Introductions of the speakers

Lynda Juall Carpenito, MSN, APN, FIN

Lynda holds a rich and extensive nursing background. Graduating from a BSN program in 1968, achieving her MSN in 1974, and completing an Advanced Practice Nursing program in 1997, she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the field for over five decades.

For more than two decades, Lynda has served as a dedicated Family Nurse Practitioner, extending her care to underserved communities facing the challenges of high crime rates and limited access to healthcare. Following this, she dedicated four years to providing compassionate care within an assisted living and dementia facility. Presently, she continues her mission as a Nurse Practitioner in the field of Hospice, where she considers it a true privilege to practice nursing.

With a remarkable literary contribution, Lynda has authored seven significant texts and is currently in the process of revising the 17th edition of her renowned "Handbook of Nursing Diagnosis".

Lynda's literary works bear a poetic touch, commencing with a poem titled "To Risk". The poignant conclusion of this poem reads, "Only those who Risk are truly free", reflecting her enduring spirit and commitment to nursing and life itself.

Luca Bertocchi RN, MSN, PhD  

Join us in celebrating the remarkable journey of Luca, an onco-hematology nurse at the prestigious Maggiore Hospital of Trieste (Italy). Luca's dedication to nursing knows no borders.  

He brings a wealth of international experience, having worked for two years at St George’s University Hospital in London (UK) and completing a transformative six-month mobility program at Boston College in the Connell School of Nursing (United States) under the mentorship of Professor Dorothy Jones, former president of NANDA-International and current Director of the Gordon program.  

Luca is at the forefront of nursing research, with a focus on cutting-edge topics such as Standardized Nursing Terminologies, Nursing Information Systems, Simulation, and Nutrition.

Claudia Leoni-Scheiber, RN, PhD

Join us in celebrating Claudia Leoni-Scheiber's extraordinary contributions to nursing, research, and education.

Claudia holds a PhD from the University of Vienna, where her groundbreaking research focused on the impact of the Guided Clinical Reasoning training method. Her study explored the method's effects on registered nurses' attitudes, Advanced Nursing Process knowledge, and the quality of nursing diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes. She conducted this groundbreaking research at a City Hos-pital in Zurich, acquiring invaluable insights that are shaping the future of nursing practice.

Claudia currently serves as a senior scientist at UMIT TIROL - Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Institute of Nursing Science in Austria. Her dedication to nur-sing extends globally as the vice-president of ACENDIO and coordinator of the NANDA-I Network Group: German Speaking Countries.

Kristi Rannus RN, PhD

Meet Kristi Rannus: a leading expert in nursing and education. We are thrilled to introduce you to a remarkable member of our community, Kristi Rannus!

With an impressive 19 years of experience as a lecturer, Kristi's dedication to nursing terminology, education, and research has made her a shining star in the field of healthcare. Currently serving as a full-time professor at Tallinn Health Care College, Kristi also takes the helm in overseeing the Master's Degree Program in Health Sciences.

In her groundbreaking research journey, Kristi places a spotlight on the education and development of nursing, with a particular focus on Advanced Practice Nursing. Kristi's expertise extends into the practical realm, where she has honed her skills in leadership and innovation within the field of cancer care.

Join us in celebrating Kristi Rannus, a true inspiration to all aspiring nurses and educators alike!

Carme Espinosa i Fresnedo RN, MSc

Discover the remarkable journey of Carme Espinosa i Fresnedo, a Master in Nursing Science. Carme served as NANDA-I President from 2020 to June 2023, making significant contributions to the organization since 2000. She's been a member of various committees, shaping the future of nursing.

Today, Carme works as a human developer and trainer for a top consultancy firm. Recognized as a "NANDA-I Fellow" in 2016, Carme's dedication to nursing innovation is unparalleled.

Beyond NANDA-I, she's actively involved in organizations promoting standardized Nursing Languages. Carme's expertise spans Nursing Languages, Methodology, Critical Thinking, and Clinical Reasoning.

She is a key translator of "NANDA-I Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions and Classification" into Spanish, making nursing knowledge accessible to a broader audience. Carme's research contributions, publications, and presentations at national and international levels are paving the way for nursing excellence.

Kristi Puusepp RN, MSc is working as the head of the chair of nursing at Tallinn Health Care College. She has obtained her nursing degree at Tartu Medical College and has the Master's degree from University of Tartu. She has been the editor of NANDA-I books in Estonian since the 2012-2014 publication. She has implemented teaching of NANDA-I into Estonian curriculum, she is leading the Estonian 3N (NNN) working group and is the member of the board of Estonian Nursing Quality Development Center. She is one of the leaders of the state program for creating and implementing the 3N electronic system. She has published several articles about nursing education and history and about teaching NANDA-I in Estonia. She has led a variety of projects as well as the development of the simulation center of Tallinn Health Care College.

Aleksei Gaidajenko APN, MA, MSc works as the Member of Executive Board - Chief Nursing Officer at West Tallinn Central Hospital, is the CEO of Estonian Nursing Quality Development Center. He is the lecturer of managing and leading the healthcare systems at Tallinn Health Care College as well as at the University of Tallinn.

Aleksei implemented many important projects, such as developing the MA curriculum for organizational behavior specializing in healthcare management, he also reached an agreement with the leaders of nursing in order to start using and developing the NANDA-I, NOC and NIC classifications in Estonia. He was influential in implementing the "Magnet" principle in the Estonian health care system. He received his MA in Social Sciences from the University of Tallinn and the MA in health sciences specializing in intensive care from Tallinn Health Care College. For his achievements in developing nursing, he received the Estonian Red Cross III class badge of merit from the Estonian president in 2021.

