Dr. Thóra B. Hafsteinsdóttir, PhD, MScN, BSc, RN, is senior researcher at the Department of Nursing Science, Julius Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Health care for people with chronic illness at the University of Applied Sciences, and at the Department of Nursing Science, Julius Center, University Medical Center Utrecht as well as Professor of Nursing at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Iceland. Dr. Hafsteinsdóttir was born in Iceland, received her Bachelor of Science degree (BSc) in 1984 from the University of Iceland and started her clinical carrier in intensive care nursing. She moved to the Netherlands, received her Master of Science in Nursing in 1994 and her PhD from the University of Utrecht in 2003, entitled Neurodevelopmental treatment in the Early Stage of Stroke. In 2012 she received her Senior Research Qualification: Good Clinical Practice Certification in 2012 and her Senior Teaching Qualification in 2015, both from Faculty of Medicine, University Utrecht. Dr. Hafsteinsdóttir supervises various research and development projects both in the Netherlands, Iceland and international. She serves on numerous international committees, including the organizing committee of the Institute for Global Healthcare Leadership, which will be held in London September 2018. Dr. Hafsteinsdóttir has numerous publications on nursing care and management of patients with stroke and leadership in nursing. She reviews manuscripts for various peer-reviewed international journals and gives lectures nationally and internationally.

Nursing rehabilitation of patients with stroke, supervising Masters and PhD students in research. Among the projects are: the Clinical Rehabilitation Guideline for Patients with Stroke, Depression in the Early Stage of Stroke and Hemispatial Neglect after stroke. With the collaborative partners in Iceland, Sweden and Finland, we received funding for the development and testing of the ActivABLES, technological applications to support patients with stroke with rehabilitation in the home setting (ongoing).

Leadership and scholarship, PhD education, postdoctoral leadership development of nurses have in recent years become the central focus Dr. Hafsteinsdóttir work. She received funding for leadership programs in the Netherlands and Europe. She chairs  the Dutch Leadership Mentoring in Nursing Research (LMNR) for postdoctoral nurses and the Nursing Leadership Educational Program for Doctoral Nursing Students and Postdoctoral Nurses in Europe, the Nurse-Lead project, a collaboration between seven partners in six European countries which include Iceland, Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Lithuania and Portugal.