Meet our editorial board members from Asia, South America, Oceania and Africa

In our recent editorials, we discussed the expansion of our Editorial Board^1-3 and introduced you to some of our members. We promised a series of further editorials introducing our wider membership. This is the last in a series of three editorials providing insight into the group of outstanding and distinguished individuals that comprise our board. We have created the largest most internationally diverse board to greatly increase the capabilities and expertise of the journal.

Ms. Shaikha Al Qahtani is the first Qatari Director of Nursing in Wound Care Management at Hamad Medical corporation (HMC). She oversees Nursing and Wound Care Management for ambulatory care services in the hospital's OPD and surgery unit, as well as Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) Bone and Joint Center and Fahad Bin Jassim Dialysis Center. She is a member of the American College of Wound Care and Tissue Repair (AWCT). Ms. Al Qahtani previously worked as a subspecialty wound care nurse in the Patient and Family Education Unit at HGH, also covering Women's Hospital.

She has conducted many wound care awareness programs for schools and held numerous wound care workshops for students and faculty at the University of Calgary (UCQ). Shaikha has also attended and participated in many international courses and conferences.

Ms. Al Qahtani completed her Diploma in Nursing in 2007 through the High Institute of Nursing—Doha, Qatar, and completed an International InterProfessional Wound Care course from the University of Toronto (IIWCC) in 2009. Ms. Al Qahtani received her BSN in 2013 from the University of Calgary—Qatar and followed that with a Masters in Science of Skin Integrity Skills and Treatment from the University of Hertfordshire (2014). She recently completed her Master of Nursing—Thesis at the University of Calgary—Qatar (2016).

Dr. Akita served as a full professor and chief of the Department of Plastic Surgery, Wound Repair, and Regeneration at Fukuoka University School of Medicine from 2016 to 2021. He is currently a full professor at Fukushima Medical University. He completed his residency in plastic surgery at Nagasaki University Hospital and earned his PhD from the Graduate School of Nagasaki University, specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Khaled obtained his Doctor of Medicine from Damascus University, Syria (1992). He went on to obtain a Master's degree in general surgery, Syria (1998), and completed the International Inter-Professional Wound Care Course (IIWCC), Toronto University, 2016, for 1 year.

He is currently the Head, The Diabetic Foot Unit, King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital (KAASH), Taif, KSA. He also practiced as a Specialist in General Surgery, KAASH, Taif, KSA (2008–2010), and a Specialist in General Surgery, Syria (1999–2008). Prof. Khaled has extensive training in diabetic foot obtained both regionally and internationally attending over 10 courses.

Paula obtained a BS Nursing, University of the Philippines, Manila, and Master's in Public Management, Ateneo De Manila University.

International Interprofessional Wound Care Course—Canada (2019). Her career has mainly been in nursing within the Air Force in the Philippines, through a series of positions. Paula is currently a Military Flight Nurse/Head Nurse, OB-Gyne Ward/Head Nurse, Pedia Ward at the Air Force General Hospital, Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, Pasay City.

Aside from the usual designations, she had also been given additional special duties to perform: As a flight nurse in the Philippine Air Force, she had successfully aeromedically evacuated numerous patients from all over the Philippines, flying over the dangerous mountains of the north to the hot areas of the south. She had also done multiple tours of duties at war areas such as Jolo, Sulu and Marawi.

Ruth qualified as a podiatrist in 1992 in the UK and has since specialized in the assessment, treatment and management of the high-risk foot. She worked for the UK National Health Service for over 20 years before moving to Abu Dhabi in 2014.

Ruth undertook a Master's degree in advanced practice to expand her skills in lower limb vascular assessment and surgical debridement. She has established a number of multi-disciplinary diabetic foot teams which have resulted in the reduction of lower limb amputations and improved care of people with diabetic foot disease.

Dr. Ertugrul graduated as a specialist in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology from the University of İstanbul School of Medicine. He started to work in Microbiology at Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology in 2004. He received the title of Professor in the same department in 2017. During this working period, he established and was responsible for the Nazlı—Selim Eren Chronic Wound and Infections Care Unit at the University Hospital in 2016. He retired in 2020 and founded GEDA Wound Care Clinic in Izmir and still works there.

He has published more than 80 national and international research articles and book chapters and more than 100 congress and symposium papers. He was invited and worked as an observer faculty member at Oxford University Nuffield Orthopaedic Center, Bone Infections Department, in 2015 and at Zurich University Balgrist University Hospital for 1 month in 2019. His most important areas of interest are diabetic foot infections, orthopaedic infections, skin and soft tissue infections, rational antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance.

Professor Firooz is Professor of Dermatology, Center for Research & Training in Skin Diseases & Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, since 2012 and is the Director, Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 2014 to Present.

Professor Amit Gefen received a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and MSc and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Tel Aviv University in 1994, 1997 and 2001, respectively. During 2002–2003, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He is currently a Full Professor with the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of Tel Aviv University and the Herbert J. Berman Chair in Vascular Bioengineering and also a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology.

An experienced clinical nurse specialist with over 30 years of experience in wound, ostomy and continence care, Widasari is also a lecturer, researcher, author and entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of WOCARE Centre Indonesia, which pioneered Indonesia's wound care education and practice.

