Clémence Dallaire

The first person to earn a French-language PhD in nursing science, Professor Clémence Dallaire played a foundational role in establishing nursing as an academic discipline in Quebec, Canada, and the French-speaking world. 

A major contribution to the recognition of nursing

After a decade working as a nurse, Professor Dallaire helped define the academic foundations of nursing knowledge. She played a key role in developing research themes on the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of nursing practice, the organization and administration of care and services, and the evaluation of nursing care and practices. Her book Le savoir infirmier : au cœur de la discipline et de la profession infirmière has influenced generations of nursing students. 

A professor since 1998, she has conducted research on aging, social isolation, and home care, while incorporating a critical perspective on issues of social justice and health equity. Her approach, centred on a reflective conception of care, has guided both her research and professional engagement. She has led numerous collaborative initiatives in research and knowledge dissemination, culminating in her appointment as scientific director of the research centre at the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches. These achievements have led to innovative approaches to care delivery and significantly improved Quebec’s health care system.

The author of more than 70 articles and some 100 scientific communications, Professor Dallaire served as scientific editor for three new editions of the renowned textbook Soins infirmiers : fondements généraux—a cornerstone of nursing education—and helped organize more than 30 international conferences and summer schools, leaving her mark across the French-speaking world At the same time, she has chaired national bodies such as the Research Committee and Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, reflecting her sustained influence on the development of the discipline across Canada.

Refining training for the next generation

Professor Dallaire has distinguished herself through transformative educational leadership, reimagining graduate education pathways. For nearly 20 years, she held senior leadership roles—including Dean and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies—while also directing the PhD program. For her, rethinking nursing knowledge went hand in hand with enhancing university education—an endeavour supported by the bridges she skillfully built between research, clinical practice, and other disciplines, such as sociology and philosophy—thereby reinforcing the intersectoral nature of her vision for the nursing profession.

In recognition of her generous commitment to the next generation and her caring mentorship, students in the Faculty of Nursing named her the recipient of the Career Award in 2015. That award is just one among many. She has also received the Ethel Johns Award from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing and the Rachel-Bureau Award from the Ordre régional des infirmières et infirmiers de Québec. In 2017, she received the Insigne du mérite from the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec—the profession’s highest honour.

Through her intellectual rigour and humanism, Clémence Dallaire leaves a dual legacy: elevating nursing knowledge to the status of a recognized academic discipline and shaping the culture of nursing education and research for generations to come.