The 3rd International Advanced Nursing Practice Conference on 14th-16th November 2025
Speaker List (Alphabetical By Surnames)
Prof. Wendy BUDIN
Professor and Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs, Rutgers University (US)
Plenary Keynote VI
The Transformative Power of Mentorship for Advanced Nursing Practice
Wendy Budin, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN is Professor and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Development at Rutgers University, School of Nursing, Newark, NJ, USA. In her role within Faculty Affairs, Dr. Budin is responsible for the ongoing mentoring and development of all faculty at the School of Nursing.
Her previous positions include Director of Nursing Research at NYU Langone Medical Center with a joint Faculty appointment at NYU College of Nursing, and Associate Dean for Graduate Nursing and Research and the Inaugural Director of the PhD in Nursing Program at Seton Hall University.
As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Perinatal Education (JPE), the foremost multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal for educators and practitioners, Dr. Budin directs the publication of original research, evidence-based practice and commentary that advance healthy birth in world-wide arenas through innovation, education and advocacy.
Dr. Budin is the Past President of the Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS), a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and serves as a Commissioner for the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research.
Dr. Budin earned a PhD in Nursing Research and Theory Development, at New York University, a master’s degree in nursing education and parent child health from Seton Hall University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Adelphi University.
Prof. Sophia CHAN
Former Secretary for Food and Health; Professor, The University of Hong Kong (HK)
Plenary Keynote I
Navigating New Horizons: The Strategic Policy Development of Advanced Practice Nursing in Hong Kong
Professor Sophia Chan is currently Senior Advisor to the President’s Office at The University of Hong Kong, Professor and Director of HKU Primary Health Care Academy and Policy Convenor of the HKUMed Primary Health Care Collaboratory.
She was appointed by the HKSAR Government to be the Secretary for Food and Health (SFH) from 2017 – 2022. During her tenure as the SFH, not only has she been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic over 2.5 years, she had also made exemplary efforts and policy initiatives in protecting and promoting the health of the population through major policy initiatives such as embarking on a new journey in primary health care by developing District Health Centres (DHCs) in all 18 districts in Hong Kong.
Professor Chan is one of the leading Nurse Scientists locally and internationally and was named among the world’s top 2% most cited scientists in her specialty areas by Stanford University in 2020. She has always been the top-funded researcher in HKU School of Nursing and has led many external competitive grants including GRF, HMRF, and commissioned grants from the Government, Hong Kong Jockey Club and key foundations and organisations locally and internationally.
She is a pioneer and founding directors of a number of signature research and training programmes in tobacco dependency therapeutic interventions, and her findings has transformed smoking cessation services and tobacco control policies.
Prof. Sek Ying CHAIR
Immediate Past President, Hong Kong Academy of Nursing & Midwifery; Vice-Director of Research / Professor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK)
Panel Speech I
The Development of Advanced Nursing Practice in Hong Kong: Progressive or Regressive?
Professor Chair is the Vice-Director (Research) of the Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), a Director of the CUHK Medical Centre; a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Co-Chair of International Council of Nurses (ICN) Advanced Practice Nursing Network (APNN). Appointed by the Government, she is a member of the HMRF Grant Review Board; a member of the Chinese Medicine Development Committee, Health Bureau; a Working Group member of Advanced and Specialised Nursing Practice, HK Nursing Council. She is the Immediate Past President of the Hong Kong Academy of Nursing & Midwifery, the Founding President and Council Member of the Hong Kong College of Cardiac Nursing.
Professor Chair has published over 250 peer-refereed journal papers, secured 50 competitive grants(>US$10M) and has been named among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Standard University from 2022 to 2025. She was awarded with the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service 2022, First Prize of Excellence in Acute/Critical Care, and Third Prize of Excellence in Cardiac Intervention or Surgery by the British Journal of Cardiac Nursing and British Association for Nursing in Cardiovascular Care 2007, & Award of Excellence in Social Engagement 2013.
