Lorraine M. Wright, RN, PhD, is a towering local and international leader in the field of family nursing. Dr. Wright’s clinical scholarship changed the face of family nursing with important contributions to theory, practice and research.
She co-developed the Calgary family assessment model and the Calgary family intervention model, which evolved into one of North America’s best-selling family nursing textbook, Nurses and Families: A Guide to Family Assessment and Intervention. Dr. Wright also helped create a unique family nursing series of DVDs that demonstrates clinical practice skills and knowledge with families experiencing illness.
In 1982, she established the first family nursing unit, a unique outpatient clinic for the purpose of education and research at the University of Calgary, and served as the director for 20 years. Dr. Wright co-developed the illness beliefs model and created the trinity model for advanced practice. She was one of the first nurse clinicians to demonstrate the value of showing her clinical work with families in classrooms, workshops and conference presentations, both through videotapes of actual clinical conversations and live demonstrations.
In 1988, she convened the first International Family Nursing Association conference in Calgary, followed by nine more international conferences. Her work has been valued by a local and international community of nurses and interdisciplinary health professionals who encounter families in their clinical practice. Dr. Wright has made a difference to nursing practice with families in Alberta and around the world.