Dr. Emilia Kielo-Viljamaa is a registered nurse, researcher and nurse educator in Nursing Science in the University of Turku, Department of Nursing Science. Her research has focused on wound care, especially on student nurses’ wound care competence and education. In her doctoral dissertation at the University of Turku, she developed a WoundComp instrument that can be used to assess the wound care competence of graduating student nurses. In her post-doctoral research, she is developing wound care education in bachelor’s level nursing studies and further developing the WoundComp instrument. Emilia has worked as a registered nurse for six years, mainly in specialised care, and as a nurse educator and researcher for five years. Currently, she is a senior lecturer in both bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes at Novia University of Applied Sciences in Turku, Finland. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Finnish Wound Journal.Dr. Minna Stolt is PhD, BHc (podiatry)/podiatristand Professor in Nursing Science in the University of Eastern Finland, Department of Nursing Science and docent at the University of Turku, Department of Nursing Science (Finland). She is Fellow at the European Academy of Nursing Science (FEANS) and Fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland (FFPM RCPS). She leads the research project “Function and health – from foot to head” that focus on functional health on patients with long-term health problems aiming to promote the quality of care and rehabilitation with particular interest to foot health. Dr. Stolt has systematically increased the foot health research in the field of nursing science and developed an instrument to measure patients’ foot health level that is used in different health care settings. She has approached the functional health from many perspectives, namely: examining health care professionals’ competencies, health care ethics and the promotion of patients’ physical activity and musculoskeletal health. She has conducted international collaborative research and being involved in many international projects. Her expertise is in foot health research, rehabilitation research and quality of care research. She has published more than 130 scientific peer-reviewed articles and number of other scientific publications or book chapters and conference abstracts. Dr. Riitta Suhonen is PhD, RN and Professor in Nursing Science in the University of Turku, Department of Nursing Science and has a speciality in older people nursing science (Gerontological Nursing Science). She is FEANS (European Academy of Nursing Science, board member). She is the Director of the Doctoral Programme in Nursing Science (DPNurs) in UTU and the Vice Head of the Department of Nursing Science. She has a part-time position of Nursing Director in the Turku University Hospital and City of Turku, Welfare Division since 2016. Formerly, she has worked as a quality and development manager in a health care district, and as a ward manager and registered nurse in surgical care unit providing an understanding of the healthcare systems. She is experienced in leading and participating in international cross-cultural studies and currently is a co-researcher in many projects. She is a leader of the research programme called "Older Individuals' Health, Nursing and Services“ which develops new knowledge and understanding of individual’s health, nursing care and complex service systems for older individuals from the viewpoints of older individuals, professionals and organizations. Dr. Suhonen has been a principal investigator and coordinator of the Individualized Care Project since 2002, which evaluates the realisation of individuality in patients’ care from the point of view of patients and nurses in different clinical fields including national and international parts. This project resulted in the Individualised Care Scale instrument, which has been translated and adapted for use in more than 30 countries. She is also the co-head of the research programme in UTU called “Ethical Healthcare and Nursing”. Other research topics are nursing education and nursing management. She has expertise in older people nursing care, individualized care, care environment, management and leadership, ethics, self-management of older people, and support of independence of older people. She has published more than 250 scientific peer-reviewed articles and over 100 other scientific publications or book chapters.
