Scientific Programme

Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein of Jordan is the WHO Patron for Nursing and Midwifery in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, former Commissioner to the UN High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth and Champion for the Nursing Now Campaign.

Michelle Bachelet has served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights since 2018. She was elected as the first female President of Chile in 2006 and again in 2014. She also served as Health Minister of Chile and as Chile’s and Latin America’s first female Defense Minister. In 2011, she was named the first Director of UN Women and she has recently pledged to be a Gender Champion, committing to advance gender equality in OHCHR and in international fora. Ms Bachelet has also served as Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and as Co-Chair of the High-Level Steering Group for Every Woman Every Child.

Mr Ban Ki-Moon is former Secretary General of the United Nations (2007-2016) during which time he strove to give voice to the world’s poorest and the most vulnerable people.
He currently serves as Chairman of Presidential National Council on Climate and Air Quality; Chairman of Boao Forum for Asia; Co-Chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens; and Chairman of IOC Ethics Committee. He is Distinguished Chair Professor and Honorary Chairman at the Institute of Global Engagement & Empowerment at Yonsei University in Korea, and President of the Assembly & Chair of the Council of Global Green Growth Institute.

She served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999-2008 and as a Member of Parliament In April 2009, she became Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the first woman to lead the organisation. Helen continues to be a strong voice for sustainable development, climate action, gender equality and women’s leadership, peace and justice, and action on pressing global health issues. In July 2020, she was appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organization as a Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

Dr. Roopa Dhatt, BA, BSc, MSc, MD, is a passionate advocate for gender equality in global health and a leading voice in the movement to correct the gender imbalance in global health leadership. In 2015, Dr. Dhatt co-founded Women in Global Health, which works to challenge power and privilege for gender equity in health by mobilizing a diverse group of emerging women health leaders, by advocating existing global health leaders commit to transforming their own institutions, and by holding these leaders to account. Dr. Dhatt was recognised in the Gender Equality Top 100 list in 2019. She was a public delegate in the US Government Delegation to the UN 65th Commission of Status of Women Meeting in March 2021 and is a member of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission, Global Health Diplomacy and Cooperation Task Force.

Annette Kennedy, RN, RM, DipMgt, BNS, RNT, DipHRM, MSC, FFNMRCSI, D. Phil. honoris causa, was elected 28th President of ICN in June 2017 after serving four years as Vice President. Annette was a Commissioner on the WHO Independent High –Level Commission on NCDs (2017- 2019). She previously held the position of President of the European Federation of Nurses Associations and was the Director of Professional Development for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation for 19 years and established the INMO’s very successful Education, Research and Resource Centre.

Dr Nomafrench Mbombo was appointed as Western Cape Health Minister in 2015. Previously, she served as Minister at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports. Before entering into politics, Dr Mbombo was an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa. She holds a PhD in the area of Gender and Human Rights (UWC), Masters in Maternal & Child Health (UKZN) and a Bachelor’s in Nursing Science (UFH). She is a mother, a human rights activist and nature lover. Her area of interest is community empowerment to reclaim the voices of the populations at risk such as young women, girls, rural women and minority groups.

Professor Røttingen, MPA, MSc, MD PhD, is Adjunct Scientific Director at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Visiting Fellow of Practice at Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University. He was founding CEO of CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations); Chief Executive, Research Council of Norway; Executive Director of Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health; Professor of Health Policy, University of Oslo; and Adjunct Professor, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Guy Ryder first joined the ILO in 1998 as Director of the Bureau for Workers’ Activities and, from 1999, as Director of the Office of the Director-General. In 2002, he was appointed General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, leading the process of global unification of the democratic international trade union movement. He was elected as first General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation in 2006. In September 2010, Guy Ryder returned to the ILO as Executive Director, responsible for international labour standards and fundamental principles and rights at work. He was elected as ILO Director General in October 2012 and was re-elected in 2016.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected WHO Director-General for a five-year term by WHO Member States in May 2017. He is the first person from the WHO African Region to head the world’s leading public health agency. Dr Tedros served as Minister of Health of Ethiopia from 2005 to 2012, during which time he led a comprehensive reform of the country’s health system, built on the foundation of universal health coverage and provision of services to all people, even in the most remote areas. Under his leadership, Ethiopia expanded its health infrastructure, developed innovative health financing mechanisms, and expanded its health workforce. As Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2016, he elevated health as a political issue nationally, regionally and globally. In this role, he led efforts to negotiate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, in which 193 countries committed to the financing necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to his election as Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros held many leadership positions in global health, including as Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and Co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Board.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood is a registered nurse and United States Congresswoman serving Illinois’s 14th Congressional District. She is the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first millennial to represent her community in Congress, and the youngest African American woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives.