Senior Advisor to the Director General, Health Affairs of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahmam University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Registered Nurse and Senior Lecturer at Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

President Elect of the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists® (WCET*) Executive Board Member of WCET*

Editorial Board member of Annals of Saudi Medicine, World Journal of Colorectal Surgery, the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists Journal and Advances in Skin and Wound Care.

Established Saudi Chapter of Enterostomal therapists in 2012.

Founder of a nationally and internationally recognized formal education program (diploma program) in enterostomal therapy (ET) in Saudi Arabia and initiated ET training into the curriculum of medical schools.

She has 35 years of experience in colorectal nursing with 25 years in stoma, wound, continence and anorectal physiology and widely regarded as bringing expertise and training in the care of stoma patients to Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East.

Dr. Bharat Kotru is a distinguished podiatrist renowned for his expertise in foot and wound care. With a remarkable academic background, Dr. Kotru holds a PG in Advanced Clinical Podiatry from Spain, IIWCC certification from the University of Toronto, and an MSc in Clinical Skin Integrity and Wound Management from the University of Hertfordshire, UK. His specialized training also includes a credential from the Diabetic Foot Foundation at the Michener Institute.

Prof. Kuo is currently the Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Director of Transplantation Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Taiwan.

Dr. Kuo is an internationally renowned ‘Surgeon-Scientist’, not only in clinical practice but also in basic research for more than 20 years. Dr. Kuo got a PhD degree from the Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Chang Gung Medical College in 2003. Then, he served as the Post-Doctor Research Associate position in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA, between 2004 and 2005. His research focused on the immunomodulation of composite tissue allotransplantation. He established the first heterotopic large animal (swine) limb transplant model (2005) in Taiwan and the first orthotopic large animal (Swine) hemi-facial transplant in the world (2008) to study the mechanisms of tolerance induction and chimerism.

Around 10 years' preparation included animal studies and pre-clinical cadaveric mock surgery; he got the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and started the hand allotransplant program. His team performed the first-hand allotransplantation in Taiwan on Sep. 3, 2014. His achievement let Taiwan be listed as one of the famous institutes of composite tissue allotransplantation in the world.

Prof. Kuo has been honoured with numerous awards, orations, professorship and honorary appointments. He has been selected as ‘International Guest Scholar’ awarded by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in 2003. He is the first surgeon trained in Taiwan to get this honour since past 40 years of funding the awards.

Prof. Cecilia Li-Tsang was the Associate Head and Professor at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University ever since 1989. She is currently the visiting professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the university upon her retirement recently. She obtained her PhD at the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has more than 30 years of academic teaching and research experiences in the field of physical rehabilitation. She is specialized in the field of burns, wound and scar management, paediatrics and hand and work-related injuries.

Her research work in burns and scar management was awarded the State Scientific and Technological Award, China (Second Class Award) in 2012. Her inventions, the Smart Pressure Monitored Suit (SPMS) and the Smart Scar Care Pad (SSCP) were both awarded Gold Medal with the Congratulation of Jury at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (2010 and 2017), and Innovation Award from the National Council of Rector from Romania in 2017.

Mr. Manfred Mak is a Senior Principal Podiatrist at Singapore General Hospital. He previously held the position of Head, Podiatry, at Singapore General Hospital for 5 years before stepping down. Manfred was awarded the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Overseas Scholarship in 2006, graduated with First Class Honours in Podiatry from the University of Southampton and holds a Master's degree in Public Health from the National University of Singapore. He was also awarded a Fellow of Faculty of Podiatric Medicine from the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians, Glasgow.

Dr. Tauqeer Ahmed Malik, MBBS (Pakistan), RMP (Pakistan), BSc (Pakistan), MRCS (RCSEd-UK), CCBST (UK-Ireland), PgDip WH & TR (Cardiff University-UK). He is working as a diabetic foot consultant surgeon and interventionist in Islamabad, Pakistan, and as an Associate Consultant diabetic foot and wound care surgeon at King Fahad Armed Forces Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Taqueer is a visiting wound care surgeon for the royal family of KSA.

Professor Malik played a major role in the research on the role of human amniotic membrane in the management of acute and chronic wounds. This research was the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. He has six scientific papers and publications published in various international journals.

He has conducted many wound care workshops, trainings and in-service lectures on diabetic foot and wound care in various departments and is often an invited speaker at various local, regional and international diabetic foot and wound care conferences. His vision is to enhance diabetic foot and wound care in Pakistan: Thus, reducing amputation, pressure injuries and surgical site infection rates to a minimum.

He wishes to create a centre of excellence within Pakistan where it will host CME-accredited diabetic foot and wound care workshops, seminars and international conferences at regular intervals. In collaboration with local and national, both private and governmental health authorities this will extend best-practice diabetic foot and wound care services. These services will include pressure injury prevention programs, diabetic foot prevention programs, training wound care champions and hands-on workshops on products and techniques.

