SPEAKERS
Esther Espuñes Mestres is a perioperative nurse with 29 years of clinical, academic, and research experience, combining extensive expertise in perioperative practice, education, research, and professional leadership. Esther holds master’s degrees Research and Innovation, Health Management, and Surgical Nursing, with a strong commitment to advancing evidence based perioperative care, nursing practice and professional excellence. Esther is a university professor and researcher, with extensive leadership experience in the Operating Room Nurses Association (EORNA), currently serving as President for the 2026–2028 term. Board member of the International Federation of Perioperative Nurses (IFPN) and the Spanish Association of Perioperative Nurses (AEEQ), and an internationally recognized speaker at leading perioperative nursing conferences worldwide.
Esthers research has focused particularly on the prevention of perioperative hypothermia, leading to the completion of a PhD in Health Sciences. Perioperative hypothermia affects up to 70% of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery, despite established evidence-based guidelines. Ester will be presenting her thesis dissertation results of a randomized controlled trial evaluating a simplified prevention bundle that demonstrated a 59% reduction in hypothermia incidence, while significantly improving patients’ thermal comfort and overall experience. These findings underscore the importance of translating evidence into practical, sustainable interventions that enhance perioperative care and improve patient outcomes.
Magnhild Vikan graduated as a Registered Nurse from Trondheim in 2001 and completed her postgraduate education in perioperative nursing at Lovisenberg Diaconal University College in 2006. She earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Nursing from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2016. Magnhild has clinical experience across a variety of surgical specialties and has held leadership roles in an ambulatory surgery unit at Oslo University Hospital. She has also worked with course administration and education at the Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Services School. Since 2018, she has been involved in educating perioperative nursing students at Oslo Metropolitan University. In 2026, she was awarded a PhD for her dissertation on patient safety culture and adverse events in the surgical context.
Drawing on both her clinical and academic expertise, Magnhild will present results from her doctoral research at this year’s NORNA Conference.
Elin Jakobina Oddsdottir, BSc, MSc, is an Icelandic operating room nurse with extensive experience in highly specialized surgical care and international humanitarian work. She lives and works in Lund, Sweden, where she works in thoracic surgery at Skåne University Hospital, with a focus on complex cardiac surgery and transplantation. Over 15 years, Elin has worked on humanitarian missions with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in conflict-affected areas, including Yemen, Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and South Sudan. Her experience spans surgical care in settings where limited resources, unsafe conditions and rapidly changing circumstances demand both clinical expertise and adaptability.
In her keynote presentation, “Operating Room Nursing in Conflict Areas: Challenges, Adaptation and Resilience” Elin draws on her experiences from the field to explore the realities of providing surgical care in conflict areas, the challenges faced by operating room teams, and the resilience and adaptability required when delivering care under extraordinary circumstances.
Dr Susanne Friis Søndergård is a registered nurse, researcher, and Professor of Perioperative Nursing at
Lovisenberg Diaconal University College in Oslo, Norway. She has extensive clinical experience in perioperative nursing from Denmark and a longstanding commitment to advancing perioperative nursing through education, research, and professional development. Her research interests include quality of care, professional competence, sustainability in healthcare, and research methodology. Dr Søndergård is actively involved in Nordic initiatives aimed at strengthening the academic development, visibility, and recognition of perioperative nursing as a specialised field of practice.
Her keynote presentation is titled “High Professional Competence and Reflective Practice: Shaping the Future of Perioperative Nursing”. As healthcare continues to evolve, the need for highly competent and reflective perioperative nurses becomes increasingly important. This keynote will explore how education, professional competence, and reflective practice contribute to high-quality perioperative care. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and actions in everyday clinical practice, as well as their importance for patient safety, professional development, and social sustainability. The presentation will offer perspectives on how perioperative nurses can contribute to both excellence in patient care and the development of resilient and sustainable healthcare services.
Professor Annette Erichsen is a perioperative nurse specialist, clinician, and researcher dedicated to advancing patient safety in surgical care. She holds a professorship at the Institute of Health and Care Sciences, University of Gothenburg, while maintaining a clinical affiliation with Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Her research bridges clinical practice, infection prevention, and implementation science, with a particular focus on translating evidence into sustainable improvements in perioperative care. Through large-scale clinical studies, Professor Erichsen has demonstrated how evidence-based infection prevention strategies can significantly improve patient outcomes while reducing healthcare costs. She currently leads the SafeSpine research program, which aims to develop and evaluate new preventive strategies for patients undergoing spinal implant surgery. As a professor, researcher, and mentor, Professor Erichsen is committed to shaping the future of perioperative nursing and surgical patient safety. Professor Erichsens keynote lecture is titled “Why Research-Engaged Operating Room Nurses Matter for the Quality of Perioperative Nursing Care”.
Eriikka Siirala has a background as a registered nurse (anesthesia) and holds a PhD in health sciences. Her doctoral thesis focused on nurse managers’ decision-making and information needs in the daily unit operations in perioperative settings. Siirala currently works as a chief innovation specialist in the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland (abbreviation Varha), where she supports employees in developing their ideas, move towards new solutions. Half of her working time is dedicated to coordinating the Health Campus Turku network’s activities. The network brings together the region’s higher education institutions, local business community, and Varha to promote social and health care research, development, and innovation across these institutions. She is also interested in the development and utilization of design thinking methods in innovation processes and teaches the topic at the University of Turku and Varha.
The keynote speech will focus on promoting nursing-led innovation and enhancing nurses’ competence at the varying stages of the innovation process.
8th NORNA Congress 2027
Participant Services, Confedent International
Eteläesplanadi 2, 00130 Helsinki, Finland
Contact email: norna2027@confedent.fi