Keynote Speaker Bios
Dr. Michael Amoah, BSc, MBChB, Fellow of West African College of Surgeons, Ghana College of SurgeonsSenior Specialist Paediatric Surgeon & Head of Paediatric Surgery Unit
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital
Kumasi, Ghana
Dr. Michael Amoah serves as the Senior Specialist Paediatric Surgeon & Head of the Paediatric Surgery Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana.
Dr. Amoah also holds the position of Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology located in Kumasi, Ghana.
Professor Dr. Dimitri Beeckman, RN, PhD
Professor of Skin Integrity and Clinical Nursing
Department of Public Health and Primary Care
University Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, Skin Integrity Research Group (SKINT)
Ghent, Belgium
Dr. Dimitri Beeckman is Professor of Nursing Science at Ghent University (Belgium) and Örebro University (Sweden). He is Deputy Head of the School of Health Sciences at Örebro University and responsible for research development and internationalisation. He is a visiting professor at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Monash University (Australia) and the University of Southern Denmark. He is a past president of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) and the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP) and an Executive Board Member (honorary treasurer) of the European Wound Management Association (EWMA). He is programme director of the Master of Nursing and Midwifery programme at Ghent University. He leads the Skin Integrity Research Group (SKINT) at Ghent University and the Swedish Centre for Skin and Wound Research (SCENTR) at Örebro University.
He specializes in skin integrity research, clinical trials, education, implementation, instrument development, and psychometrics. He has authored over 200 scientific publications and shared his research insights in more than 80 countries. His role extends to serving on the editorial boards of scientific journals such as the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), the Journal of Tissue Viability (JTV), and the International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances (IJNSA). As the Associate Editor and Social Media Editor of the International Journal of Nursing Studies (IJNS), recognized for the highest impact factor in nursing globally, he contributes significantly to the field. His contributions have been acknowledged through international fellowships, including prestigious honors from the Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society of Nursing, the European Academy of Nursing Science (EANS), and the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN).
Professor Dr. Kathleen (Katie) Leask Capitulo, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNYAM, IIWCC, FACCE, C-CNS
Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Rory Myers College of Nursing, NYU, NYC; and Zhengzhou University, China
Editorial Board, Advances in Skin & Wound Care
Executive Director, Transcultural Nursing Leadership Institute
President, Fairy Godmother Foundation of NY, Inc.
Secretary, Norma N. Gill Foundation, WCET(r)
Chief Nurse Executive (ret), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Bronx, New York, United States
Dr. Kathleen Leask Capitulo has spent her career leading nursing practice, education, research, and patient care services at major academic medical centers in New York and a Nursing Leadership Institute in China. She has experience as a Director of a Children’s and Women’s Hospital and Chief Nurse Executive at tertiary medical centers in New York City. She has created and led a comprehensive skin and wound care program, implemented shared governance and professional practice, developed numerous clinical programs, and been the Principal Investigator on several research studies.
Katie has authored a book, numerous articles and book chapters; been a Guest Editor for Wolters-Kluwer; and is a member of the Editorial Board of Advances in Skin and Wound Care.
Dr. Capitulo received a BS from Keuka College, MS in Nursing from Adelphi University, and a PhD in Nursing Science from Columbia University in New York. Dr. Capitulo was a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow from 2004 – 2007. She is a graduate of the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course, accredited by the University of Toronto. She directed the Transcultural Nursing Leadership Institute in China where she mentored over 200 nursing leaders in China to lead evidence-based change projects, including creating an Enterostomal Therapy Nurse School. She is a Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Rory Myers College of Nursing at New York University in New York City, as well as Zhengzhou University in China.
Katie has served on the boards of nursing organizations and non-profit charities. She has received several grants and awards. Dr. Capitulo is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the New York Academy of Medicine. She is a certified Clinical Nurse Specialist and has expertise in Skin and Wound Care, Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, Women’s Health, Transplant, Professional Practice, and Shared Governance. She serves on the board of a wish granting non-profit foundation in New York.
Gill Castle
Gill is a 44 year old mother of one, who has lived with a colostomy since the traumatic birth of her son 12 years ago. After suffering poor mental health for many years, she eventually turned her life round. She became the first ostomate to swim the English Channel solo, and set up her own international charity dedicated to empowering Kenyan ostomates to embrace living with their stomas.