Dr. Harikrishna Nair is the Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Wound Council and President of the Malaysian Society of Wound Care Professionals (MSWCP). He holds the position of Recorder and Executive Board Member at the World Union of Wound Healing Societies, and he is the Vice President of the Asian Wound Care Association. Currently, he leads the Wound Care Department at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, Malaysia. He is the National Advisor for the Primary Health Ministry of Health Malaysia and a Professor of Wound Care at the Faculty of Medicine, Lincoln University.

Rei Ogawa has the M.D. and PhD degrees. He is currently a faculty member at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, Japan, with a position of Professor and Chief at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery. Also, he is a Vice Dean of the medical faculty of Nippon Medical School.

He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and a member of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS). In addition, he is now directing the Mechanobiology and Mechanotherapy Laboratory at his medical school. He joined the Tissue Engineering and Wound Healing Laboratory, Brigham, and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, where he worked between 2007 and 2009 as a Research Fellow. He has focused his recent studies on mechanobiology and its application to tissue engineering, wound healing and anti-aging medicine. His clinical specialty is reconstructive surgery and scar management, for example, abnormal scar (keloid and hypertrophic scars) prevention and treatment. In relation to this, he studied mechanobiology of wound healing and scarring, and he is a world leader in this area. He is now the president of the Global Scar Society (G-ScarS) and the Japan Scar Workshop (JSW).

He was the recipient of several awards, for example, the Award of Japanese Society of Plastic Surgery, and many research grants (e.g., grant-in-aid for scientific research in Japan). Moreover, he holds several national patents in the field of tissue engineering and mechanobiology. He is an Editorial Board Member of many international/local scientific journals (e.g., Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) and is a Board Member of international/local medical societies (e.g., Japanese Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery [JSPRS]).

Dr. Saritphat Orrapin is a vascular surgeon with expertise in treating a broad range of conditions, including chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), peripheral vascular disease, chronic venous disorder, venous ulcer and other chronic leg ulcer (CLU). Orrapin's participation in vascular disease and chronic leg ulcer research over the past 10 years has included trials to evaluate the result of endovascular and surgical revascularization in DFU and CLTI, angiosome and woundsome concepts. He also participates in the biological therapy and advance wound care involving growth factors, oxygen therapy and other novel technology in DFU and CLU.

He has served as principal investigator for numerous international original articles and meta-analysis in vascular disease. His experience also includes providing consultantation for limb revascularization procedures and DFU treatment in CLTI patients for surgeons and angiologists. Orrapin earned his medical degree and completed a residency in general surgery and a fellowship in vascular surgery at the Chiang Mai University (CMU) School of Medicine. He has been working as a Medical Instructor and Consultant in the Division of Vascular Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, since 2017.

Orrapin has served as The Council and Board Members of Asia Pacific Association for Diabetic Limb Problems (APADLP) and Deputy Director of the Center of Excellence for Diabetic Foot Care at Thammasat University Hospital. He also served in the committees of Thai Vascular Association, Wound Healing Association (Thailand), Diabetic Foot Club (Thailand) and Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand (RCST). He is a fellowship of the international College of Surgeons (FICS), Thailand section.

Bringing over 22 years' experience as an Advanced Wound and Stoma Care specialist, with clinical experience across Australia, UK and the UAE, Cassie is a Senior Burns Specialist Nurse from Australia and previously a member of the Royal Adelaide Hospital Burns Assessment Team. In the UAE, she has successfully developed the region's largest nurse-led wound and stoma care service which has received many accolades, including the World Union of Wound Healing UAE Local Wound Clinical Wound Centre of Excellence. Cassie has also achieved many awards during her career, including the Journal of Wound Care Bronze Award for Excellence in Wound Care from the UAE and Dubai ‘Champion Nurse Award’. Cassie is Chair of the Stoma Care Program for the Emirates Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery and a member of the EPUAP Pressure Injury Expert Panel Group.

Dr. Mohamad Helmi Bin Mohd Rashidi is the Head of the Wound Care Unit at Hospital Ampang and an advanced wound care physician. He holds a Medical Degree from University Putra Malaysia, where he graduated in 2010. Furthering his expertise, he obtained a Certification of Clinical Wound Care and is now a Certified Wound Care Clinician. He also pursued a postgraduate diploma in wound management and is currently enrolling with the American Board of Wound Management to become a Certified Wound Specialist Physician.

Dr. Helmi specializes in chronic wound management and has made significant contributions to the field. He was nominated for an award in the Journal of Wound Care Awards 2024 and was elected as a clinical facilitator for the basic wound course program run by the Institute of Health Management, Austria, in Malaysia.

Additionally, he is a sought-after speaker for both local and international wound care conferences.

Dr. Kittipan Rerkasem is a renowned vascular surgeon and a leading academic at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, where he holds the position of Deputy Director at the Research Institute for Health Sciences. With a medical degree from Chiang Mai University and further specialization in vascular disease from Southampton General Hospital and the University of Oxford, Dr. Rerkasem brings over two decades of experience in medical research and patient care.

His career is distinguished by his focus on non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes management and the prevention of major amputations and cardiovascular events. Dr. Rerkasem has been instrumental in developing innovative protocols for diabetic foot care, significantly reducing amputation rates at Chiang Mai University Hospital. His research extends into the study of cardiovascular risks in HIV patients and the epidemiology of vascular diseases within the Thai population.

