthusiasm for this work has led her to develop a unique way of blending multiple modalities and life experiences to support people in a soulful and practical way. Her intention and vocation is to assist others in leading more open, authentic, loving, creative and fulfilling lives.
She is the co-founder and director emeritus of Shands Arts in Medicine program at University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, where she created the first artist-in-residence program of its type in the United States.
At a time when art was not integrated in health care, Mary became inspired by her own experience of healing herself through art and created a program which incorporates art, music, poetry, theater, and 
dance into healthcare.
She directed the nationally-recognized Arts in Medicine program for over 15 years. She obtained her doctorate degree in Nursing, specializing in healing with the arts from the University of Florida. Her dissertation was based on a phenomenological hermeneutic study researching the lived experience of art and healing. Mary has advanced training in guided imagery and mindfulness-based therapeutic practices and has practiced as a holistic health care provider focusing on women’s health, self care and empowerment. She works tirelessly to promote this vision for a more creative and transformative nursing practice.
She has written many articles in nursing and medical journals and is a recognized leader in the field. She lectures and teaches workshops worldwide and helps healthcare centers and artists set up art and healing programs.
Mary is core faculty within the UF Center of Spirituality in Health and an Associate Professor at the UF College of Nursing, where she teaches Creativity and Spirituality in Healthcare to undergraduate and graduate students. She developed an online version of this course entitled Healing with the Arts, which is available to the public for FREE through UF Coursera. Learn more about her FREE course here. Mary also developed an interdisciplinary end of life program at UF that is integrated in several colleges at the UF Health Science Center.
She is founding faculty and served as a board member of the Watson Caring Science Institute. She has had extensive international travel and teaching with the distinguished Dr. Jean Watson. Mary is an International Caring Science Scholar and teaches the Caritas Coach program and the Human Caring Program which integrate Caring Science in healthcare settings all over the world.
Mary also founded and directed the Art and Healing Master’s Program at Wisdom University with Dr. Michael Samuels. She has written six books with him about art, spirituality, end of life, shamanic praxis, caring and peace. Learn More About the Books Here.
Mary facilitates transformational group intensives, women’s leadership and empowerment workshops. She leads a Divine Feminine retreat in Tinos, Greece which focuses on the embodiment of the Goddess archetype within each women that honors the Oracle that emerges from our hearts.
She loves attending her Honey Bees and creating wildlife habitats which expresses her passion for nature. Mary has three children and lives on Sacred Land with her husband in a beautiful oak hammock which provides the experience of deep peace, sanctuary and connection to all of nature.
Books Mary has written:
