SNVSS.Session.6

‘Student Nurses’ Voices
from Southern Europe’

Session One Recording available here >>> Session Two Recording available here >>>
Session Three available here>>> Session Four available here>>> Session Five available here>>>

Session Six of our global ‘Student Nurses' Voices Speaker Series’

“This was a truly meaningful moment of exchange — not only of experiences, but also of ideas and reflections on the future of our students and their professional lives. Opportunities like this are essential to create connections, foster collaboration, and work towards harmonizing the educational paths of our students across different contexts.”

Warm regards and heartfelt thanks
from the University of Palermo School of Nursing
Dr. Marika Lo Monaco, Alessandro Vullo and Nilaxshana Nixon Jesusinran

Session Six of our 'Student Nurses’ Speaker Series’ is the next Series to prepare and engage nurses—including students and retirees—to become inspired and informative thought-leaders across the global public space—to advocate for achieving SDG # 3 and to influence the listening ears of everyone! Building on the success of our Nurses’ Voices Speaker Series— this new Series continues our innovative global multi-media outreach of eight Sessions to be broadcasted from across the world. This Session features leading

voices from Italy, Malta, Portugal. Spain and Turkey, it was broadcast virtually on April 15, 2025 and Co-Hosted by the United Nations Institutefor Training & Research (UNITAR), UNITAR's CIFAL York Centre for training at York University in Toronto, Canada, and the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH). This Session was Co-Sponsored by the Commonwealth Nurses & Midwives Federation (CMNF), the Global Academy for Holistic Nursing (GAHN) and the Integral Nurse Coach Academy (INCA).

This Session provides a foundation to bring Student Nurses' Voices
into a dynamic global dialogue toward achieving a healthy world.

Presenters’ Bios

Geneva UN-NGO Introduction

Cyril Ritchie Speaking at minute 7:33

Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Cyril Ritchie has been collaborating within the United Nations-NGO arena for more than five decades. Since 1999, he has been one of the core friends supporting NIGH's original founding and the across 25 years since. We are honoured by his friendship and service as NIGH’s distinguished Elder who continues as NIGH's UN-NGO Representative in Geneva and Board Secretary. Currently, he is also serving as First Vice President of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with the United Nations (CoNGO) — a Non-Governmental Organization of 629 Member Organizations worldwide. Prior to this, he served for two terms as CoNGO's President starting in 2011 -- before

serving for 40 years and five separate terms as Secretary of the CoNGO Conference and Board and First Vice President. Mr. Ritchie is also currently serving as President of the Union of International Associations (UIA) — an NGO that has been documenting global civil society since 1907.

Co-Moderators

Dr. Maria Theresa 'Tess’ Panizales
Speaking at minute 1:47 and throughout the Session

Dr. Panizales serves on NIGH's Board of Directors and now as Co-Chair of NIGH's ‘Student Nurses' Voices Speaker Series.’ Previously, she took the lead for our 'Nurses' Voices from the Western Pacific' — Session Four of our 'Nurses' Voices Speaker Series' She also serves as NIGH's United Nations-NGO Representative in New York City. in July of 2023, she proactively participated in the launch of NIGH's 'Nurses' Voices' campaign — shared virtually and onsite from Switzerland and the 2023 Caux Forum 'Healing the Wounds of the Past.'

She also shared her original language and culture by serving as NIGH's Advisor to establish the Tagalog / Filipino language version of the Nightingale Declaration. Dr Panizales has more than 40 years of professional nursing experience across the spectrum of healthcare both local and international — also including volunteer service. As a nurse leader, her goal is to engage and build the next generation of nurses through mentoring and role modeling. Her first nursing professional work was with the Red Cross. Hence, working with refugees in a public health context is her important connection. She is currently working at the Veterans HealthCare Administration.

Dr. Deva-Marie Beck Speaking at minute 2:14 and throughout the Session

Dr. Beck is a Canadian American nurse, global citizen, and award-winning Nightingale scholar. For 20 years, she has served as a volunteer International Co-Director for the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health — leading workshops, keynotes, webinars, feature articles, videos, UN briefings, and to achieve NIGH’s UN ECOSOC ‘Special Consultative Status.’ She has recently been recognized as an Honorary Scholar of the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing (HSGAHN) for her leadership to promote and sustain global health care transformation and
advocacy to achieve the United Nations SDGs. After a 30-year clinical career in Critical Care

& Women's Health settings, she received her doctorate in 2002, from Union Institute & University, for her advocacy to achieve the United Nations SDGs. After a 30-year clinical career in Critical Care & Women's Health settings, she received her doctorate in 2002, from Union Institute & University, for her groundbreaking research to articulate Florence Nightingale’s relevance to today’s international health, development, education, and media. She has since authored and co-authored articles for numerous peer-reviewed journals and textbooks. Dr. Beck has recently achieved the highest-level Education Award from Toastmasters International — as a Distinguished Toast Master ‘DTM’. She now aims to use this ‘credential’ to develop innovative ways to encourage and engage nurses and concerned citizens to share their voices and tell their stories in the global public arena.

Panelists

Dr. Sharon Martinelli Speaking at minute 15:28

Dr. Sharon Martinelli is an experienced lecturer in the Department of Nursing at the University of Malta's Faculty of Health Sciences. She has extensive experience in primary, community, and public health settings, with expertise in personal and professional development, advanced communication, community health, and chronic illness management. Dr. Martinelli is known for leading innovative projects in both private and public sectors, demonstrating her commitment to advancing nursing practice and education. She is dedicated to enhancing care quality and supporting professional growth within healthcare.

Additionally — as a licensed counsellor — she provides tailored therapeutic support to individuals and families, combining her nursing expertise with her counselling skills for a holistic and empathetic approach.

Matthew Jarred Hurrell Speaking at minute 18:10

Matthew Jarred Hurrell grew up in Melbourne, Australia, but — over the last three years — he has been living in Gozo, Malta where his family is originally from. He had studied and worked in marketing and finance whilst living in Australia before deciding to pursue a career in nursing. He is now completing his third and final year of Nursing at the University of Malta.
He loves to learn and typically enjoys hobbies that involve some aspect of health and self-growth. He enjoys reading, music, and all sorts of outdoors activities like swimming, gardening, hiking, and camping. In the future, he would love to take up rock-climbing and scuba-diving. He especially enjoys meeting and connecting with new people and loves social

gatherings. In his free time, he volunteers with the local Emergency Response & Rescue Corps where he gets the chance to meet many new people from the community and abroad, to practice some nursing and first aids skills, and hopefully to make a small difference in the world.

Sarah Pitcher Speaking at minutes 24:57 & 1:39;23

Sarah Pitcher is a dedicated nursing student at L-Università ta’ Malta. She entered the healthcare environment later on in life — as a mature student following a 9-year-long career in adult education. Her first official job — as an 'English as a Foreign Language' (EFL) teacher — provided her with organisational skills, effective methods of education, as well as communication skills. She was later promoted to teacher trainer, where she was entrusted with designing and implementing courses for new teachers, further honing her leadership skills. Finally, her experience as a learning support educator gave her the empathy, patience

and the ability to adapt teaching materials to differently-abled learners, empowering them to become the best versions of themselves. She finally decided to fulfil her life-long dream of working in healthcare and made the leap to nursing, taking her passion for caring to the next level. All her work experience has provided her with valuable knowledge and transferable skills which she intends to use and improve throughout her dream career in the field of nursing. In an environment where empathy, understanding, education and a passion for impartially helping others are so vital, she hopes to make a difference in patient care.

Professor Dr. Zeliha Tulek
Speaking at minutes 30:39, 41:44,, 1:41:26 & 1:44:47

Professor Dr. Zeliha Tulek graduated from the Istanbul University Florence Nightingale School of Nursing. She received her Master and PhD degrees from the same institution. She initiated her work in neurology with participation in a project for improvement of quality of nursing care in a newly established stroke unit in 1999. She achieved her PhD degree in 2006 with the dissertation titled “Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis”. Her main interests are stroke and multiple sclerosis as well as other neurological diseases. She carried

out research on quality of life, caregiver burden, nutrition, and quality indicators. She participated in many national meetings in area of neurology as a speaker and member of organizing committees. She is a founding board member of National Association of Neurology Nursing in Turkey. Since 2008, she also is a board member of European Association of Neuroscience Nurses. Recently she has joined board of the Turkish Multiple Sclerosis Society. She has been working as a faculty member in Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing in Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa since 1995. Dr. Tulek also serves as the Turkish Language Advisor for the Nightingale Declaration for A Healthy World and for the Turkish sub-titled WHO-NIGH video Nurses & Midwives: Now More Than Ever!