Prof. Shouzhen CHENG
President, Guangdong Nursing Association (CN)
Plenary Keynote VII
Certification and Evaluation of Specialty Nurses
Professor Shouzhen Cheng stands as one of China's most accomplished nursing leaders, renowned for her extensive contributions to clinical practice, education, and healthcare policy. Her career is a testament to a deep commitment to advancing the nursing profession.
At the core of her work is her role as Head of the Nursing Discipline at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, where she directs nursing strategy and clinical excellence. Her influence extends nationally through key positions, including Vice Chairperson of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Nursing Association and Chairperson of its Respiratory Nursing Committee. She actively shapes the future of the profession as a Member of the National Medical Professional Degree Postgraduate Education Guidance Committee and the National Health Standards Committee.
As a dedicated scholar, Professor Cheng guides the dissemination of nursing knowledge through her editorial leadership as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Journal of Nursing and Chinese Nursing Management, and as Editor-in-Chief of Modern Clinical Nursing. Regionally, she drives the profession forward as President of the Guangdong Nursing Association and a Standing Committee Member of the Guangdong Association for Science and Technology.
Her exceptional contributions have been honored globally. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), and the recipient of the 48th Florence Nightingale Medal—the highest international distinction in nursing. These accolades celebrate her visionary leadership and her lasting impact on healthcare standards and nursing excellence worldwide.
Dr. Maddalena DE MARIA
Associate Professor, Link Campus University (EU)
Concurrent Keynote
Self-Care Behaviors in Patient - Caregiver Dyads in Multiple Chronic Conditions
Previously, she served as a researcher and research fellow at the Department of Biomedicine and Prevention at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, where she earned a PhD in Nursing Science and Public Health.
She has taught Nursing Sciences and Research Methodology at several universities, both in Italy and abroad, including the University of Rome Tor Vergata, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, the University of Bologna, the University of Molise, and the Catholic University Our Lady of Good Counsel in Tirana (Albania).
She has clinical and nursing coordination experience in the field of onco-hematology and advanced oncologic surgery.
Maddalena De Maria has coordinated and continues to coordinate numerous national and international research projects and is the author of numerous international publications. She was awarded the prize for the best research in Nursing Sciences by the Italian Society of Nursing Sciences.
Her most recent scientific contributions focus on how the patient-caregiver dyad experiences and manages chronic illnesses, with articles published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Journal of Clinical Nursing, and Value in Health. Her innovative conceptual and methodological contributions to nursing science and dyadic science on family caregiving have led to the development and validation of measurement tools for self-care behaviors and to advancing the understanding of the care needs of patients and caregivers in the context of multiple chronic conditions. Her research interests include self-care and the contribution of family caregivers to the management of chronic illnesses in older adults, approached through a dyadic and international comparative lens.
She has authored over 80 international scientific publications and has presented at numerous national and international conferences.
Maddalena De Maria is Fellow of ESNO, the Founder and President of the Cultural Association Alumni Ph.D. Nursing & Public Health of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. She also serves as Vice President of the Transcultural Nursing Association and is a member of the Junior Policy Officers Board of the European Specialist Nurses Organisation and the Scientific Committee of the Italian Joanna Briggs Institute - Centre of Excellence for Nursing Research.
Prof. Andrea DRISCOLL
Professor, Deakin University (AUS)
Panel Speech III
Beyond the Bedside: Evaluating the Effectiveness and Economics of Nurse Practitioners in Hospitals
Deakin Distinguished Professor Andrea Driscoll is the Chair in Nursing at Monash Health leading the Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Strategic Research, Monash Health Partnership in collaboration with Deakin University. She is also a nurse practitioner at Austin Health.
She was the invited inaugural Director of Heart Failure Services at the Victorian Department of Health providing state-wide strategic, clinical and research leadership across the Department of Health overseeing 25 Victorian hospitals.
Professor Driscoll is an international leader in advanced practice nursing, nurse practitioners and redesigning systems of care to improve evidence-based practice to reduce disparities in health care. Her research has transformed workforce models of care through her pioneering work in nurse-led clinics and advanced practice nursing.