Maria Van Kerkhove, MS, PhD, is an infectious disease epidemiologist who specializes in outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging pathogens. Apart from being the Technical Lead for COVID-19, Dr Van Kerkhove is also the Head of the Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit and the MERS-CoV Technical Lead in the WHO’s Health Emergency Program. Her main research interests include zoonotic, respiratory and emerging/re-emerging viruses such as avian influenza, MERS-CoV, Ebola, Marburg, plague and Zika. Previously, Dr Van Kerkhove was the Head of the Outbreak Investigation Task Force at Institut Pasteur’s Center for Global Health. She was previously employed by Imperial College London in the MRC Center for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling.

Peggy Vidot is a registered nurse and midwife, the Minister of Health of Seychelles, and chairperson of the National Aids Council. She was a proponent of switching HIV treatment tasks from doctors to nurses and midwives to better combat the disease in Africa. She is among the main initiators of the African Health Profession Regulatory Collaborative (ARC) as a framework to strengthen nursing and midwifery education.

Dr Mark Britnell is one of the foremost global experts on healthcare systems and has a pioneering and inspiring global vision for health in both the developed and developing world. He has dedicated his entire professional life to healthcare and has led organisations at local, regional, national and global levels –provider and payer, public and private. Over the past 11 years, he has worked in over 80 countries gaining a unique first-hand experience. He is the author of “In Search of the Perfect Health System” and “Human: solving the global workforce crisis in healthcare”.

Mary Chiarella has served as the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, NSW Health Department and as Foundation Professor of Nursing in Corrections Health, with the University of Technology, Sydney. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in June 2019 for significant contributions to nursing and midwifery education and healthcare standards. Mary is Deputy Chair of Northern Sydney LHD and chairs their Health Care Quality Committee. She also serves on the Health Ethics Advisory Panel to the NSW Minister for Health and the Clinical Governance Advisory Committee to healthdirect Australia. She has recently been appointed by the NSW Nursing and Midwifery Council as a panel member for impairment performance and conduct matters. She has undertaken a number of projects for the World Health Organisation and has been a Visiting Scholar to ICN.

No Isolation is a company that develops technology solutions for groups living in loneliness or social isolation. In 2019, Forbes named Karen Dolva one of the Top 50 women in technology worldwide, and in 2020, she reached the BBC 100 women list. She is an avid supporter of female entrepreneurship and strongly encourages girls to pursue careers in tech.

Lill Sverresdatter Larsen was elected president of the Norwegian Nurses Organisation (NNO) in November 2019. She is a trained nurse from Tromsø University College, has a master’s degree in health sciences and a doctorate in health sciences. She is now on leave from her position as an associate professor at UiT Norway’s Arctic University, where she teaches at the Department of Health and Care Sciences in subjects such as elderly care, mental health and substance abuse and science theory and methodology.

Ali Alajme, MBA, has worked in many governmental initiatives including the National Unified Medical Record of UAE and UAE smart initiative. He was awarded for providing the best mobile service in the 2015 Government Summit. Ali Alajme has served on many committee such as the AI Data Committee, Smart Services Committee, Arab Health Committee and Federal Committee of Health Technology Standards. He was nominated by IDC/IDG as Chief Information Officer of the year in 2020 due his work in technology during the pandemic. Ali Alajme has worked on many board of directors in the private sector where his experience in building their strategies helped the companies to prosper and increase their wealth.