Dr. Rerkasem has contributed to more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has been recognized with several national and international awards, including the Outstanding Researcher Award from the National Research Council of Thailand and inclusion in the World's Top 2% Scientists list by Stanford University.

Mohammad is the Professor, School of Nursing, The University of Jordan and the Former Secretary General, JNC. He is also the former Vice Dean, School of Nursing, The University of Jordan and the coordinator of critical care master program, school of nursing, The University of Jordan.

Prof. Saleh would like to use his knowledge in health and life science profession to create new knowledge through research and close study of relevant population and disseminate this knowledge to the various communities he served utilizing critical thinking; therapeutic communication and appropriate teaching, management, consultative and advanced skills in the exercise of professional responsibilities. He would like to engage in the teaching process of several dimensions, such as critical care, public health, wound care, applied and epidemiologic research, community health, medical and surgical nursing, and in instructional development to contribute, not only to the general knowledge base in the field of nursing and health care but also to the ways in which knowledge is created and shared.

Professor Tan is the Chief Physician, Head of the Department, Plastic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School (January 2004 to present).

He specializes in plastic surgery, burn surgery, cosmetic surgery and chronic wound treatment. His specific expertise includes repair and reconstruction; wound treatment and eye, nose, breast and perineum cosmetic plastic surgeries. As a senior volunteer of ‘Operation Smile’, Prof. Tan has treated more than 2000 children with cleft lip and cleft palate for free.

Dr. Tongson is the Past President, Philippine Wound Care Society; an Executive Member, World Union Wound Healing Society; and the Philippine Representative, Diabetic Foot International.

Vijay is the Head and Chief Diabetologist of M.V. Hospital for Diabetes and President of Prof. M. Viswanathan Diabetes Research Centre, Royapuram, Chennai, a WHO Collaborating Centre for Research, Education and Training in Diabetes.

Professor Viswanathan obtained a PhD in Diabetic Nephropathy from Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University after an MD in Internal Medicine. He received the first Vivian Fonseca Award from the American Diabetes Association for his work in DM and TB in 2013. He has trained over 2000 physicians in prevention of amputations.

He was appointed Adjunct Professor by Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University. He was also awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians London for Research Contribution in Diabetes. He is the editor of Journal of Association of Physicians of India, Tamil Nadu Chapter (TAPIJ) from 2009. He is the Chairman of API, Tamil Nadu Chapter, for the period 2010–2011. He was elected as the National Governing Body Member of API for the second time in succession. He was the Secretary of RSSDI Tamil Nadu Chapter from 2013 to 2017 (August). He is also a National Executive Committee Member, RSSDI, from 2016.

Professor Viswanathan is the immediate past-President of D-Foot International.

Prof. Weihs is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa Israel. She received her BSc (Cum Laude), MSc (Cum Laude) and PhD (2004) in Chemical Engineering from the Technion-IIT. She then continued as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Mandika Wijeyaratne, MS, MD, FRCS, is the Chair Professor of Surgery, at The Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, and chief of the University Vascular and Organ Transplant program. He received his medical education at the University of Colombo and then went on to specialize in surgery and was board certified by the PGIM in Colombo in 1990. He then joined the Department of Surgery academic staff and then in 1999 proceeded to research carotid bifurcation plaques and obtain MD by thesis at the University of Leeds, England. Thereafter, he introduced carotid endarterectomy surgery for stroke prevention in Sri Lanka. Other key contributions to vascular surgery were the introduction of colour duplex vascular imaging and extreme distal bypass surgery for amputation prevention, particularly in the aging diabetic population. All these procedures are in mainstream practice today. He also contributes exhaustively to wound care education and the development of guidelines for the management of the diabetic foot locally and internationally.

In parallel with his interests in vascular disease, he is also interested in expanding the horizons of organ transplantation surgery in Sri Lanka. This resulted in visits to centres of excellence in liver transplantation at the Starzl Institute in Pittsburgh, Leeds liver unit and Medanta in New Delhi. This experience led to the first successful liver transplant operation in Sri Lanka in 2010. He has also extended the kidney transplant program to the Army Hospital and the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for children. To date, he has performed over 1200 kidney transplants in Sri Lanka.

He has lectured extensively throughout the country and in Asia on outcomes of distal bypass surgery and wound care. He was the principal investigator in a first-in-man study of a polyurethane vascular graft for early puncture. His other areas of research include attenuation of ischaemia reperfusion injury and development of novel wound dressings.

Professor Wu is the Director, Professor, Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Shenzhen University, China. He is the past president of the Chinese Burn Association, a past president of the Chinese Burn Rehabilitation Association, the president of Chinese Society for Wound Healing and the Editor-in-Chief of Burns and Trauma.

He has received numerous awards in his career: The 24th China Patent Excellence Award (2023); Lok Nayak Hospital Visiting Professorship, issued by the National Academy of Burns India (2022); First-class Science & Technology Award for Research and application of new technology for wound diagnosis, issued by the Chinese Rehabilitation Association (2021); First-class Science & Technology Award for New Mechanism of Skin Wound Healing and Translational Medicine Research, issued by the Chinese Medicine Association (2021); Second-class Science & Technology Award of National Science and Technology Advancement for the novel management of severe burn injury, issued by China Central Government (2006); and the Williams Prize for the best research prolongation of the survival of alloskin grafts without any immune suppression, issued by the Israel Burn Association (1992).

