Dyanne D. Affonso RN, PhD, FAAN (USA)

Amidst 50+ years of academic and research affiliations in the Health Sciences, Dr. Affonso demonstrated expertise in building and implementing infrastructure to achieve a mission and make a vision reality, via diverse innovative programs (academic, research and community-based research projects).

As Dean of Nursing, she conceptualized and articulated documents to justify and implement the nursing doctoral program at Emory University. Also as Dean, she conceptualized and implemented a Patient Safety Research Initiative among the Health Sciences (Faculties of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Physical Therapy) at the University of Toronto. As Professor of Nursing, she established clinical and research infrastructure of significant impacts: a) secured a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Training Grant to implement the first Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). B) She conceptualized a community-based women’s health program specific to childbearing women via an NIH research grant (largest multi-million dollars award to a nurse investigator at the time (1990-1996). As an Endowed Chair in Women’s Health, Dr. Affonso was awarded federal funding for a community-based primary care project for Hispanic migrant families in Omaha, Nebraska, which continues to present day. As a Research Director, (under the auspices of Vice President for Research, University of Hawaii System), Dr. Affonso administered infrastructure for minority health research grant training for rural populations in Hawaii.

Specific impacts relative to Centers of Excellence include: 1) multiple years of serving as a grant peer reviewer on NIH study sections, specific to establishing Centers of Excellence for minority populations (National Cancer Institute; National Institute of Nursing Research; National Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood; National Institute of Minority Health). These appointments included selected site visits to assess, evaluate and document progress and critiques in attaining a Center of Excellence’s mission and vision. 2). Conceptualized and collaborated with Italian Nurse Leaders to implement the first Center of Excellence in Nursing Scholarship in Italy; currently serving as its ‘Honorary President’ (for 10 years).

Professor David Benton (USA)

David Benton became Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) on October 1, 2015. Immediately prior to this, he worked at the International Council of Nurses in Geneva, Switzerland for 10 years, firstly as their consultant on nursing and health policy specializing in regulation, licensing and education, and then as CEO.

He is a qualified general and mental health nurse and has a PhD Summa Cum Laude from the Complutense University of Madrid for his work on researching an international comparative analysis of the regulation of nursing practice.

David is a global expert in nursing and regulatory policy and has provided support to countries in all World Health Organization regions in their efforts to implement and modernize nursing and health professions regulation. He is a prolific author with more than 200 peer reviewed and book chapters to his name. He is the recipient of several awards and honours. He is particularly proud of being awarded the inaugural Nursing Standard Leadership award in 1993. He has been awarded Fellowship of the Florence Nightingale Foundation; the Royal College of Nursing and the American Academy of Nursing. Most recently, he was awarded the Spanish Grand Cross for his contributions to nursing regulation and health policy.

Professor Mario Cardano (Italy)

Mario Cardano’s research is primarily focused in two areas, methodology of social sciences and sociology of health. Cardano has done studies related to the first area focus on methods and epistemology of qualitative research. Framing the procedures commonly used in qualitative research, from the choice of cases to the defence of the results drawn from their analysis, into the theory of argumentation is pivotal in his argumentation. In the second area, the sociology of health, his interests are directed toward mental health and disability, particularly on the experience of dyslexia.

Prof. Roberto Cipriani (Italy)

Professor Cipriani is emeritus full professor of Sociology at Rome Tre University in Rome, Italy.

He has written extensively on popular religion, the sacred and secularization, and is known for his unconventional applications of the “concept of ‘diffused religion’ and then that of ‘religion of values.’” He has made important analytical contributions to the concept of diffused religion by using grounded theory.

He has been President of the Italian Association of Sociology, President of the research committee of Sociology of Religion in the International Sociological Association and Editor-in-Chief of International Sociology.

Professor Joyce Fitzpatrick, RN,PhD, FAAN (USA)

Joyce Fitzpatrick is the Elizabeth Brooks Ford Professor of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and is a recipient of the American Academy of Nursing’s highest honor: Living Legend.

Fitzpatrick, who previously served as Dean of the nursing school, is best known for her contributions toward advancing the science of nursing education at universities and health ministries around the world. From developing qualitative educational interventions focused on HIV/AIDS prevention in Uganda to designing a 10-hospital project centered on improving the nursing care provided to elders, her research has shined a spotlight on the meaningfulness of nurses’ work life.

Fitzpatrick was president of the American Academy of Nursing from 1997 to 1999.