She has received several prestigious national and international awards for her research in recognition of her contributions to nursing through practice, research, and education.
Prof. Joyce FITZPATRICK
Professor of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University (US)
Plenary Keynote II
Building up Clinical Leadership for Advanced Nursing Practice
Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, FNAP, FAANP(H) is Director of the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy and Elizabeth Brooks Ford Professor of Nursing, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland Ohio where she was Dean from 1982 through 1997. She earned a BSN (Georgetown University), MS in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing (The Ohio State University), PhD in Nursing (New York University), and MBA (CWRU). Dr. Fitzpatrick has received two honorary doctorates, one from Georgetown University (1990), and one from the Frontier University of Nursing (2011). In 2020 she was appointed a Distinguished University Professor at CWRU.
Dr. Fitzpatrick is widely published in nursing and health care literature with over 400 publications, including 85 books. She has received the AJN Book of the Year Award 22 times. In 2021, with Dr. Mary Beth Modic, she published a book: Luminaries of the Past: Stories of Fifty Extraordinary Nurses, to share stories of nurses who have changed healthcare.
She has received numerous honors and awards, including induction into the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and recognition as an AAN Living Legend in 2017. She served as AAN President from 1997-1999. In 2019 she received the International Council of Nurses and Florence Nightingale Foundation International Achievement Award recognizing her global contributions to nursing.
Dr. Adriano FRIGANOVIC
President, European Specialist Nurses Organization (EU)
Main Session Keynote II
Global Challenges and Opportunities for Specialist Nurses
Dr. Adriano Friganovic was born 14 November 1978 in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Works at University Hospital Centre Zagreb at Department of Quality Assurance and Improvement. Has worked as a head nurse of Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Medicine since 2016 to 2024. Also, has worked in the Division of Anaesthesiology and Intensive care of cardiac surgery patients since 1997., and from 2005 has worked as a head nurse until 2016. He graduated bachelor and master degree in nursing at University of Applied Health Sciences in Zagreb, Croatia and has PhD at Medical Faculty University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Works as college professor at University of Applied Health Sciences Zagreb. He is assistant professor at Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Rijeka.
Adriano is an acting president of Croatian Nurses Society of Anaesthesia, Reanimation, Intensive Care and Transfusion, president of Croatian National Nurses Federation, president of European Specialist Nurses Organizations, past president of World Federation of Critical Care Nurses, president of Alumni of University of Applied Health Sciences and chair of Congress Planning Committe of International Federation of Nurse Anaesthetics. He established a national online journal Shock and was a inaugural editor in chief. Adriano is editor in chief of journal World of Health. He is also an editorial board member for several other journals. He established Sustainable Health Equity Movement and was a member of Steering committee. He is founding member of Alpha Alpha Ghama chapter Sigma Theta Tau International.
Prof. Susan GENNARO
Editor, Journal of Nursing Scholarship; Professor, Boston College (US)
Main Session Keynote V
Future Outlook of Developing Advanced Nursing Practice
Dr. Susan Gennaro is a Professor in 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, Dr. Gennaro co-led a study that examined how best to improve health behaviors in pregnant women. Dr. Gennaro’s long history of funding from the National Institute of Health 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, a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, 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.
Dr. Michelle GUNN
Representative, the International Council of Nurses; Head of Nursing Practice and Regulations (AUS)
Main Session Keynote I
Advanced Nursing Practice: Trust, Regulation, and Global Strategy
Michelle Gunn is the Head of Nursing Practice and Regulations at the International Council of Nurses (ICN), leading global initiatives to strengthen professional nursing practice, regulatory systems, and scope of practice frameworks. She was Lead Consultant for ICN’s landmark Definition of Nursing project and contributes to advancing international standards that support safe, effective and accountable nursing practice worldwide.
A registered nurse and lawyer, Michelle has more than 25 years’ experience across clinical care, health law, professional regulation, education, workforce strategy and executive leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours, and a PhD in health law and ethics, with doctoral research on clinical decision-making and equitable allocation of health resources. She was awarded the Louis Waller Medico-Legal Scholarship and was the highest-ranked candidate on admission to the Supreme Court of Queensland.
