Delfina Teixeira | Nursing | Young Scientist Award

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Assoc. Prof. Dr. Delfina Teixeira | Nursing | Young Scientist Award

Delfina Ana Pereira Ramos Teixeira is a dedicated Portuguese nursing professional and academic with extensive experience in clinical practice, teaching, and research. Currently an Adjunct Professor at both the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro and the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, she combines her clinical expertise with academic responsibilities. Her professional journey includes roles in hospital settings, higher education institutions, and research centers, reflecting her commitment to advancing nursing education and practice. A member of prestigious organizations such as Sigma Theta Tau International, she actively contributes to curriculum development, postgraduate education, and quality assessment in nursing. Delfina is also a PhD candidate in Nursing Sciences at the University of Porto and has authored several scholarly publications focusing on mental health, clinical supervision, and family-centered care. Her career is marked by interdisciplinary collaboration, academic leadership, and a strong focus on healthcare innovation and quality improvement.

Profile

🎓 Education

Delfina Ana Pereira Ramos Teixeira holds a diverse and multidisciplinary academic background in nursing and public health administration. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Nursing Sciences at the University of Porto’s Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, focusing on advanced research in nursing education and practice. In 2023, she completed a micro-credential in Clinical Supervision from the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, enhancing her skills in mentoring and educational leadership. She was also awarded the Specialist Title in Nursing in 2020 by the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, in collaboration with the University of Aveiro and the School of Nursing of Coimbra, under Portuguese higher education legislation. Additionally, Delfina completed the first year of a doctoral program in Public Health Administration at the University of Lisbon in 2017. Her academic trajectory emphasizes excellence in education, clinical specialization, and healthcare system management, all of which have shaped her into a well-rounded academic and nurse leader.

🧪 Experience

Delfina Ana Pereira Ramos Teixeira brings over a decade of experience across clinical, academic, and leadership roles in nursing. Since 2023, she has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, and from February 2025, she holds the same role at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. Previously, she worked at Hospital Quiron Salud in Pontevedra, Spain, as an operating room nurse, demonstrating her strong clinical capabilities. From 2010 to 2022, she held various teaching and coordination positions at several nursing schools, including the Escola Superior de Enfermagem Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa – Alto Tâmega and Escola Superior de Enfermagem Dr. José Timóteo Montalvão Machado. Delfina has coordinated specialized post-licensure nursing courses and served on pedagogical and quality assessment councils. Her roles consistently reflect her expertise in surgical nursing, curriculum design, academic management, and clinical instruction, reinforcing her profile as an influential educator and practitioner in nursing.

🏅 Awards and Honors

Delfina Ana Pereira Ramos Teixeira has been honored through prestigious memberships, leadership appointments, and research affiliations that underscore her professional excellence. She is a member of the Phi Xi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, a global honor society for nursing, since 2021—an acknowledgment of her academic distinction and leadership. Delfina is also an active researcher at the Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde (CINTESIS), contributing to the NursID research group focusing on nursing innovation. Between 2019 and 2022, she served in several notable roles at the Escola Superior de Enfermagem Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa – Alto Tâmega, including Vice-President of the Pedagogical Council and Coordinator of the Medical-Surgical Nursing specialization course. Her involvement in advisory boards, curriculum development teams, and quality assurance initiatives highlights her dedication to shaping the future of nursing education and research, earning her recognition across academic, clinical, and research domains.

🔬 Research Focus

Delfina Ana Pereira Ramos Teixeira’s research interests center on clinical education, mental health, family-centered care, nursing supervision, and healthcare quality. Her recent scholarly work includes studies on adolescent mental health, nursing students’ psychological resilience, and cultural adaptation of mental health literacy tools. She also investigates environmental health in nursing care, nutrition in patients with urinary ostomies, and maternal perspectives on neonatal care. Delfina emphasizes the integration of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, particularly in clinical settings where she supports the development of educational interventions to improve patient outcomes. She is an integrated member of CINTESIS and contributes to the NursID group, which fosters innovation in nursing development. Her work is often interdisciplinary and applied, aiming to bridge the gap between research and frontline healthcare. Her academic and research endeavors align with her broader goals of enhancing clinical supervision, advancing evidence-based nursing, and improving quality standards in health services and nursing education.

✅ Conclusion

Delfina Ana Pereira Ramos Teixeira is a distinguished nurse educator and researcher whose contributions to nursing practice, academic leadership, and health sciences research significantly enhance the quality and innovation of healthcare and education in Portugal.

Publications

  • Guia Orientador de Boas Práticas Clínicas Cuidados Centrados na Pessoa e na Família

    2025 | Translation

    SOURCE-WORK-ID:

    cv-prod-id-4510179

    CONTRIBUTORS: Sampaio, Francisco Miguel Correia; Sousa, Maria Rui; Oliveira, Ana Paula; Sequeira, Carlos; Imaginário, Cristina; Teixeira, Delfina; Milheiro, Isabel; et al

  • Levels of Hope, Stigma, Psychological Vulnerability, and Positive Mental Health: A Descriptive Study of Eighth- and Ninth-Grade Adolescents

    Healthcare
    2025-05-26 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.3390/healthcare13111257
    CONTRIBUTORS: Maria José Carvalho Nogueira; Delfina Teixeira

  • The Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Scale—Bilingual Cultural Adaptation: Validity and Reliability Pilot Study in Nursing Students

