Thorne obtained her Registered Nurse Diploma (1972) from the Atkinson School of Nursing at Toronto Western Hospital, Bachelor of science in nursing (1979) and Master of Science in Nursing (1983) from the University of British Columbia School of Nursing, in Vancouver, Canada, and Doctor of Philosophy from the Union Institute for Advanced Studies (1990), now the Union Institute & University, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America.
Biography & Thorne joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia School of Nursing in 1983, quickly establishing a program of substantive research, methodological development, and social critique in the intersection between health service delivery and the experiential world of those who navigate them in order to live well with cancer and chronic disease. Foreign a nine year term (2002 - 2010), Thorne served as the Director of the School, overseeing its evolution into a national and international leader among research-intensive academic nursing institutions. Since 2011, she has resumed an academic career, including active involvement in policy leadership on behalf of the profession and a program of scholarship in advancing communication systems in cancer care.
She currently serves as Associate Dean, Faculty of Applied Science, speaks and consults internationally, and sits on numerous Boards and committees.
She is associate editor of the journal Qualitative Health Research and Editor-in-Chief of Nursing Inquiry. Theories and Methods Interpretive Description: A qualitative research method which “provides a bridge between objective neutrality and abject theorizing” designed for the needs of the applied disciplines.
Qualitative Metasynthesis: An approach to integration of qualitatively generated knowledge across methods, disciplines and contexts. Communication in Cancer Care: A program of research dedicated to supporting effective communication between cancer patients and health care professionals The Social Context of Chronic Illness: A program of patient-perspective research addressing system barriers to effective care for chronic diseases.
Philosophy of Nursing Science: A program of philosophical inquiry dealing with matters of the nature of nursing, the nature of evidence claims related to human health complexity, and the theoretical traditions that underpin current thinking within the discipline.
Books Publications Award of Distinction, Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia, 1999.
Award of Distinction, Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia, 1999 Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, 2005 Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award, Women's Executive Network, 2009 Pfizer Award of Excellence for Nursing Research, Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology, 2011 Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 2011 Honorary doctorate, Queen"s University, 2013 Ethel Johns Award, Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, 2013.
