[3] In 1979, Ramsden enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington and studied for a degree in anthropology.
[3] In the 1980s, Ramsden developed Kawa Whakaruruhau or Cultural Safety in Nursing Education, an approach to health care which was both original and controversial.
[4] In 2002, Ramsden completed her PhD at Victoria University of Wellington; her thesis was titled Cultural Safety and Nursing Education in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu.
[5][6] Ramsden died on 5 April 2003[6] at her Wellington home after a long illness with cancer.
Tariana Turia, then Associate Maori Affairs Minister, and historian Michael King both issued statements of remembrance on her passing.