    Nursing Open
    2025-01 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.1002/nop2.70073
    CONTRIBUTORS: Maria José Nogueira; Síria Sas; Lucía Rodríguez; Andrea Carbonero; Uxía Bello; Leandro Nascimento; Susana Mendonça; Delfina Teixeira

  • ATIVIDADE FÍSICA DOS IDOSOS EM PORTUGAL E IMPACTOS NA SAÚDE: SCOPING REVIEW

    Enfermagem na linha de frente: experiências e lições aprendidas 2
    2024 | Book chapter
    DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.27324120211
    SOURCE-WORK-ID:

Valeria Azevedo de Almeida | Health Sciences | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Valeria Azevedo de Almeida | Health Sciences | Best Researcher Award

Valéria Azevedo de Almeida is a Brazilian physiotherapist and researcher with expertise in neuroengineering, maternal and child health, and neonatal care. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Physiotherapy at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), where she also completed her undergraduate studies. Valéria holds a Master’s in Neuroengineering from the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neurosciences and has extensive experience in hospital and academic settings. Her research contributions focus on neonatal neural activity and pediatric urological sequelae linked to congenital infections like Zika virus. She has served in both clinical and academic roles across various Brazilian institutions, including UFRN, ISD, HU-UFGD, and HRG. Fluent in Portuguese and proficient in English, she also acts as a journal referee and participates in numerous collaborative health projects. Valéria has earned distinctions for her dedication to education and contributions to neonatal physiotherapy research and care.

Profile

Education 🎓

Valéria Azevedo de Almeida is completing her Ph.D. in Physiotherapy (2021–2025) at UFRN, under Dr. Silvana Alves Pereira. She earned a Master’s in Neuroengineering (2018–2020) at the Edmond and Lily Safra Institute, supervised by Dr. Reginaldo Freitas Jr., with a CAPES scholarship. Previously, she completed a specialization in Maternal and Child Health through a multiprofessional residency at UFRN (2016–2018), also under Dr. Pereira. Her undergraduate degree in Physiotherapy (2011–2015) was completed at UFRN with CNPq scholarship support. Complementary education includes over 20 short courses in areas like public health, intensive care, clinical pilates, neonatal care, and professional development, offered by institutions such as FIOCRUZ, CEDEP, UFMG, and the Albert Einstein Institute. These reflect her commitment to continuous learning and interdisciplinary training in health care and leadership. She also completed a 240-hour English language course and has participated in multiple training programs since 2009, enhancing her clinical and academic capacities.

Experience 👨‍🏫

Valéria has accumulated rich experience in public health, academic research, and clinical physiotherapy. Since 2022, she works at the University Hospital of Grande Dourados (HU-UFGD/Ebserh) as a government-employed physiotherapist. She has concurrently held research and academic roles at UFRN since 2021. Her past positions include clinical roles at Hospital Rio Grande, Hospital Municipal de Campanha, and UPA Esperança, and academic/research posts at Instituto Santos Dumont (ISD), where she contributed to projects on Zika-related pediatric sequelae. From 2016 to 2018, she was a research fellow at the Regional Hospital Dr. Mariano Coelho. Her early experience includes a scholarship-based position at Hospital Universitário Ana Bezerra. She’s also an active participant in ongoing projects at Instituto Fernandes Figueira and ISD. Valéria’s work combines hands-on physiotherapeutic care with clinical research, specializing in neonatal, neurological, and urological rehabilitation, making her a key contributor in multidisciplinary health teams.

Awards & Recognitions 🏅

Valéria received an Honorable Mention in 2018 from the Escola Multicampi de Ciências Médicas do RN for her contribution to the first class of the multiprofessional residency in maternal and child health. In 2015, she won first place in the area of Neonatal and Pediatric Physiotherapy at the III Northeastern Congress of Cardiorespiratory and Intensive Care Physiotherapy (CONEFIR), highlighting her excellence as a student-researcher. These awards recognize her early and continued dedication to improving clinical physiotherapy practice in neonatal and pediatric populations, as well as her commitment to rural health education and service delivery. Her leadership in education and practical training programs, especially in underserved areas, has been widely acknowledged. These honors underscore her impact on both the academic and practical dimensions of physiotherapy and affirm her growing reputation as a committed clinician, researcher, and mentor in Brazil’s evolving healthcare landscape.

Research Interests 🔬

Valéria’s research focuses on neonatal neurophysiology, pediatric rehabilitation, and health impacts of congenital infections such as the Zika virus. At UFRN, her Ph.D. work investigates the relationship between neural activity and visual processing in premature newborns. Through the Instituto Santos Dumont and Instituto Fernandes Figueira, she has contributed to long-term studies on urinary and intestinal dysfunctions in children with congenital Zika syndrome. She integrates neuroengineering principles into pediatric physiotherapy to enhance diagnostic and rehabilitative outcomes. Her interdisciplinary approach includes neurodevelopmental monitoring, urological sequelae analysis, and intervention design for affected children. In addition to field research, she is involved in designing care protocols, training health professionals, and evaluating public health strategies. Her work bridges neuroscience, physiotherapy, and maternal-child care, aiming to improve outcomes for vulnerable pediatric populations. She also serves as a peer reviewer, contributing to the advancement of evidence-based practices in neurorehabilitation and child health.

Publications