Michelle is a former Chief Nursing Officer with national and international experience in legislative reform, governance and workforce development. She has advised governments, multilateral agencies and international organisations, including serving as Technical Advisor to the World Bank on health systems strengthening in the Pacific. A GNLI Scholar (2017), she brings a unique capacity to bridge frontline care, law, regulation and policy, with a strong commitment to nursing leadership and integrity.
Dr. Catrina HEFFERNAN
Lecturer, Munster Technological University (EU)
Main Session Keynote IV
Supporting Advanced Nursing Practice: The Catalyst for Change to Drive Global Health
Dr. Catrina Heffernan is a nurse educator, advocate and volunteer on national and global boards. She is a lecturer at Munster Technological University Ireland. She chairs the International Council of Nurses – Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse Network Practice Group. She is a founding member of the Irish African Alliance for Non-Communicable Disease (NCD).
Designing and implementing curricular and educational programs to infuse leadership theories and concepts to strengthen and amplify nurse and advanced practice nurse leadership competencies are some of her contributions to nursing nationally and internationally. She led several change management initiatives. She successfully developed, managed and tendered for the National Acute Care, National Emergency and Advanced Nursing Practice programs in partnership and collaboration with universities and healthcare providers. This resulted in nurses having equal access to specialty specific blended learning programs in the rural universities. The impact of these programs on the healthcare environment provides national and international recognition and eligibility for nurses to apply for higher level clinical, educational, leadership/management roles within healthcare organisations.
Her most recent awards include being inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a recipient of a Senior Nurse Executive Leadership Coldiron Fellow scholarship in the United States of America. She was named a Senior Fellow for Teaching and Learning with Advance HE in the UK and a post-doctoral Samuel H. and Maria Miller Fellow at Case Western University.
Mr. Kwok Hung LEE
Former Nurse Consultant, Hospital Authority Hong Kong (HK)
Concurrent Keynote
Are we Exercising the Advanced Nursing Practice? What will be the next?
Mr. LEE Kwok Hung was the Ex-nurse consultant (Emergency Care, NTEC). He had completed the Master of Science: management in health care and a Bachelor of health science in nursing while serving in HA. He also holds a fellowship in Hong Kong Academy of Nursing (Emergency) and owned the specialty training (emergency care) at IANS, HAHO. He has the qualification on Advanced Practice Nurse (Emergency Care Nursing) in Nursing Council of Hong Kong since 2021.
On 2007, he had completed the training in Oxford, UK and recognized the title as Emergency Nursing Practitioner. After returning Hong Kong, he helped to develop the Emergency Nurse Clinic at A&E department of his serving hospital and provides advanced nursing practice to the patients in accident and emergency department.
Besides serving in hospital, Mr. Lee is also keen on educating the nurses (especially the emergency nurse) on different course including the ACLS/ TNCC/ ITLS/ CRM/ PRCC(IANS). In his specialty, he was the instructor on Airway workshop: More than Basic, Wound management and suturing course, Triage workshop, Disaster Field Triage & Management Workshop, Incision and Drainage course, MCO course.
Nevertheless, he is also act as a guest lecture in CUHK on teaching the Master of Nursing-Advanced Nursing Practice course on 2023-2024 & 2025-2026.
Dr. Daniela LEHWALDT
Chair, ICN Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse Network; Associate Professor, Dublin City University (EU)
Plenary Keynote VIII
Advanced Nursing Practice - Global Perspectives
Dr. Daniela Lehwaldt is a Registered General Nurse (RGN), Registered Nurse Tutor (RNT), Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA) and Certified Global Nurse Consultant (CGFNS). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Studies (BNS), Master’s degree in Science in Education (MScEd) and a PhD in Nursing.