Amanda McClelland, MPH, leads a global team working to accelerate progress to make the world safer from the next epidemic while also responding to COVID-19. Amanda is a notable expert in international public health management, especially in emergency health, epidemic control, mass casualty in low resource settings, disease prevention and response operations. A former nurse, Amanda previously coordinated frontline response during the 2014 Ebola epidemic, for which she received the 2015 Florence Nightingale Medal for exceptional courage. She also previously served as the Global Emergency Health Advisor for the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent.

Dr Ullman is the inaugural Professor and Chair in Paediatric Nursing, conjoint between the University of Queensland and Children’s Health Queensland, Australia and a 2021 Fulbright Future Scholar. As an advocate for hospitals’ youngest patients, Amanda has built her clinical and research career around her belief that children should be able to receive medical treatment in hospitals without harm. Her research focuses on improving the communication, decision-making, practice and systems supporting common procedures in paediatrics. Her research has fundamentally changed paediatric practice, reducing healthcare associated infections and pain, and promoted value-based healthcare, for children the world over.

Dr McCarthy, RN. MPH, PhD, served as WHO’s technical lead on the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, the State of the World’s Nursing 2020, the State of the World’s Midwifery 2021, and the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2021-2025, which was adopted with a Resolution at the 74th World Health Assembly.

Catherine Kane has a portfolio that includes knowledge management, network engagement, and COVID-19 human resource for health management. Prior to joining WHO, Catherine worked for the Red Cross Movement locally, nationally and internationally, and has held additional policy, humanitarian diplomacy and emergency management positions in government and health advocacy organizations.

Cheryl B. Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN is a Research Fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, and a member of the HRSA-funded Carolina Health Workforce Research Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Cheryl is a leader in nursing health services research, having devoted her career to studying micro- and macro-level nurse workforce issues to improve the work environment, inform executive practice, and strengthen nurses’ role in delivering high quality and safe care for patients and families. Cheryl was previously a Senior Health Services Researcher at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the US federal government, where she worked on nursing workforce issues at organizational and public policy levels.

Cristina García-Vivar, RN, PhD, Is Fellow Ad Eundem of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, Dublin. She belongs to several European and Spanish research and working groups, including FAME-Research – FAMily health in Europe; the Public University of Navarre and Institute of Health Research of Navarre’s INNO-CARE – Innovative Nursing Practices; the University of Navarra’s Chronic Illness and End of Life Care; and the Spanish Society of Cancer Nursing SEEO group of cancer survivors. Dr. García-Vivar is a member of the Advisory Committee of the European Centre of Excellence for Continuing Professional Development for Nursing and Midwifery and serves on the Board of Directors of the International Family Nursing Association.

David Stewart, RN, BN, MHN, has been with ICN since 2016 and has led several seminal projects in the Health Policy and Nursing Team. Adjunct Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, David is committed to improving healthcare systems that deliver better outcomes and experiences for patients, clinicians, governments, and the public. He has worked in both the public and private sector with high level experience regionally, nationally, and internationally. Over the course of his 20+ year in healthcare, David has developed expertise in consultancy, public policy development, patient safety, strategy and innovation, health service planning, management, strategic and transformational leadership. Prior to working for ICN, David worked for the Queensland Government Ministry of Health in a number of senior leadership positions including the Director of Nursing, Office of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer

Dr Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN, is currently the Programme Director for ICN’s Global Nursing Leadership Institute and host of HealthCetera, a radio programme on health and health care that has run for over 35 years. She is former editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Nursing and former president of the American Academy of Nursing. She is Professor Emerita and Co-Director of the Center for Health, Media, and Policy at Hunter College, City University of New York, where she was the inaugural Rudin Professor of Nursing until 2016.