Saldy Yusuf is an accomplished individual with a diverse academic background in Nursing Science. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, which he completed in 2007. He furthered his education by pursuing a Master's and Doctorate in Chronic Wound Management from Kanazawa University, Japan, graduating in 2012 and 2016, respectively. As a dedicated researcher, Saldy Yusuf has made significant contributions to the field of nursing, particularly in the management of chronic wounds and diabetes-related foot ulcers. His scholarly work has been recognized globally, with publications in esteemed journals and databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Sinta and Google Scholar.

Beyond academia, Saldy Yusuf is an active member of several prestigious organizations. He serves as an International Delegate for the World Council of Enterostomal Therapy Nurse (WCET) and holds a position in the Education Committee of WCET. Additionally, he is the Chairperson of the Research Division at DPP In WOCNA. These roles demonstrate his commitment to advancing nursing practices and knowledge dissemination on an international level.

Isabel Aburto Torres is a Nursing graduate from the University of Concepción. She has served as the creator and director of the National Institute of Wounds Foundation since 2005. This institution is dedicated to training, research, publishing magazines and clinical guides and providing patient care for those with complex wounds and ulcers.

Ms. Aburto Torres holds multiple diplomas in management and is a Wound Management Specialist. Since 1998, she has been an advisor to the Ministry of Health of Chile, contributing to the development of the GES Diabetic Foot Baskets and Valued Benefits for Venous Ulcers. She also evaluates FONDEF research work and has authored 15 clinical guides and 14 journals on wound and ulcer management.

In her academic role, Ms. Aburto Torres is a professor of various postgraduate courses in wound management and has directed 11 national and international congresses on this subject. In 2023, she signed an international agreement with Spain to enhance training programs.

As a researcher, Ms. Aburto Torres has participated as an author in over 18 research projects on the management of wounds and ulcers. She has initiated several social campaigns, including National Wounds Day, which has been held for 13 years in Chile to educate the public on wound prevention. In 2010, she started the Wound Solidarity Route through Chile, aimed at training healthcare professionals from various regions through patient interaction. This initiative expanded to Haiti in 2019, incorporating international volunteering.

Dr. Wiegering is a Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon.

He is a past president of the FELAQ (Ibero-Latin American Burns Federation). He is also a past president of the Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery of Peru and a past president of the Burn Society of Peru. He is currently a Full Member of American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and a Full Member of International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS).

Professor Campos was born in Heidelberg Germany but finished her nursing studies at the Catholic University of Chile. She started working in a private clinic. Prof. Campos saw the need to provide specialized care for ostomy patients and then did her training as a specialized stomatherapy nurse at Saint Marks Hospital, UK. There she was able to do internships in different hospitals and cities, attending the department of stomatherapy, intensive care and burn units among others. Then, she took an expert program at the Complutense University of Madrid. She returned to Chile full of ideas, but the subject was still unknown in the region. Prof. Campos worked for 5 years in San Borja Arriarán Hospital where she introduced the concept of a nurse specialized in the care of the stoma and wound management. She struggled to develop the concept of comprehensive care in stomas, wounds and continence in Chile. But she persevered and succeeded. She is an active member of the WCET and American Society and participates in the congresses internationally.

Her passion is her patients who motivate her to keep fighting for their wellness. Her current job is at Andres Bello University and she enjoys teaching.

Professor Carvalho is specialized in wound, ostomy and continence care and has a PhD in Medical Science from USP, with 20 years of experience in academic clinical research in wound healing and skincare. She has oriented and graduated 22 master's and one PhD and currently supervises one master's and two PhD students as an Associate Professor of the Graduate Program in Sciences of Guarulhos University.

Professor González holds a bachelor's degree in nursing, University of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and a master's degree in comprehensive management and research of chronic wounds, University of Cantabria, Spain. She holds postgraduate qualifications in health administration, patient safety, intensive care nursing and wound management from both local and international universities.

Professor González has numerous professional appointments and has led the specialization of wound care within the region. These include a number of professional bodies: President of the Board of Directors of the Ibero-Latin American Society of Ulcers and Wounds (2018–2026); President of the Steering Committee of the Uruguayan Scientific Society of Wounds (2018 to present) and Member of the EWMA Teacher Network.

She also holds a number of professional and academic posts: Member of the Department of Quality and Patient Safety; General Directorate of Health Ministry of Public Health, Uruguay (2015 to date); Deputy Director of the Department of Nursing and Coordinator of the Patient Safety Commission of the Catholic Circle of Workers of Uruguay Mutualista (2015 to date); Technical Director of the ‘Santa María’ School of Nursing of the CCOU (2018 to date); Associate Professor at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences of the Catholic University of Uruguay (2015 to present); Assistant Professor Grade II of Health Services Administration

University of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Faculty of Nursing (2011 to 2015); Deputy Coordinator of the Patient Safety Nursing Network of Uruguay (RESPU),

Gabriela Madrigal Gutiérrez has a Medical Degree in Medicine and Surgery Specializing in Family and Community Medicine. She also has a master's in clinical dermatology and a master's in health services administration. Currently, she is the Assistant Centro Nacional de Rehabilitación, CCSS—San José, Costa Rica; Assistant Clínica Bíblica—San José, Costa Rica and Assistant Centro Médico Momentum Escazú—San José, Costa Rica.

