Holly Wei, PhD, RN, CPN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Professor, Assistant Dean for the PhD Program
University of Louisville
School of Nursing
Caritas Colleague
Dr. Wei is a Professor and Assistant Dean for the PhD Program at the University of Louisville School of Nursing. Holly was a Watson Post-Doctoral Scholar in 2017 – 2018, during which she studied with Jean on healthcare interprofessional team members’ perspectives on human caring: A directed content analysis study. Since then, Holly has published over 40 professional articles with a Caring Science focus in peer-reviewed journals. Her publications include the Ethics of Belonging, caring as the essence of interprofessional collaboration, and the current state of the science of applying Watson Human Caring Theory in practice, research, and education. Holly has also worked with Jean and developed a resilience-building model, A unitary caring science resilience-building model: Unifying the human caring theory and research-informed psychology and neuroscience evidence.
Other nursing practice models that Holly has published include CARE Model, Interprofessional Care Model, Patient PITSTOP Care Model, and Self-Care ENERGY Model. Some of Holly’s articles are top read, downloaded, and cited of the journals. One of her top-cited articles is the state of the science of nurse work environments in the United States: A systematic review. Holly is known globally for her nursing practice models. Several hospitals have used Dr. Wei’s nursing models to guide practice and promote organizational culture and patient care.
Dr. Wei is an Associate Editor of the International Journal for Human Caring. She holds two nursing journals’ Editorial Board positions, including Advances in Nursing Science, and a Board of Directors in the International Association of Human Caring. She is currently working on a Convergent Care Theory based on her published research and nursing practice models. Her textbook, Nurse-Led Visionary Leadership in Healthcare, will be published by Sigma International in February 2022.
Dr. Wei has received numerous prestigious awards. The most recent ones include the International Leininger Caring-Culture Award, the Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching, Outstanding Research Scholar, DAISY Extraordinary Faculty, and the North Carolina Nurses Association Nurse Educator of the Year. The awards affirm her contributions and influences in nursing locally and globally.