Edith Roth Gjevjon, PhD, leads the development and implementation of a new Bachelor of Education programme in nursing at LDUC. She is also Editor-In-Chief for the Norwegian Journal of Clinical Research. Her current clinical and health service research includes developing and testing nursing models in relation to fundamentals of care, continuity and quality of care, and early detection of frailty among older people. She has carried out educational research on technological literacy and nursing terminology in nursing education, technology supported guidance during clinical practice.

Erica Burton, RN, BScN, MPH, GCNC, (she/her) works to develop ICN policy on a wide range of issues including the health workforce, gender equality, NCDs, communicable disease, and climate change and works closely with a variety of stakeholders to provide guidance on nursing and global health challenges. Erica also works in a clinical capacity, providing primary patient-centred care for individuals living and dying with HIV/AIDS in Toronto, Canada. Her past work includes occupational health with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and as a Public Health Nurse in sexual and reproductive health and safer substance use, with a focus on HIV/AIDS and Hep C case management and policy.

Fatima Al Rifai, BSN, MSN, PhD, is currently Advisor for Nursing affairs for the Ministry of Health in the United Arab Emirates, and Secretary and Board Member of the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council. She served as Director of the Federal Nursing Department from 1992-2014 and as Acting General Director of the Institutes of Nursing from 2009-2011. Dr Al Rifai has held several roles with the World Health Organization and the International Council fo Nurses . She was the Founder and Board member of the Emirates Nursing association from 2003 to date.

Francesca Colombo, M.Sc., oversees OECD work on health, which aims at providing internationally comparable data on health systems and applying economic analysis to health policies, advising policy makers, stakeholders and citizens on how to respond to demands for more and better health care and make health systems more people centred. Mrs Colombo has over 20 years of experience leading international activities on health and health systems. Over her career, she travelled extensively in Europe, South America and Asia, advising governments on health system policies and reforms.

Dr. Gladys Honein-AbouHaidar , BSN, MPH, PhD, is track coordinator of the community and public health, and co-director of the Refugee Health Program at the Global Health Institute, American University of Beirut. Her research focuses on improving the health of communities with a strong attention on the social determinants and their impact on health outcomes especially for under-privileged population. She works closely with multidisciplinary teams and community stakeholders to develop innovative research underpinned by the principles of equity, inclusiveness and participatory approach to improve equity and quality of services in the community.

Hoi Shan Fokeladeh, RN, MScGH, BSN, DTN, is a global health professional with solid international health policy and clinical field work experience in both intergovernmental organisation and civil society. Her past work includes humanitarian policy and guidance for emergency operations and field experience with refugee population in humanitarian sector. Hoi Shan takes a lead on data collection and analysis, tracking and monitoring of COVID-19 related infections and deaths in nurses. She also develops ICN policy on a wide range of subjects including protection and wellbeing of nurses during COVID-19 pandemic, primary health care and patient safety. She collaborates closely with ICRC and other key partners in the Health Care in Danger (HCiD) initiative to safeguard healthcare in conflict and non-conflict settings.

Howard was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in February 2019. Throughout his career Howard has worked and written extensively on issues relating to the nursing and healthcare workforce and he co-chaired the first ever State of the World’s Nursing Report. He has led ICN’s work to respond to and support nurses globally during the pandemic and has been at the forefront of advocating for the protection of and investment in the nursing profession. Howard joined ICN in April 2016 as the Director, Nursing, Policy and Programmes. Prior to this, Howard was Head of Policy & International Affairs at the Royal College of Nursing in the UK. Howard has also served as an elected Local Government Councillor in England and f was a Cabinet member with lead responsibility for corporate and customer services.

In May 2010 Jeremy was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, during which time he oversaw a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in the summer of 2012. From September 2012 to July 2018, Jeremy held the position of Secretary of State for Health. In June 2018, he became the longest serving Secretary of State for Health in British history. In July 2018, Jeremy was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, a position he held until July 2019. He was elected as Chair of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee in January 2020.