Daniela was a Nurse Practitioner in Cardiothoracic Surgery before taking up her current role as Associate Professor at the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health at Dublin City University (DCU) in Ireland. She is the Chair of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Nurse Practitioner (NP) / Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) Network, a voluntary position. She has been part of the Network since 2011 and has held various roles and responsibilities prior to taking up the role of Chair. (2024).
Dr. Lehwaldt is President of the Subgroup ‘International’ at the German Network Deutsches Netzwerk APN & ANP g.e.V. and founding member of the Ireland-Africa Alliance for Non-Communicable Diseases (IAAfNCDs).
She is native German and presents / publishes in English and German languages. She has published widely on the topics of advanced nursing, nurse education and digital health education, including publications in the Springer APN book series. She was guest editor for the International Nursing Review (INR) Advanced Nursing special edition. Her latest book is entitled ‘Advanced Practice Nurse Networking to Enhance Global Health’ (2024).
Dr. Weixiang LUO
Director, Nursing Department, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (CN)
Concurrent Keynote
The Establishment and Practice of a Comprehensive Chronic Wound Care Management Model, Spearheaded by Specialist Nurses
Dr. Luo is the Chief Nursing Officer at Shenzhen People’s Hospital. She also serves as a Part-time Professor, Master’s Supervisor, and Postdoctoral Co-supervisor. She was honored as one of the Chinese Nursing Association’s “Outstanding Nursing Workers” in 2023 and is a Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Nursing and Midwifery.
Dr. Luo provides leadership for Shenzhen’s key discipline of clinical nursing and for chronic disease and health management at the Guangdong Lingnan Nightingale Nursing Research Institute. Her interests include nursing leadership, chronic disease management, and evidence-based practice. As a member of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, she has promoted legislation to grant prescribing rights to specialist nurses. She also pioneered a nurse-led model for chronic wound care, integrating innovation, standardization, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
She serves as Vice Chair of the Chinese Nursing Association’s Decision-making Advisory Committee and holds roles in several national and provincial committees. Dr. Luo has edited or co-edited 15 academic books, published over 100 peer-reviewed papers (including 25 SCI articles as first or corresponding author), and holds multiple national patents. She has also contributed to Shenzhen standards and national guideline development.
Prof. Jack NEEDLEMAN
Professor, University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Main Session Keynote III
The Need and Challenge of Research on Advanced Practice Nursing Internally: What Needs to Be Studied, What Are the Challenges to Doing This Research, and How Might the Challenges Be Overcome?
Jack Needleman is a Professor and former Chair of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management.
Dr. Needleman is a health economist and organizational management scholar with expertise in improvement and implementation science. His research has examined the costs of health care; hospital, physician and nursing home payment and role of ownership and payment on the access and costs of care; the determinants of quality in health care organizations; and health workforce. For over 20 years, he has conducted research on nurse staffing in hospitals and patient outcomes. Three of his first authored publications on quality, nurse staffing, and the economics of nursing are designated patient safety classics by US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and for this work, he was the first recipient of the AcademyHealth Health Services Research Impact Award.
Prior to becoming a mid-career academic, he spent 17 years with what is now the Lewin Group, serving as Co-Director of its public policy practice, and leading studies on payment, insurance reform, and performance of government programs.
He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine, Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. He received his Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University.
Prof. Ber OOMEN
Executive Director, European Specialist Nurses Organization (EU)
Plenary Keynote IV
From Expertise to Impact: How Specialist Nurses Shape the Future of Global Health
Prof. Ber Oomen has been a leading advocate for specialist and advanced-level nurses in Europe for over 15 years. As Executive Director and founder of the European Specialist Nurses Organisation (ESNO in 2028), he has worked tirelessly to unify and amplify the voice of nurses within the European Union’s health policy and political ecosystem, ensuring their knowledge, leadership, and professional autonomy are fully acknowledged and integrated into EU strategies. He is well known as connector and creating impactful networks, professional and policy.