Irma Nool RN, MSc 

Meet our next speaker - Irma Nool. She is a senior lecturer at Tallinn Healthcare College and is the head of the nursing basics module.

The areas of research are critical thinking in nursing, application of NNN taxonomy in the nursing process, and student satisfaction with practice supervision and is interested in holistic nursing. Irma has practical skills and knowledge as a nurse in the field of oncology.

Marianne Annion APN, MSc is a lecturer at Tallinn Health Care College.

She has a Master of Health Science degree in APN of mental health nursing. She is focused on the implementation of mental health simulation training for undergraduate nurses and Master´s students.

Her main research fields are related to mental health nursing, palliative nursing, and education.

Irena Milaniak MSN, PhD 

Join us in celebrating Irena Milaniak`s extraordinary contributions to nursing and research. Irena holds an extensive nursing background. Irena graduated as a registered nurse in 1991, and continued to elevate her expertise, earning a BSN in 2010 and an MSN in 2012, while also completing a specialized cardiology nursing program in 2016.

In 2014, she obtained a scientific degree - Doctor of Medical Sciences for the dissertation topic: "Evaluation of selected determinants of quality of life of patients after heart transplantation."

She has worked for over three decades at Krakow Specialist Hospital St John Paul II in the Clinical Department of Heart, Vascular, and Transplantology, where she currently holds the position of a nurse ward. In her role, Irena specializes in the care of advanced heart failure patients, heart transplant cases, and mechanical cardiac support. She also actively contributes to the standardization of nursing documentation within the hospital and imparts her knowledge by training students in electronic documentation using the ICNP classification system.

She is also a member of faculty at Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her scientific interest focuses on quality of life, psychosocial functioning of transplant and Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) recipients, as well as attitudes towards organ donation.

Marita Ritmala RN, PhD

Meet Marita Ritmala, a remarkable ICU nurse and researcher with over four decades of experience!

Marita embarked on her healthcare career in 1979 when she became a registered nurse. Fast forward to 2015, and she proudly earned her PhD in Nursing Science from the prestigious University of Turku, Finland. Her unwavering passion and research focus are the sleep patterns of ICU patients, a crucial yet often understudied aspect of critical care. She is also actively involved in crafting an ICU nursing knowledge test that will assess the professional development levels of ICU nurses, ensuring the highest standards of care.

With 13 years of hands-on experience as a critical care nurse in Finland and an additional eight years at JFK Medical Center in Florida, USA, Marita brings a wealth of knowledge to patient care. For 15 years, she held the role of an advanced practice nurse in critical care nursing at Helsinki University Hospital (HUS), where her expertise has left an indelible mark. Since 2016, Marita has held the position of Magnet Program Director, contributing to the advancement of nursing at HUS in accordance with Magnet Hospital® standards.

Ene Vadi RN, MSc, MA

Ene Vadi is the nurse manager in the blood bank of the North Estonia Medical Centre. She started working at the blood bank in 2008. She is taking care of the work process of the blood bank to provide safe blood transfusion therapy for patients. Since 2020, Ene is also associate lecturer at Tallinn Health Care College. The areas of research are nursing management, emotional intelligence, ethics in nursing, laboratory medicine and blood transfusion therapy.

Dina Ljahh RN

Dina works at the North Estonia Medical Centre as a transfusion nurse in the bloodbank. Her main task is to train nurses and prevent possible errors before and during transfusion. Dina has practical experience in the field of intensive care, where she worked for 20 years. The experience gained there helps her to better comprehend the thought processes of nurses as practitioners. Since 2021 Dina is engaged in collecting blood transfusion duration data for the purpose of preventing circulatory overload.

Terje Peetso MA

Terje Peetso is a Chief Medical Innovation Officer at the North Estonia Medical Centre in Tallinn. Among other tasks she is also responsible for the cooperation with other hospitals and clinical partners in Estonia and abroad.

From 2003 to 2018, Dr. Peetso served in the European Commission, specializing in areas such as digital health, tobacco control, and risk assessment.

Before joining the North Estonia Medical Centre, Peetso held the position of Head of Sector on eHealth and Ageing Policy in the European Commission`s DG CONNECT. In 2014, she served as the EU Fellow in the University of Southern California, USA, where her research focus was on the obstacles which hinder the introduction of eHealth in healthcare systems. From 2018 to 2023, Dr. Peetso played a pivotal role as a member of the management board at NEMC, overseeing research and development, training, client services, and quality control. Dr. Peetso holds a diploma in medicine from the University of Tartu, Estonia.

Priit Tohver MA

Dr. Priit Tohver is the Head of Sustainable Development at North Estonia Medical Centre (NEMC), Estonia’s largest healthcare provider serving at the forefront of healthcare innovation. He leads a team of 30 people responsible for continuous improvement at NEMC with activities ranging from strategic planning to research & development and business intelligence.

Trained as a physician, Priit has previously served as the Advisor for E-Services Innovation at the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs, where he was responsible for advancing data-driven decision making and innovation in healthcare. He is also a member of the WHO Roster of Experts on Digital Health and has previously served as Director of the Board at the Digital Health Society and Advisor to the Estonian Permanent Representation to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva. Priit has extensive experience with healthcare nonprofits, including having served as Regional Director for Europe at the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations.