Meet our Keynote Presenters
The IFNC14 Conference Planning Committee is pleased to announce two guest speakers who will address important social determinants of family health that have meaning for family nursing.
Gala True, PhD, is an Investigator with the South Central Mental Illness Research and Education Center (MIRECC) at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVCHS) and Associate Professor of Community and Population Medicine at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. With a background in folklore and anthropology, her research focuses on improving access to care and the health of individuals and communities through patient-centered and community-engaged research approaches. Her most recent research employs participatory action research methods to collaborate with Veterans, military families, and other key stakeholders on identifying barriers to post-deployment care and proposing solutions for improving community reintegration after separation from military service.
Sharon Urbina is a caregiver to her husband, Carlos, who served in the United States Marine Corps for 16 years and sustained multiple traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress from his 2 tours to Iraq. She is also a new mother, as she and Carlos recently had their first child. She is the Louisiana fellow with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, where she works to create community coalitions focused on understanding and addressing unmet needs of military caregivers and families. Sharon uses her story and advocacy position to raise awareness in her community by telling her story to local veteran organizations, media outlets, and caregiver events. Throughout her journey, Sharon has learned to navigate health care systems and programs to advocate for her husband’s healthcare needs. She and Gala True have been collaborating on research together for the past 3 years, including development of an exhibit of veteran and caregiver photo-narratives and a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology.
Hester C. Klopper (BA (Cur); M Cur; PhD, MBA, HonsD, FANSA, FAAN, ASSAF), is an international academic leader with global recognition for her work. She is the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Vice-President) for Strategy and Internationalisation at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and responsible for overall strategy, the institutional research and planning division, as well as the international strategy. In addition, she is a Professor in the Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Hester is Past President of Sigma (2013-2015) and was the 1st and only person outside of North America elected to the position of President. Hester has been committed to development of researchers and overseen the NRF-Funded PLUME programme from 2013 to 2017 and mentored 24 post-docs. In addition she has supervised close to 80 Master and PhD students to completion; has published 80+ peer-reviewed articles; and is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences. Global health has become a focus area of her work over the past decade, and through her visionary leadership, the Global Advisory Panel on the future of Nursing and Midwifery (GAPFON) was established (convened by Sigma). As of January 2018 Hester has been appointed as the Chairperson of GAPFON for a four-year period. Most recently, she was also elected on the Board of Directors of the Consortium for Universities in Global Health (CUGH) (2018-2021). Hester is to date the only South African inducted into the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), is a Fellow of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), and inducted into the International Hall of Fame for Research Excellence (Sigma). In 2016, a Doctor of Nursing (Honoris Causa) from Oxford Brookes University was conferred recognising her contribution to health science education and research globally. In country, she is a Fellow of the Academy of Nursing of South Africa (FANSA), a member of the South African Academy for Science and Art, and member of the Institute of Directors of South Africa (IODSA).
Sheila Dinotshe Tlou, Ph.D, RN, FAAN is currently, situated in Johannesburg, South Africa as the Co-Chair of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition. From 2010 to June 2017 she was Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa. She is the founder of the Botswana chapter of the Society of Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) in which volunteers are trained in home- based care and educate families on HIV prevention, human rights, and caring for people living with AIDS. Dr. Tlou has been involved in the AIDS response from the time the epidemic started in 1985.