Jeroen Peters started his nursing career as a researcher, focusing on assessment and treatment of pain in infants and (mentally disabled) children. Today, he focuses on the efficacy of didactic concepts and on the tasks, position and leadership of nurse practitioners. He is also Chair of the Dutch College of Program Directors Master Advanced Nursing Practice schools. Jeroen is also a member of Dutch Registration College Nurse Practitioners and chair of the Dutch Society for Medical Education.

Dr Jill Clendon, RN, PhD, is a public health nurse and has also worked in education and policy including as Acting Chief Nursing Officer for the New Zealand Government. Jill holds a Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing, a Bachelor’s degree in politics, and Master’s and PhD degrees in nursing. She has published numerous papers on primary health care and nursing workforce issues and is co-author of the textbook Community health and wellness: Primary health care in practice with Ailsa Munns.

Dr Jim Campbell oversees the development and implementation of global public goods, evidence and tools to generate investments in the education, employment and retention of the health and care workforce in pursuit of global health security, universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. His portfolio includes the short- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on the health and care workforce, oversight of 2021 as WHO’s International Year of Health and Care Workers, implementation of WHO’s Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030, the recommendations of the UN High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth and the five-year action plan with ILO, OECD on Working for Health. He coordinates the Global Health Workforce Network engaging member states and relevant partners in WHO’s work, with special focus on the role of women and youth in the health and care sectors.

Joe Tye, MSc, MBA, helps hospitals cultivate a positive culture of ownership by engaging staff at every level in a commitment to shared values and expectations. His books include The Florence Prescription and Building a Culture of Ownership in Healthcare (coauthored with Bob Dent, and twice named AJN Book of the Year). Prior to founding Values Coach in 1994, Joe was chief operating officer for a large community teaching hospital. Joe was founding president of the Association of Asir Medical Services and a leading activist fighting against the tobacco industry’s unethical marketing practices.

Dr Karen Bjøro, RN, MSN, PhD, is past Vice President of the Norwegian Nurses organisation (2011-2019), and a Member of the Steering Committee (2-16 to date) and a national representative (2011 to date) of the European Forum for National Nurses and Midwives Associations (2016 to date). She was President (2017-2019) and Board Member (2015-2017) of the European Nursing Research Foundation and has served as a National Representative of the European Federation of Nurses and a Board member of the Nordic Nurses Federation.

Kim Ryan has been a mental health nurse for over 30 years. In 2016, she won the Inaugural Australian Mental Health Prize for her dedication to improving mental health in Australia. She is passionate about improving the health of people with mental health conditions and raising the communities’ understanding of mental health, in particular, challenging the misconception that people’s mental and physical conditions should be treated separately. Kim is currently working with ICN to address mental health issues through the nursing profession.

Lawrence Gostin is a professor of medicine at Georgetown University, professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University and Founding O’Neill Chair in Global Health Law. He has served on high-level advisory committees for WHO and is working with WHO on the global COVID-19 response, including impacts on the health workforce and international migration. Professor Gostin served on two global commissions on the West Africa Ebola epidemic and was senior advisor to the UN Secretary General. He currently serves as a member of the Independent Panel for a Global Public Health Convention. He is Global Health editor, Journal of the American Medical Association and a Member of the National Academy of Medicine

Madeline A. Naegle, PhD, CNS-PMH.BC,FAAN, is nationally and internationally known for programme development, publications and policy implementation on substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health nursing. Her activities include research and curricula integrating behavioural health into health professional education and practice. She launched the Meyers College of Nursing WHO Collaborating Center in Geriatric Nursing Education in 2004, and collaborates on education and research with Pan American colleagues and the International Council of Nurses. A global Health and Aging Policy Fellow (2016-17), associate director in the RMCON Center for Drug Use and HIV Research(2009-16), and the recipient of two Fulbright Fellowships, Dr Naegle’s work has been recognized in numerous nursing and interprofessional organization awards.