Ecem Colak Speaking at minutes 35:54 & 1:43:29

Ecem Colak graduated from Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing in 2021. After graduation, she worked as a nurse in various departments for two years. She then completed her Master’s Degree with a study focusing on obesity and blood pressure. For the past year, she has been working as a research assistant at the Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing while pursuing her PhD in Internal Medicine Nursing. Her academic interests focus on metabolic and chronic diseases.

Hande Bulut Canbaz Speaking at minute 42:24

Hande Bulut Canbaz graduated from the School of Nursing at Koç University in 2014. She completed her Master's Degree with a thesis on treatment satisfaction in individuals with diabetes. After her graduation, she worked as a nurse in the General Intensive Care Unit at Koç University Hospital for three years, and then continued her career—for nearly six years— as a Diabetes Education Nurse at the same hospital. For the past two years, she has been working as a lecturer and is currently pursuing a PhD in Internal Medicine Nursing at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa. Her academic interests focus on diabetes, cognitive impairments, and metabolic and chronic diseases

Dr. Ananda Fernandes
Speaking at minutes 50:56, 1:03:43 & 1:11:33 & 1:52:38

Dr. Ananda Fernandes is currently Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Practice and Research and Professor in the Doctoral Program in Nursing, where she teaches the theoretical and philosophical foundations of nursing. She holds a PhD in Nursing, a Master's Degree in Nursing Sciences and a specialization in Child Health and Paediatric Nursing. She is a retired Professor of the Nursing School of Coimbra, where she taught for more than 30 years on the Bachelor Degree program in Nursing, and on the Master's Degree in Pediatric Nursing for over 30 years. Serving as Chair of the Scientific Council of the Nursing School of Coimbra, she led the development of the competency framework for the

current nursing degree curriculum at the Nursing School and was later appointed Director of the Nursing Degree program. She has dedicated most of her career to teaching, research and advocacy for pain management in children — and across the life span — at national and international levels.

Francisco Ferraz Speaking at minutes 57:12 & 1:46:34

Francisco Ferraz is a Nursing student at the Nursing School of the Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra (ESEnfC), serves as the President of the European Nursing Students’ Association (ENSA) and was the ENSA Research Coordinator in 2023 and 2024.. He is also a Member of the WHO European Region’s Youth4Health network and a Student Member of the Pedagogical Council of the Coimbra Nursing School. He was also Vice-President of the General Assembly of the Coimbra Nursing School Students’ Association (2022-2023). As a Representative of ENSA, he served at these international events: 'The Force of the Future: Youth Action for Immunization' (WHO, 2023); 'DISRUPT Quality of Care

Hackathon' (WHO, 2024) – Winning project; and the 'Next Generation: Public Health of Today and Tomorrow (European Public Health Association, 2024). In 2024, he served as Ambassador and an Organizing Committee member of the 1st EHSAA Summer University (2024), and attended the 74th WHO Europe Regional Committee meeting, serving as the ENSA Representative at the WHO NSA engagement plan and at workforce recruitment & retention sessions. He holds a Research Initiation Scholarship at the 'Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing Involved in an International Erasmus+' project. He has also presented scientific papers and posters at international conferences, including NursID 2024, the PrevInf project, and at WHO events.

Francisca Lopes Speaking at minute 1:05:44

Francisca Lopes is a 4th year student of the Nursing Degree at Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra (ESEnfC) and is currently 21 years old. Since the beginning of her academic career, she has been actively involved in student representation and in various initiatives with social and training impact. Since the 1st year, she has been a member of the ESEnfC Student Association, initially in Training and Culture Center. In the 2nd year, she took on the role of Vice-President — a role that she performed until the end of the 3rd year. In her 4th year, she was elected President of the Student Association, a position that allows her to contribute actively for the defense and valorization of the academic path of students of

nursing. At the same time, since the beginning of the 4th year, she has also been a member of the National Federation of Nursing Student Associations (FNAEE), where she performs functions as Member of the Board, reinforcing her commitment to improving teaching of nursing at the national level. Although nursing wasn't her first choice, it quickly became an area for which she developed a great interest. Currently, she particularly likes the area of Medical-Surgical Nursing — where she intends to deepen knowledge and develop skills throughout her professional career.

