Madeleine Leininger, an international leader in transcultural nursing, has died. She was 87.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center, where Leininger had been an adjunct professor of nursing, announced Tuesday that Leininger died Friday in Omaha of lung failure.

A native of Sutton, Leininger was often recognized as the founder of transcultural nursing, which is the study and practice of providing culturally compatible care for people of diverse cultures.

A nurse and anthropologist, Leininger believed that to make health care effective for people of diverse cultures, health professionals needed to establish educational programs and culturally competent care practices. She and her colleagues studied about 100 cultures worldwide and established transcultural nursing courses worldwide.

Leininger was inducted into the Nebraska Nursing Hall of Fame in 2009.