Zena is a registered nurse with over 35 years of experience in clinical practice and academia. Zena holds a PhD, a FFNMRCSI, and an MSc in Wound Healing & Tissue Repair, an MSc in Leadership in Education, a PGDip in Wound Healing & Tissue Repair, and a Diploma in Management. Zena is the Chair in Nursing at the RCSI, University of Medicine and Health Sciences, is Head of the School of Nursing & Midwifery and Director of the Skin Wounds, and Trauma (SWaT) Research Centre at RCSI. Zena’s area of research interest is Wound Healing & Tissue Repair, and she has published over 320 articles, guidelines, consensus documents and book chapters in this field. In 2022, Zena received a lifetime achievement award from the World Union of Wound Healing Societies, for her outstanding contribution to the field of wound healing and tissue repair. Furthermore, Zena is listed on the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Stanford University listings of the “top 2% researchers around the world”.
In addition, Expert scape (2013-2023), ranks Zena in the Top 0.02% of authors worldwide on the subject of pressure ulcers. Zena is chair of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, International Guideline Governance Group and is also a Past President of the European Wound Management Association. Zena is an Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, a Visiting Professor at Ulster University, an Honorary Visiting Professor, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, a Professor at the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, an Honorary Professor, Lida Institute, Shanghai, China and an Adjunct Professor, Department of Nursing, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, Jeddah, KSA.