Dr. Gutierrez is also a Professor of Medical Examination Tests, Autonomous University of Central America—San José, Costa Rica. She has certifications in Platelet-Rich Fibrin Course; Clinical Nutrition Basics Course; Wound Management Course; Stem Cells Course and Stem Cell Extraction and Cultivation Course. Professor Gutierrez is a member of a number of professional associations:

Professor Ruiz trained as a physician and plastic surgeon at the University of Antioquia in Medellin (Colombia), a public university. For personal reasons, she moved to Spain, and after going through several health issues, she decided to continue her profession outside the operating theatre. In the year 2000, during a burns symposium in the city of Bogota (Colombia), she was introduced to the concept of wound healing in a moist environment and began to study and apply the concept.

Rebecca has a 25-year history of clinical experience in neurosciences, intensive care, vascular, diabetic foot, wound care, clinical education and district nursing. She completed her Master of Nursing in 2006 and has a great passion for nursing practice development. Rebecca is involved at a national and international level in practice and guideline development.

Shan is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Shan has worked as both a podiatric clinician and researcher and has a particular interest in the high-risk foot, wound management and the impact of psychosocial factors on clinical outcomes in populations with chronic disease. Shan was awarded a PhD in 2009 where her thesis included a state-wide prevalence study for diabetes-related foot complications and an evaluation of community-based services that were available to this patient cohort. To facilitate her prevalence study, Shan developed and validated a survey tool to collect clinical data. This survey tool (Q-DFD) has since been used in several international studies. Shan has published over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and is currently involved in research related to microbiology of diabetic foot wounds, recurrent and contralateral Charcot's neuroarthropathy and footwear, falls and balance in older adults.

Keryln is the Professor of Primary Health Care and Community Nursing at Silver Chain Group and Curtin University, Western Australia. She is the Deputy Lead of the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI) Inflammation, Infection and Wounds Domain and Lead of the Wounds Group. She is a lead investigator on WHAM research projects, delivers undergraduate and postgraduate wound curriculum and supervises postgraduate students.

Keryln has extensive clinical experience in wound and ostomy care and is committed to research and education within the domains. Keryln chairs the Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance and was a Guideline Governance Group member for the development of the International Pressure Injury Guideline 2014 and 2019 (and the forthcoming 2025 edition). She co-ordinates the Curtin University Postgraduate Program of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Practice in Australia and Singapore. She was appointed a Fellow of Wounds Australia in 2006 and a Life Member of the Australian Association of Stomal Therapy Nurses in 2015. She was awarded a World Union of Wound Healing Societies Life Achievement Award in 2022 and the Western Australian Life-Time Achievement in Nursing Award in 2010. Keryln is a Churchill Fellow 1995. Keryln has over 130 peer-reviewed publications and texts.

Sasha has 20+ years of clinical experience in both the UK and NZ in several areas of nursing, including perioperative care, plastics, general, breast and ENT surgery, district nursing and clinical education.

She is presently completing her Master's in Digital Health and has a passion for nursing development that encourages the best patient care and is vocal in her belief of how digital education and innovation can create care equity.

Professor Jackson is the Hon. Professor of Regenerative Science and Medicine, Kolling Institute, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney (2021 to present).

Previously, he was the Professor of Regenerative Science and Medicine, NCS, University of Sydney (2013–2020) and the Associate Professor, NCS, University of Sydney (2006–2013); he has a long relationship with the University of Sydney. Professor Jackson completed his PhD from the University of Sydney.

He was the Director, Sutton Arthritis Research Laboratory, Royal North Shore Hospital (1999–2020).

Professor Jackson has received grants awards as Chief Investigator >$16M, including NHMRC; Arthritis Australia; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International; Health Research Council NZ; Korea National Research Foundation; Lincoln Centre; Ramsay Health.

Peter's career has been motivated by the goal of ending avoidable amputations within a generation for people with diabetes foot disease. Prior to his research career, he was a nationally regarded clinical podiatrist with >10 years of foot disease experience. In 2011, he commenced his research career by establishing Australia's first diabetes foot disease research program at QUT/MNNHS; he also began his PhD to investigate the burden of foot disease in inpatient populations. He completed his PhD in 2016 and was awarded an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship in 2018, an Associate Professor in Foot Disease at QUT in 2020 and an International Rising Star Award for important international research contributions to the field at the International Symposium on the Diabetic Foot in 2023. Today, he is the Principal Research Fellow leading the #7 leading diabetes foot disease research program in the world at QUT/ MNHHS, a program that is producing paradigm-changing new global knowledge and health impacts in three main diabetes foot disease areas: quantifying disease burdens, identifying key risk factors and developing novel treatments.