Ber serves as program lead for several initiatives focused on infection prevention, with a particular emphasis on vaccination. Under his direction, ESNO has developed a comprehensive Nurse Complementary Curriculum on Vaccination, initiated the book Principles of Nurses in Vaccination as part of the ESNO Springer series, and is preparing an online course on vaccination, set to launch by the end of 2025. These initiatives are designed to equip nurses with the competencies, confidence, and leadership tools to actively shape and lead in vaccination programs.
As a committed member of the European Coalition on Vaccination and an active nurse representative on multiple EU-level platforms related to immunization, Ber bridges the gap between frontline nursing expertise and European health policy. His goal is to ensure that nurses are not only implementers of vaccination strategies but are also recognized as architects of these policies.
Ber plays a crucial role in connecting specialist nursing organizations and professionals with European health programs and funding mechanisms, public and private. Through his engagement with diverse stakeholders—from the European Commission to professional health networks—he helps position nurses as essential contributors to EU-wide responses in public health, sustainability, antimicrobial resistance, digital health, and preparedness.
Prof. Alessandro STIEVANO
Vice President, European Specialist Nurses Organization (EU)
Plenary Keynote V
The Advancements in the Nursing Profession in Europe
Alessandro Stievano is the research coordinator of the Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship of OPI Rome – Italy (the Regulatory Authority for the Nursing Professions). The Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship in Italy is a novel project representing a unique venture for Italy and one of the first to be set up in Europe. The Centre has funded over 450 educational and research projects since its inception in 2010. Dr. Stievano is also an expert on learning processes and social health policy issues, and, in this logic, achieved a master’s degree in education (Rome Three University Rome -Italy) and another one in Sociology for Health and Policy from the University of Bologna - Italy and a PhD in nursing from University of Tor Vergata - Rome - Italy.
Dr. Stievano possesses post-doc programmes in clinical research at Harvard Medical School (Global Clinical Scholars Training Program) and at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on Principles and Practice of Clinical Research (PPCR), where he was also a Teaching Assistant.
He is widely published nationally and internationally, particularly on ethics and transcultural matters. His main research interests are linked to professional and policy issues in nursing and health professions, nursing ethics and transcultural nursing. He is Professor at the University of Messina Italy and an adjunct Professor at Case Western University (USA). He has received an Honorary Fellow ad Eundem from the Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery - Royal College of Surgeons - Dublin (Ireland) in 2016, a Fellowship at the American Academy of Nursing (2018) and a Fellowship at the European Academy of Nursing Science (FEANS) in 2021. Moreover, he is Vice President of the European Specialist Nurses Organization (ESNO) that promotes and represents the interests of Specialist Nurses in Europe.
Dr. Danny TONG
Chief Manager, Nursing services department, Hospital Authority Head Office (HK)
Concurrent Keynote
Advanced Nursing Practice – Global Strategies for Better Health – A Local Response
Dr. Danny TONG is currently the Chief Manager (Nursing) / Chief Nurse Executive (CM(N)/CNE) of Nursing Services Department at Hospital Authority Head Office (HAHO).
Dr. Tong is a nursing leader dedicated to improving clinical practice. Recognising the significance of simulation training, he and his team established the first infectious disease (ID) simulation training centre at HA ID Centre in 2009 to render simulation training to all HA nurses. Also, he advocates for the integration of simulation training into nursing training curriculum of all nursing staff, with a focus on newly qualified nurses. This effectively broadens the talent pool of simulation facilitators and trainers to address the training needs in various specialties.
Over the years, Dr. Tong has steered the design and development of various Nursing Informatics solutions. He is dedicated to developing a corporate-wide one-stop nursing information system platform aimed at enhancing patient care quality and frontline work efficiency. The design concept is patient journey centred and workflow-based with closed-loop consideration. With Real World Data (RWD) generated from this platform, AI and machine learning would be explored and deployed to enhance nursing decisions making, interactive multi-disciplinary communication and outcomes monitoring.