Dr. Cometto has coordinated the International Network for Nursing and Patient Safety for the last 15 years. She is a member of different Ethics and Bioethics committees in academic and health institutions and is an advisor for different institutions regarding management and training of nurses. Her research area is in human resources in health and patient safety.

Previously, Professor Maselesele, BSN, MA, PhD served as a Dean; Vice Rector Teaching/Learning, Research and Community Engagement; Rector at the North West University, Mafikeng Campus. She has supervised several Masters and Doctoral Candidates, published articles in accredited journals both nationally and internationally, and was an Editor of CURATIONIS. She also served as a member of the South African Nursing Council for 10 years.

Dr. Michelle Acorn’s, DNP, NP PHC/Adult, MN/ACNP, BScN/PHCNP, FCAN, FAAN, GCNC, was inducted as an inaugural Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN) diverse clinical expertise includes practicing in the Emergency, as a Hospitalist, innovating GAIN (Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Networks), and pioneering the most responsible provider (MRP) impacts of a NP–led model of inpatient hospital care and primary care in corrections. In 2018, Michelle transitioned to executive leadership modernizing the Provincial Chief Nursing Officer role in Ontario, Canada to provide ministerial strategic nursing expertise as the technical and clinical advisor. She co-chaired the national Principal Nursing Advisors Task Force and acted as the Canadian delegate.

Dr Nicholas Carleton, Ph.D., is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina and a registered doctoral clinical psychologist in Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2020 he was the recipient of the Royal Mach Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada.

Fikile Mtshali is a Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), focusing on strengthening nursing and midwifery workforce through quality and innovative education programmes. Fikile has provided technical support to a number of local and regional nursing education institutions in developing and implementing competency-based programmes. She has published extensively in local and international journals and mentored successfully a number of nurse leaders from the region who were pursuing their masters and PhD qualifications.

Pam Cipriano is currently the First Vice-President of ICN and serves as Dean of the University of Virginia School of Nursing. She was President of the American Nurses Association from 2014-2018 During her over 40-year career, she has led efforts to advance the role and visibility of nurses and increase nursing’s impact and influence on policy. Dr Cipriano has also served on the Board of Directors of the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nursing. She is a leader in the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience, which is addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and mental health of all clinicians. She was the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the journal American Nurse Today. ICN was elected as ICN President for the 2021-2025 term and will take up the position immediately following Congress.

Professor Ali, BScN, MScN, PhD, works at the University of Sheffield and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals. She is an editorial board member of the Journal of Advanced Nursing and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. She is an also visiting professor at Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan and Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan. Dr Ali’s research focuses on gender-based violence, domestic abuse, inequalities in health related to gender and ethnicity, and health care professionals’ preparation. She is a mixed method researcher and has led and contributed to many different projects over the past decade.

Dr Yates, AM, FACN, FAAN, is a Distinguished Professor and Executive Dean, Faculty of Health at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. She has been instrumental in leading a process of re-imagining how education is delivered to undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students and how academic-health service partnerships can be optimised to improve health outcomes. Patsy leads a large research program focused on strengthening the nexus between research, policy and practice in cancer and palliative care.

Romnick Aguilar, MAN, RN, CHA, FPCHA is a Fellow of the Philippine College of Hospital Administrators and Fellow of Royal Institute of Nurses-Singapore. He is a Member of the Honor Society of Nursing Sigma Theta Tau International, International Ambassador of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and Chair of Committee on Public Relations and Advocacies of the Philippine Nurses Association.

Dr Safa Al Mustafa, RN, BSN, MSc, PhD, was the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operation Officer for 16 outpatient speciality clinics at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Al Rahba hospitals, UAE. Dr Safa has 28 years of experience in nursing and hospital administration with more than 22 years of progressive leadership experience. She has served as Chief in Nursing, Operation Chief and Hospital Chief Executive Officer. She is the first Emirati nurse to assume the role of hospital leader as an Acting CEO and the position of Chief Nursing and Allied Health Officer at SKMC, one of the largest tertiary healthcare facility in the UAE.

Dr. Salem Said Al Touby, BSN, MSc, PhD, served the nursing institutes at the Ministry of Health as a faculty, head of critical care nursing programme, and as a Dean of Oman Nursing Institute. He joined University of Nizwa in February 2020 and was appointed as the Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Nursing. Dr. Salem has over 20 publications in international peer reviewed journals and served in many local and international committees. He is the Oman Representative to the Gulf Corporate Council Nursing Technical Committee and a Member in the Scientific Arab Nursing Council.

Dr Goldberg, RN, MSc, PhD, has led many reforms in the health system and has been working to strengthen and promote the nursing profession in Israel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Goldberg was given leading responsibility for all medical workforce in the health system, and was a senior member of the Ministry of Health’s Corona policymaking team. The central vocation motivating Dr. Goldberg in her work is the vision and her faith in the nurse’s unique and important contribution in advancing optimal health for the entirety of the residents of Israel.

Simon Hlungwani, Baccalaureus Curationis (Education Et Administration) Hons, RN, RA, is also a 2018 ICN Global Nurse Leadership Institute Graduate. He was appointed by the Minister of Health to serve in the Ministerial Task Team that was tasked with reviewing the Nursing Strategy in 2018. His experience also includes serving in different Bargaining Chambers within the Public Service. He is also a Member of the Central Executive Committee of the Congress of South African Trade Unions.

Susan Poirier, BScN, has been a Canadian Registered Nurse for 29 years and has worked for over 10 years in hospital acute care and hemodialysis as a front-line staff RN. In 2006, she began her career in long-term care as the Director of Nursing at Dundas Manor Long-Term Care home in Winchester, Ontario. Envisioning the opportunity to lead the whole team, she became a certified LTC Administrator in 2016 and took on the role of Administrator at Dundas Manor in 2018. She is a proud member of the Canadian Nurses Association LTC Taskforce.

Dr. Tarek Fathey, MBBCh, MBA, is a seasoned healthcare professional whose roles have included clinical, administrative and managerial positions. Dr. Fathey spearheads SEHA’s transformation journey encompassing key strategic initiatives to accelerate the evolution of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector. He is committed to delivering on SEHA’s vision across its network of 13 hospitals and 46 clinics, keeping patients at the heart and setting industry benchmarks to provide world-class care. Prior to this, Dr Tarek was the Chief Operation Officer at Mediclinic, overseeing seven hospitals in the UAE with over 900 inpatient beds, as well as more than 19 clinics.

Dr Gandhi is responsible for advancing the Zero Harm movement, improving patient and workforce safety, and developing innovative health care transformation strategies. In addition, she leads the Press Ganey Equity Partnership to advance equity in health care. Before joining Press Ganey, Dr. Gandhi served as Chief Clinical and Safety Officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and prior to this, she was President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Patient Safety Foundation. She has also served at the Chief Quality Officer at Partners Healthcare (a large system in the United States) and is an internal medicine doctor by background.

Walter De Caro, MSc PhD, is Adjunct Professor in Nursing at Sapienza University of Rome and Tor Vergata and has served as Nursing Now Italy Group Leader since 2019. He is a Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of Royal College of Surgeon of Ireland, and was a at Global Nursing Leadership Institute (GNLI) scholar. Walter is also Editor-in-Chief of the indexed journal “Professioni Infermieristiche” and a consultant in developing health policy, health information and ethics. He also serves as Head Nurse in Healthcare Education, Research and Innovation Dep. at the Ministry of Defence.

Prof Guo has been responsible for policy-making in health care for about 30 years. As the Chief Nursing Officer from 2000 to 2011, she was involved in the nursing legislation, regulation and nursing development plan in China. For the past 10 years, as the Director of Medical Administration Bureau, she has been in charge of the quality of healthcare.