Since completing his PhD in 2016, he has published >80 manuscripts, including 69% in Q1 journals (notably there are no Q1 foot journals), 58% as first/senior author, 55% cited in guidelines/policies, 36% in the top 10% most cited in the field, and his FWCI since is 3.6. Of note, he was the first/senior author on the most highly cited 2018 and 2020 original papers in the field, co-senior author on a paper awarded a top published study in the past 4 years in the field, and otherwise, he has been the first/senior author on nine of 16 papers published in Decile 1 journals in the diabetes and endocrinology field.

Dr. Jenny Prentice has over 40 years' experience in nursing, stomal therapy and wound management in acute, community, private and aged care sectors in Australia and New Zealand. Jenny is an inaugural fellow and past president of Wounds Australia (formerly the Australian Wound Management Association). In addition, Jenny was the Founding Editor in 1993 of Wounds Australia's Journal Wound Practice & Research (formerly Primary Intention). She remains on the Editorial Board and is also an Editorial Board member of Advances in Skin & Wound Care. As a member of the National Medical Benefit Scheme Taskforce on Wound Management, Jenny contributed to a report to the Federal Government on the status of wound management in Australia and the need for dressing reimbursement in 2020. In addition, Jenny was a member of the International Ostomy Guideline Development Group 2020 for the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists and a Committee Member of Diabetic Feet Australia who adapted the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) Guidelines' practical guidelines on the prevention and management of diabetic foot disease to the Australian context in 2021.

Kylie is an Associate Professor, Lead Skin Integrity Research Group at the Centre for Molecular Medicine & Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University. She is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer, the School of Medicine, Cardiff University and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia. She is the Founder and President of a not-for-profit association, the International Surgical Wound Complications Advisory Panel (ISWCAP). ISWCAP's vision is to generate awareness of surgical wound complications and improve outcomes for patients through early detection and prevention via education and research with an international panel of experts. Kylie is a Research Scientist and Chief Investigator of several clinical trials ranging from Phase 1 first-in-human studies to phase 3–4 comparative effectiveness trials. Kylie's research focuses upon early identification, prevention and management of surgical wound complications, including surgical site infection (SSI) and surgical wound dehiscence (SWD). Kylie has chaired and co-authored over five international clinical consensus documents, first authored over 20 original research papers and chaired the ISWCAP Best Practice Statement on the early identification and prevention of surgical wound complications. She is a regular reviewer for many peer-reviewed journals and sits on a number of journal editorial boards.

She is a Past Chair of the Board of Wounds Australia and currently serves on a number of national and international boards, including the World Union of Wound Healing Societies Executive Board as Recorder and the Scientific and Ethics Committee.

Professor Santamaria is Professor of Nursing Research, Translational Research, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, University of Melbourne (Honorary) and a Visiting Professor, Faculty of Medicine Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom (2019–2023).

His qualifications include RN, RPN, BAppSc (AdvNsg) (LaTrobe), MEdSt (Monash), GradDip Health Ed (Deakin) and a PhD (Melbourne).

Colin Song is a Professor in the Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Australia. His qualifications include MBBC, FRCS, FAMS, MScMEL and FRACS.

He is currently the Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeon and former Head of Service at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Previously, he was the Medical Director: Cape Plastic Surgery, Senior Consultant & Head of Dept. Singapore General Hospital Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery and the Director SGH Burn Centre, Singapore (1997–2012). His academic appointments include Adjunct Clinical Professor, Curtin University Medical School (present) and previously included Advisor, JCST Residency Accreditation Committee, Singapore; Professor, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School and National University Singapore Medical School; Inaugural President of the College of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine, Singapore; Chairman of Educational Subcommittee of Association of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeons of Southern Africa; and Head of Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of the Witwatersrand, Group of Teaching Hospitals, Johannesburg.

Terry was admitted as a Fellow of the Australian Wound Management Association in 2010 for her significant contribution to wound management at a state, national and international level. She is the current Vice Chair of the International Wound Infection Institute (IWII) and chaired the development of the 2016 and the 2022 IWII Consensus Document Wound Infection in Clinical Practice. Terry has published and presented on chronic wounds and wound infection.

Peta is a registered podiatrist who has worked in a variety of areas within podiatric practice for over 10 years, including private practice in both rural and regional areas and public practice in a high-risk foot clinic. This gives her the real-world experience that students appreciate in their clinical education and furthermore drives her passion for clinically translatable research outcomes.

Peta has post-graduate qualifications in wound care from Monash University and frequently lectures to Wounds Australia and the local Hunter Wound Interest Group. Peta has been invited to edit the latest edition of the Therapeutic Guidelines on ‘Wound Care’—the high-risk foot chapter. Peta's passion for wound care education was recognized by a Faculty of Health and Medicine community engagement award in 2016.

Her PhD (awarded August 2016) focused on podiatrists' role in vascular assessment of the lower limb and assessing the validity of non-invasive vascular assessment techniques in Diabetes. Peta also developed a novel vascular screening pathway for community-based patients. Peta's post-doctoral research is building upon her thesis, continuing to develop the evidence base for non-invasive vascular assessment in the lower limb in different, vulnerable populations. Furthermore, she recently completed a 6-month international post-doctoral fellowship with Professor Keith Rome at Auckland University of Technology which was focused on retail footwear use in women with rheumatoid arthritis.

