PRIORITY SPEAKER
Biljana Filipović
University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
“Legacy meets GenAi- personalizing nursing education with AI”
- Friday, 15 May 2026, 09:00-10:00
Assist. Prof. Biljana Filipović, PhD, is a Croatian nursing scholar. She is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department for Professional and Scientific Research at the University of Applied Health Sciences in Zagreb, and an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Rijeka. She earned her PhD in Biomedicine and Health at the University of Zagreb and holds an MSc in Nursing. With extensive clinical experience, including leadership roles as a head nurse, her work focuses on nursing education, leadership, nursing management, evidence-based practice, and perioperative nursing. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles, as well as books and book chapters. She also serves on editorial boards and contributes to professional development and research initiatives at national and European levels.
Kristiina Junttila
HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Nursing Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
“The state-of-art of perioperative nursing research in Europe”
- Friday, 15 May 2026, 14:00-15:00
Kristiina Junttila, RN, PhD, Professor, is the past Director of Nursing Research Center in Helsinki University Hospital, currently retired. Her clinical background is in perioperative nursing, and she has acted as the president of EORNA in 1999-2005. She has led a research project with the topic “Knowledge-based management in perioperative nursing” with several PhD-students and is currently the group leader (PI) of national Finnish research projects such as “Nursing Sensitive Indicators in Assessing and Developing Nursing Care Quality” and “Pressure ulcer risk assessment, prevalence and prevention in social and health care – a national multicenter study”. Her interest is in the quality of nursing care, its assessment, follow-up and development.
Danko Mikulić
University Hospital Merkur, Division of Abdominal and Transplant Surgery, Zagreb, Croatia
“Expertise in Action: Nursing – Surgeon Synergy in Transplant Surgery”
- Saturday, 16 May 2026, 09:00-10:00
Danko Mikulić is a general and transplant surgeon at the Department of Surgery at the University Hospital Merkur in Zagreb. He is the head of the Center for Organ Transplantation and director of liver transplantation program. He is a specialist in general, pediatric and digestive surgery and a fellow of the European Board of Transplantation Surgery. He is involved in liver, pancreas and kidney transplantation and surgical oncology both in adults and in children. He is the representative of Croatia in Eurotransplant’s Liver and Intestine Advisory Committee.
Peter Graves
Independent Clinical Consultant, Texas, United States of America
Esther Espuñes Mestres
Perioperative Nurse, University Lecturer, Barcelona, Spain
“Handle With Care: Rethinking Surgical Glove Safety in the Operating Room”
- Saturday, 16 May 2026, 14:00-14:45
Peter Graves
Peter Graves, BSN, RN, CNOR, is an independent perioperative nurse consultant with more than 35 years of experience in surgical leadership, infection prevention, education, and research. A graduate of Northern Arizona University and a certified operating room nurse. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, contributed to leading textbooks, and presented internationally on infection control, latex allergy, and patient and staff safety. His expertise has been featured at prominent conferences, including the AORN Expo and Congress, the ANCC Magnet Hospital Conference, and American Nurses Association events.
An active AORN member, Peter has chaired multiple national committees, served seven years on the Recommended Practices Committee as lead author of several guidelines, and was elected to the national board of directors. He currently serves on the AORN Journal review panel. He is a founding member and current chair of the CCI Research Committee and received the 2024 Excellence in Volunteerism Award from CCI.
Today, Peter designs evidence-based educational programs, leads infection prevention research, serves as a key opinion leader, and supports surgical teams in strengthening operating room best practices.
Esther Espuñes Mestres
With a solid academic foundation supported by multiple advanced nursing degrees—including postgraduate studies in Perioperative Nursing, Emergency and Disaster Management, and Master’s degrees in Surgical Nursing, Innovation and Research in Nursing, and Health Management—this professional brings exceptional depth to the field of perioperative care. Currently pursuing a PhD in Health Education, she combines rigorous scientific preparation with extensive real-world expertise.
Her clinical competencies encompass advanced perioperative practice, patient safety, thermoregulation, and quality improvement, strengthened by leadership roles in operating room management and multidisciplinary teams. As an active contributor to global nursing knowledge, she has presented, moderated, and published at major international conferences, with a particular focus on perioperative hypothermia, thermal care bundles, education, and clinical assessment tools.
Her ability to integrate research, clinical practice, and management makes her a respected voice in international perioperative nursing—and an engaging, influential keynote speaker.
Wivine Schellekens
EORNA Educational Committee, Brussels, Belgium
“Perioperative Nursing Education in Europe: Current Status and Future Directions”
- Saturday, 16 May 2026, 14:45-15:00
Wivine is a Belgian specialised perioperative nurse with a Master’s degree in Public Health. She worked for 13 years in the operating theatre of a university hospital. She has been a lecturer and clinical practice educator at University College “Haute Ecole Léonard de Vinci” in Brussels for 11 years, teaching in the Bachelor of Nursing program, postgraduate specialisation programs, and the Master’s degree in Nursing Science.
She has been the coordinator of the Specialisation in Perioperative Nursing for the past three years. She has been a board member of AFISO (Belgium) since 2017 and an EORNA board member since 2018. She is currently Chair of the EORNA Educational Committee.
