His early research helped lay the foundation for family-based therapies,[1] influencing others such as R. D. Laing and Margaret Singer.
He made a number of discoveries about the interaction of genetics and the environment in the development of schizophrenia, working with adopted twins.
He published numerous articles and co-edited "The Nature of Schizophrenia" (1978), received the Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Award for schizophrenia research from the American Academy of Psychoanalysis in 1965, the Meritorious Service Medal from the U.S. Public Health Service in 1966, and received two awards from the American Family Therapy Academy, one in 1981 and another in 1989.
[2] “At a time when families of patients with schizophrenia were neglected by medical professionals, Wynne devoted his career to understanding them.
He knew first hand about the devastating impact of mental illness upon families, losing a beloved sister to suicide early in his career.