In addition, he sees the opportunity to enhance access to nursing quality and standards by leveraging mobile devices through the development of a ‘Nursing App’ to facilitate access of nursing standards and guidelines at the point of care and push of saliant nursing care tips
Dr. Tong has spearheaded numerous large-scale projects that have significantly impacted nursing practice. The development of post creation framework for Nurse Consultant and Associate Nurse Consultant is one of the notable achievements. He also actively fosters partnerships between HA and academic institutions on evidence-based practice and clinical research, showcasing his dedication to driving innovations in the nursing field.
Prof. Qian XIAO
Professor, Capital Medical University School of Nursing (CN)
Concurrent Keynote
The Integration of AI in Nursing: Current Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions
Qian Xiao is currently the Associate Dean and Professor at the School of Nursing, Capital Medical University, China.
Her research focus is nursing informatics, especially intelligent clinical nursing and digital nursing education reform research. Working as PI, she has led 19 China national or Beijing municipal-level research projects. She has published nearly 200 scientific articles and served as an editorial board member or reviewer of national and international journals. She has more than 20 national patents and software copyrights and receives numerous national or Beijing academic awards.
She is a frequent speaker on nursing informatics at top academic conferences and plays leading or critical roles at some national academic organizations.
In addition, her academic contribution in nursing research, particularly nursing informatics research, was recognized internationally as the fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Nursing and Midwifery, member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and the fellow of the Australian Institute of Digital Health.
Dr. Maurizio ZEGA
Vice President, European Nursing Council (EU)
Plenary Keynote II
The Importance of Standardized Nursing Terminology for Quality Care and Uniformity of Professional Language; Integration in Clinical Practice, Organisation, Training, and Nursing Research
Maurizio Zega is an Executive Steering Committee Member of the National Board of the Italian Regulatory Authority for Nursing (FNOPI). He is the president of OPI of Rome branch and the former Head nurse Director of Fatebenefratelli Isola Tiberina Hospital in Rome, Italy. He was Director of Sitra (Servizio infermieristico Tecnico e Riabilitativo Aziendale) of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS in Rome - Italy (FPG).
Previously, he had several national and regional roles: component of the Technical Secretariat of the Minister of Health; manager at the Public Health Agency of the Lazio Region (where he experimented different forms of hospital-territory continuity of care and drafted procedures for continuity of care, devising innovative interventions for the hospital, including the implementation of a Management Information Program for decision support for nursing). He is also the President Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship -CECRI- in Rome – Italy. It is unique project for Italy, and one of the first to be set up in Europe, in line with the positive experiences matured in this direction in the United States, which has contributed to the development of competences and enhance performances of both individual professionals and healthcare teams committed to providing care to people. The Centre has financed more than 450 research projects in the last 16 years.
He is also Vice President of the European Nursing Council (ENC) that is the only mono-professional association bringing together nurses and midwives’ regulatory bodies at the European level. He is an Adjunct professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome and, since 2014, on the board of OPI of Rome.
In 2019, with FPG collaborators, he won the Milan Polytechnic's award for “Digital Innovations in Healthcare.”
Dr. Wentao ZHOU
Associate professor, National University of Singapore (SG)
Panel Speech II
Development of Advanced Nursing Practice in Singapore
Dr. Zhou is an Associate Professor at the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies (ALCNS), National University of Singapore (NUS). She serves as the Deputy Head for Postgraduate Programmes and Nurses' Continuing Education and Training. She is the Programme Director for the Master of Nursing programme, as well as the founding Programme Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programme, established in 2025.
As a registered Advanced Practice Nurse (APN), Dr. Zhou holds a joint appointment with the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), where she provides care for patients with neurological disabilities.
Dr. Zhou actively collaborate and engage with the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH), the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB). She serves on the ICN NP/APN Core Steering Group as Treasurer and is the President of the Sigma Upsilon Eta Singapore Chapter. In addition, she chairs the Singapore APN Chapter under the Singapore Nurses Association.
Her research interests include APN education, APN role development, APN outcomes measures, and nursing professional and leadership development, nursing education, global health sustainability, and healthcare policy.
Funded By
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material/any event organised under this project do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or the Vetting Committee of the Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme.
This material / event is funded by the Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