Dr. Maria F. Jiménez Herrera
Speaking at minutes 1:12:25, 1:17:24, 1:17:51 & 1:51:30

Dr. María F. Jiménez Herrera was born in Torredembarra (Tarragona), Spain. She was awarded her Nursing Diploma by the University of Barcelona and furthered her academic pursuits with a Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology and a Diploma of Advanced Studies (2002-03) from the Universitat Rovira Virgili (URV). Additionally, she holds a Master's Degree in Bioethics and Law from the University of Barcelona, a Diploma in Criminology from the University of Alicante, and a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the URV (2009). Dr. Jiménez Herrera is a nurse specializing in research into ethics, bioethics, and the clinical environment of critically ill patients in emergencies. She has been awarded two research premiums. Between 1997 and 2002, she served as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of

Nursing at the URV before becoming a university school senior lecturer in 2003 and a senior lecturer in 2012. She has been a visiting lecturer at Borås University in Sweden. She teaches various subjects in the URV's bachelor's and master's programs and engages in numerous activities within the doctoral program. She has held several key positions, including Academic Secretary of the University School of Nursing (2004-06), Secretary (2008-12), and Head (2012-2019) of the Department of Nursing. Since 2019, she has served as the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and is currently the General Secretary of the URV. She is a member of the European Academy of Nursing Science, the Academy of Medical and Health Sciences of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, the Observatory of Bioethics and Law, and the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES). Her primary research interests include applied ethics, oncology, critically ill patients, and teaching innovation. Recently, her work has focused on the moral sensitivity of nursing students. She is the author of numerous book chapters and articles in specialized journals, primarily centered on evidence-based clinical practice and ethics. She has published over 70 papers in various scientific journals and has been involved in numerous national and international research projects, the International Network of Universities (INU), and several teaching-innovation projects at the URV.

Vanessa Vicente Speaking at minutes 1:15:23 & 1:41:25

Vanessa Vicente is a Registered Nurse by Jaume I University, now studying for her Master’s Degree in Nursing Science Research by Rovira i Virgili University. She has attended several courses accredited by prestigious state organizations about mental problems, complex wound care, cardiology, anaesthesia, euthanasia, public health, gender-based violence and child abuse, cultural care, respiratory pathologies, surgical patient, critical care, cancer and so on. Apart from that, she is the main author of the scientific article “The effects of physical exercise on the prevention of falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease: An integrative review of the scientific literature” published in 2024 in the international journal “Enfermería Investiga” and

she has also participated in the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) with Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Belgium), Örebro Universitet (Sweden) and Universitatea De Medicina Si Farmacie Grigore T. Popa (Romania) during 2025. Currently, she is also working as a general nurse in a hospital.

Abril Jiménez Speaking at minute 1:20:06

Alba Jiménez is an enthusiastic second-year student of nursing degree in the Univesitat Rovira i Virgili, in Catalonia, Spain. She has always wanted to dedicate her life to helping others, and healthcare is the perfect way of doing so. She received a 'mention of honor' when I finished high school because of her high grades. Right now, she is focused on studying so she can become a nurse and accomplish her goal of helping others.

Dr. Marika Lo Monaco
Speaking at minutes 1:23:28, 1:31:05, 1:37:36 & 1:54:52

Dr. Marika Lo Monaco is an Assistant Professor in Nursing at the University of Palermo, where she teaches Research Methodology and Nursing Theory in both the Bachelor's and Master’s degree programs in Nursing. Her main research focus is on the humanization of care, aiming to enhance patient-centered approaches and improve loving kindness among nurses.

Alessandro Vullo Speaking at minute 1:27:57

Allesandro Vullo is 22 years old and lives in Palermo in Sicily. He has studied languages and graduated in a language school. Now he is currently doing his last year of Nursing at the University of Palermo and he hopes to become a good nurse to help the ones who suffer.

Nilaxshana Nixon Jesusinran Speaking at minute 1:32:13

Nilaxshana Nixon Jesusinran is 21 and a second-year Nursing Student at the University of Palermo. She was born in Palermo, but has Sri Lankan roots too. This has always influenced her approach to culture and patient care. Since the beginning of her academic journey, she has developed a strong passion for the nursing profession, seeking to deepen both theoretical and practical knowledge to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.