Prof Dr Véronique de Goumoëns, RN, CNS, PhD
Véronique de Goumoëns is Acting Director General and Full Professor at the Institute and School of Nursing La Source (Lausanne, HES-SO). She promotes an integrated vision connecting education, research, innovation, and services to strengthen knowledge transfer and the impact of nursing science on health systems.
Actively engaged at national and international levels, she has served as Deputy Director of BEST (a JBI Centre of Excellence), is Vice-President of the Swiss Association for Nursing Science (VFP-APSI), and a member of the International Family Nursing Association (IFNA).
Her scientific expertise focuses on the development and implementation of family nursing interventions in acute and community settings, grounded in evidence-based practice and a family systems nursing approach.
Prof Sascha Köpke, Ph.D.
Prof. Dr. Sascha Köpke holds the Chair of Clinical Nursing Science at the University of Cologne. There, he heads the Institute of Nursing Science and oversees the “Clinical Nursing (BSc)” and “Advanced Nursing Practice (MSc)” degree programs. His research focuses on evidence-based nursing, the effectiveness of nursing interventions, and shared decision-making for informed decision-making. He specializes in the development and evaluation of complex interventions and leads a number of current research projects, such as IntVeM and TeReS. Through his methodological expertise, he makes a significant contribution to the scientific foundation and professionalization of clinical nursing practice.
Simon Krutter, M.A., Ph.D.
Simon Krutter, M.A., Ph.D., is a research associate at the Institute for Nursing Science and Practice at Paracelsus Medical University (PMU) in Salzburg. His research focuses on family caregiving for people with dementia, with a particular emphasis on the experience of stress and the limitations of caregiving in rural areas. He is also involved in projects on fall prevention and the use of telecare technologies in outpatient and inpatient care. With his phenomenological approach, he makes a significant contribution to a better understanding of the subjective experience of care phenomena.
Prof Dr Heidrun Gattinger
Prof. Dr. Heidrun Gattinger is a nursing and health scientist and director of the Institute of Health Sciences at OST – University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland.
Her research focuses on geriatric care, with a particular emphasis on supporting self-management and health promotion among people with chronic conditions. In addition, she works on health promotion for nursing professionals and family caregivers, the promotion of physical activity in care settings (including kinaesthetics), as well as evaluation and implementation research aimed at improving the quality of care and health outcomes in both home-based and inpatient long-term care.
Dr Angela Schnelli
Dr. Angela Schnelli is the Director of Education and Quality at Spitex Switzerland and is deeply committed to advancing the professionalization of home-based care. After earning her doctorate in nursing science, she now focuses on ensuring quality standards and further developing training concepts in home care. Her primary areas of focus are the implementation of Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) and the promotion of interprofessional collaboration. Through her strategic work, she makes a significant contribution to strengthening the quality and efficiency of nursing care in the home setting throughout Switzerland.
Prof Dr Monica Bianchi
Prof. Dr. Monica Bianchi is a full professor of interprofessionality and director of the Master’s program in Nursing Science (MScN) at SUPSI (University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland). With a PhD in Nursing Science and an EMBA, she combines clinical expertise—particularly in oncology—with skills in leadership and management. Her research focuses on interprofessional collaboration, patient safety, and the complexity of outpatient care. As an expert in Advanced Nursing Practice and a member of various professional committees, she plays a key role in shaping the advancement of nursing quality and academic education in Italian-speaking Switzerland.
Assistant Professor Anna-Barbara Schlüer, Ph.D.
Dr. Anna-Barbara Schlüer is a renowned nursing scientist with many years of experience in pediatric nursing and nursing research. She earned her Ph.D. from Maastricht University in 2013. Since September 2022, she has been working in an Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) role in the field of community-based psychiatric nursing.
Her professional focus is on a well-established systemic understanding of the care provided to children, adolescents, and families, as well as the context in which that care is delivered. She also holds an eMBA from the University of Zurich (UZH) with a focus on digital transformation. In this context, she is particularly dedicated to the topic of open innovation in the Swiss healthcare system.
Through her work as a researcher, lecturer, and clinical expert, she has had a lasting impact on evidence-based pediatric nursing practice and advocates for innovative, quality-oriented care models in the healthcare sector.
Dr Beatrice Gehri
Dr. Beatrice Gehri is a renowned nursing scientist with extensive expertise in psychiatric care and health services research. She earned her Ph.D. in 2023 from the Institute of Nursing Science (INS) at the University of Basel. She is currently working there as a postdoctoral researcher and as a nursing scientist at the University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) in Basel as part of an academic-clinical partnership.
Her research focuses on the work environment of nurses, staffing levels, and patient safety in psychiatry. Through projects such as “MatchRN Psychiatry,” she is dedicated to the evidence-based development of clinical structures. She is also committed to fostering a sustainable culture of safety and improving care-sensitive patient outcomes.
Through the close integration of research and clinical practice, it plays a key role in advancing the professionalization of psychiatric nursing. It actively promotes innovative care models to sustainably strengthen the quality of care and care structures within the Swiss healthcare system.
Prof Dr Manuela Eicher
Prof. Dr. Manuela Eicher is a full professor in the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at the University of Lausanne. There, she heads the University Institute for Education, Continuing Education, and Nursing Research (IUFRS) and also serves as a consulting nursing researcher at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and IMAD. Her research focuses on the development of innovative care models that integrate advanced practice nurses, as well as on oncology and self-care. She specializes in promoting the next generation of academic nursing professionals and is actively involved at the national level, including as president of Oncology Nursing Switzerland and on the board of directors of the Swiss Medical Association (SAMW). Through her expertise in nursing leadership, she makes a significant contribution to the scientific foundation and professionalization of clinical nursing practice.
Prof Dr Sabine Hahn
Prof. Dr. Sabine Hahn heads the Department of Nursing and the Division of Applied Research & Development in Nursing at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH). Her research focuses on practice development, psychiatric nursing, and the quality of care in acute care settings. She is deeply committed to the professionalization of the nursing profession and the implementation of evidence-based care models. As a distinguished researcher, she plays a key role in shaping the future of nursing research in Switzerland and serves on numerous national and international expert committees dedicated to sustainably improving the quality of nursing care.
Prof Dr Heidrun Gattinger
Director of the Institute of Health Sciences at OST – University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland.
Her research focuses on geriatric care, with a particular emphasis on supporting self-management and health promotion among people with chronic conditions. In addition, she works on health promotion for nursing professionals and family caregivers, the promotion of physical activity in care settings (including kinaesthetics), as well as evaluation and implementation research aimed at improving the quality of care and health outcomes in both home-based and inpatient long-term care.
Dr Angela Schnelli
Dr. Angela Schnelli is the Director of Education and Quality at Spitex Switzerland and is deeply committed to advancing the professionalization of home-based care. After earning her doctorate in nursing science, she now focuses on ensuring quality standards and further developing training concepts in home care. Her primary areas of focus are the implementation of Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) and the promotion of interprofessional collaboration. Through her strategic work, she makes a significant contribution to strengthening the quality and efficiency of nursing care in the home setting throughout Switzerland.
Martin Diethelm
Martin Diethelm is a member of the administrative office of the VfP-APSI (Association for Nursing Science) and serves as the primary point of contact there. Together with the other team members, he is responsible for the operational implementation in the core areas of communication, logistics, and finance. He forms the organizational backbone of the association and ensures the smooth running of the office. He is supported by his team in efficiently implementing the conference objectives and ensuring professional support for participants and partners.