Susan Gennaro, RN, PhD, FAAN, Dean and Professor (USA)

Dr. Susan Gennaro is Dean and Professor of the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College. Dr. Gennaro’s research focuses on the improvement of perinatal health and has been conducted in the U.S., Malawi and Uganda. Most recently, with a $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/ National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Dena Gennaro is co-leading a study that examines how best to improve health behaviors in pregnant women. She has also just completed a study investigating mechanisms underlying preterm birth in minority women at Jacobi Medical Center, New York and in Austin, Texas, also funded by the National Institute for Nursing Research. Dr. Gennaro’s long history of funding from the National Institute of Health (for over 20 years) has also focused on improving nursing education through innovative programs to increase the number of nurse scientists from a minority background trained to work with vulnerable populations. As the founder of the evidence-based practice program at the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, her goal is to translate research into clinical practice internationally.

Dr. Gennaro is the editor of Sigma Theta Tau’s Journal of Nursing Scholarship, ranked 2nd out of 118 nursing journals in the world, a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, was a McClure Scholar at New York University Medical Center, was a member of the National Advisory Council for NINR, on the National Advisory Committee for the March of Dimes and a Distinguished Alumna at the UAB School of Nursing. Dr. Gennaro has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to maternal and child health by the Distinguished Service Award of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

Prof. Máximo González Jurado (Spain)

Máximo González Jurado is a full professor at Madrid’s Complutense University and President Emeritus of the Spanish General Council of Nursing (Consejo General de Enfermeria). He is member of the Healthcare Advisory Council to the Minister for Health, Social Services and Equality, member of the Higher Healthcare Council of Madrid and President of the National Commission for the Medical and Surgical Care Nursing Specialty – Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality in Spain.

He has achieved numerous prizes as the International Christiane Reimann award from the International Council of Nurses and was Vice President of the same non-governmental global organisation.

Professor Krzysztof T. Konecki (Poland)

Krzysztof T. Konecki is a full Professor and Vice Dean for Research at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Łódź in Poland. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Qualitative Sociology Review, and serves as President of the Polish Sociological Association. He is also a member of the Sociology Committee of Polish Academy of Science. His interests lie in qualitative sociology, sociology of interaction, symbolic interactionism, sociology of body, methodology of social sciences, visual sociology, communication and intercultural management, organizational culture and management, and contemplative sociology. He is an author of many books and articles.

Carol M. Musil, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA (USA)

Dean of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Marvin E. and Ruth Durr Denekas Professor of Nursing
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland OH

Carol M. Musil, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA, Dean at the CWRU School of Nursing, is one of the top researchers on stress, health, and caregiving in the United States. Her work examines the physical and psychological health of caregivers over time, especially grandmothers raising grandchildren and includes the impact of factors such as resourcefulness and support on health and family well-being especially during times of strain and transitions. She is currently conducting a four-year study supported by the National Institutes of Health for her clinical trial, “GIFT: Grandmother Initiatives in Family Transformation.” She uses both longitudinal quantitative and qualitative methods in her research.

A Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and in the Gerontological Society of America, she earned her PhD in Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Case Western Reserve University. She also holds an undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Cincinnati.

Prof. Ausilia Pulimeno (Italy)

Pulimeno is President of OPI Rome Nursing Board and President of the Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship of OPI Rome Italy (CECRI) since its inception in 2010. She is also Vice-President of the National Federation of the Nursing Professions (FNOPI) in Italy. She has authored numerous publications in nursing science and was former nursing director of the large university hospital in Rome, Umberto I Polyclinic.

Professor Kyung Rim Shin, RN, Ed.D., FAAN (South Korea)

Kyung Rim Shin is a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. She is an editorial board member of journals Global Qualitative Nursing Research and Qualitative Health Research. She has been published extensively in journals and books related to qualitative research. In recognition of her contributions to qualitative research, she received the International Leadership in QHR Award from the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology in 2011, and was named to the Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame by the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in 2013. She had the honor of working on policy-making activities for nurses as a member of the National Korean Assembly in 2012-2016. With her accomplishments, she became the founding President of the Korean Forum for Unification and Nursing in preparation for nursing unification. Since February, 21 2018, she is the President of Korean Nurses Association.

Professor Gennaro Rocco, RN, PhD, FAAN (Italy)

Gennaro Rocco is the Director of the Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship (CENS) of OPI Rome since its inception in 2010. This centre, one of the first of its kind based in Europe, has fostered and financed more than 100 nursing research projects in the last 10 years.

He was President of the OPI Rome Nursing Regulatory Board for more than 20 years and was National Vice President of the OPI Regulatory Board for nursing for more than 13 years. In this period, he has contributed to fostering numerous laws for the evolution of the nursing profession in Italy. In 2004, he established the European Federation of Nursing Regulators as OPI National Vice President with UK, Spain and Ireland.

He is the National Coordinator of the institution representing independent nurses in Italy, Enpapi, since 2014. He has been director of Tor Vergata Nursing Schools in Rome for more than 20 years. He is the President of the bachelor courses for health professions and Head of the nursing school and professor at the Catholic Lady of Good Counsel University in Tirana, Albania.

Rocco also founded the first National Regulatory Body for nursing in Albania. His main scientific interests lie in qualitative research where he has published extensively.

Professor Franklin A. Shaffer, EdD, RN, FAAN, FFNMRCSI (USA)

Dr. Franklin A. Shaffer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CGFNS International, Inc., an internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation and verification pertaining to the education, registration, and licensure of nurses and healthcare professionals worldwide. Dr. Shaffer earned his doctorate in nursing administration and education at Columbia University and has 50 years of progressive and varied nursing experience which includes administration, education, clinical practice, and research. He is a frequent speaker and consultant at meetings and conferences around the world and is an NGO representative at the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), and International Council of Nurses (ICN).

Dr. Shaffer serves as the Secretariat of the International Centre on Nurse Migration (ICNM), a strategic partnership between ICN and CGFNS International. ICNM occupies a key role in establishing effective global and national migration policy and practice that facilitates safe, quality, and accessible patient care and positive practice environments for nurse migrants. He is the former Deputy Director of the National League for Nursing, the accreditation organization for nursing education. Dr. Shaffer made the business case for The Joint Commission (TJC) to develop a certification for the healthcare staffing industry, an initiative that has since grown to include over 400 healthcare staffing firms.

Throughout his career, Dr. Shaffer has authored eight books and over 200 publications. He also serves on several leading professional journals and editorial boards, and most recently was selected as Chair of the International Advisory Board of the American Journal of Nursing. Recently, he was appointed Visiting Scholar at Tor Vergata University in Rome, Italy and the University of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Tirana, Albania, and Adjunct Faculty at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Shaffer is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, and Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Professor Judith Shamian, RN, PhD, LLD (hon), D.Sci (hon), FAAN (Canada)

Judith Shamian is the Past President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN). She was elected to the position at ICN’s May 2013 quadrennial congress in Melbourne, Australia. The term of her presidency was 2013-2017.

Dr. Shamian is also the former President and CEO of the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) and past president of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). She is also a professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, a co-investigator with the Nursing Health Services Research Unit, and was the Executive Director of the Canadian federal government’s Office of Nursing Policy for five years. In addition to her extensive international work, she was Vice President of Nursing at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto for 10 years and has held various academic positions since 1989.

Professor Massimiliano Tarozzi, PhD (Italy)

Massimiliano Tarozzi is currently Associate Professor (qualified full professor) in Education at the Department of Life Quality Studies at the University of Bologna, where he teaches in the areas of General Education and Global Citizenship Education and he is chairing the International Research Centre on Global Citizenship Education. He is also on the Board of the PhD in Science and Culture of Well-being and Lifestyles at the University of Bologna.

Tarozzi was appointed as Co-Director of the Development Education Research Centre at the Institute of Education at the University College London. He has been visiting professor in many international universities including UCLA, Beijing Normal University, São Paulo University and he is Co-Convenor of the group “Theory and Methods of empirical research in education” within the Italian Education Society.

He is currently Co-Editor of Encyclopaideia: Journal of Phenomenology and Education and an editorial board member of several scholarly journals. In addition to a number of scientific articles, he has written or edited 18 books in the field of intercultural and global citizenship education and qualitative research methods.

Professor Michael van Manen, MD, FRCPC (Peds, NICU, CIP), PhD (Canada)

Michael van Manen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Canada. He has a clinical practice in neonatal-perinatal medicine, and an active research program concerned with relational ethics. Relational ethics in pediatrics is complicated by the fact that a child’s parents are also givers and receivers of the pedagogy of medical care. More so, the use of medical technologies by and with children is wrought with moral-ethical issues. Michael van Manen’s research program is funded by the Women & Children’s Health Research Institute and the Canadian Institute for Health Research.