I am a nurse educator and registered psychologist who provides global leadership in the field of Family Health with a particular focus on Family Systems Nursing theory, practice, education, and research.

My mission is to increase the capacity of health care providers to care for families with competence, confidence, and compassion.  I believe illness is a family affair!  Practicing and creating new knowledge for practice using a systemic, relational perspective invites the health care provider to address illness suffering and family healing in a particular manner.

Knowledge creation and knowledge transfer to improve caring practices with families are both central to my mission. I co-developed the Illness Beliefs Model (www.illnessbeliefsmodel.com) for advanced practice with families.

I serve as the founding Editor of the Journal of Family Nursing.  I am a member of the Board of the Directors of the International Family Nursing Association and a member of the Advisory Council of the Glen Taylor Nursing Institute for Family and Society.