Research Expertise: Peta is currently undertaking research investigating early and accurate identification of the presence of arterial disease in people with diabetes, assessing factors contributing to wound chronicity in people with diabetic foot ulceration, including dietary intake, and is also completing research examining clinically detectable vascular disease in people with rheumatoid arthritis. These projects have attracted both internal and external competitive funding.

Associate Professor Michael Woodward is Head of Aged Care Research and the Wound Management Clinic at Austin Health in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is a past president and is honoured to be a Fellow of the Australian Wound Management Association, now Wounds Australia, on which he served as an inaugural Board Member in 2018. He leads several research trials investigating new therapies and other aspects of the management of chronic wounds.

Associate Professor Woodward's publication record includes 140 peer-reviewed research papers, numerous book chapters and 390 scholarly addresses. He is past chair of the ‘Geriatric Therapeutics’ section of the editorial board of the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research and for 12 years, to the end of 2016, has been joint editor of Wound Practice and Research, the journal of Wounds Australia. He is also a member of the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Reference Committee, which approves drugs and dressings for Australian Veterans, and chairs their Advisory Wound Care Committee that recently released the revised DVA Wound Care manual and on-line wound dressings chart.

He is also a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine and is a previous chair of their Education and Training Subcommittee. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Association of Gerontology, having previously been President of their Victorian Division, and is a lifetime honorary member of Wounds Australia Victoria. He Chairs the Accreditation Subcommittee of the Royal Australasian College of Physician, responsible for accrediting training sites and programs across Australia.

Trish is an independent wound consultant and wound specialist in private practice. She is also the Director of Comp Consulting Limited, United Kingdom. She is the owner of CliniCare Medical Centre, Ballito, South Africa, providing interdisciplinary wound management in the clinic, hospital, sub-acute and home environments. She is also a research collaborator with Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa. Currently, she is an elected committee member of the International Wound Infection Institute Committee (IWII) and was on the development team for the 2022 International Consensus Update: Wound Infection in clinical practice.

She is a panel group member of the development team for the 2025 International Pressure Injury guidelines: part of the International peer review panel for Wound Healing Advances and Management collaborative (WHAM), Curtin University, Australia, and Editorial Board member of Wound Masterclass and the International Wound Journal.

Trish is a past regional and national president and an honorary member of the Society of Private Nurse Practitioners (SPNP), South Africa; past honorary tutor at Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom; past African Director for the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP); past Principal Lecturer and Coordinator of the Wound Certification Course for the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Helen has more than 20 years of experience in health care service provision, education, academic leadership, research and specialized service development. She has been engaged in the teaching of undergraduate medical students, internal medicine residents and endocrinology fellows providing lectures, seminars and clinical bedside teachings. Helen is also an international faculty for the International Interprofessional Wound Care course in the United Arab Emirates (IIWCC-UAE).

Her academic leadership experience includes chief resident of internal medicine, coordination of undergraduate teaching at the department of internal medicine, Associate Dean of the School of Medicine and Academic Director of the College of Health Sciences at Addis Ababa University. As an Academic Director, she was responsible for overseeing the academic functions of four schools under the college, namely, the schools of medicine, pharmacy, public health and nursing and midwifery, which combined close to 130 academic programs.

Since April 2021, she took a sabbatical leave from Addis Ababa University and is working at the University of Rwanda as the endocrinology fellowship program director. There she has been leading the curriculum development for the fellowship program and coordinating the training.

Helen was a co-Principal Investigator in the African Health Observatory Platform Ethiopia (AHOP-Ethiopia) which is a regional partnership to promote evidence-informed policymaking by supporting cross-countries learning.

Her recent research is focused on the integration of non-communicable diseases (mainly diabetes and hypertension) services at the primary level. The output is to be published. She has also advised and examined several master's and PhD students.

As an endocrinologist and wound care specialist, she established the first foot care service in Ethiopia at Tikur Anbessa Hospital Diabetes Center. She facilitated the training of six nurses and nine doctors in foot care in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Toronto. The foot clinic provides treatment for more than 200 patients with diabetic foot ulcers per year, screening and follow-up of patients with high-risk foot and in-person foot care education for patients coming for regular follow-up at the diabetes centre.

She has been involved in the development of guidelines for the care of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and training modules (diabetes) at the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. She has also contributed a book chapter for the seventh edition of Endocrine Secrets and the 1st edition of Diabetes Secrets.

As part of her role as an advocate for patients and professions, she served as a board member of the Ethiopian Diabetes Association and an executive member of the Ethiopian Medical Association and Ethiopian Society of Internal Medicine. She is also a member of the international affairs committee of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies and Editorial Board member of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism case reports.

In her Academic Director position, her flagship initiative was the establishment of the ‘Gender platform’, through which she was able to give training to female faculty on ‘Women's talent development’ and organize college-wide gender dialogue in collaboration with Maastricht School of Management.

As the editorial team, we are excited to expand our board to help maintain the high quality standards of the International Wound Journal moving forward. We are proud of the diversity of our board, making it appropriate for the international reach of the journal.