The ILC offered 5 scholarships to emerging leaders in order to help them attend the 2025 ILC Annual International Conference in Genoa, Italy.
Below are their reflections on their time at the conference and leadership program.
The 2026 Conference & Leadership Program will be held in Oxford, UK. We will once again offer travel scholarships to help emerging leaders. These will launch in September 2025.
Maria Pindstrup Søndergaard – Denmark
I am so grateful to have received the ILC scholarship which enabled me to attend both the 2025 ILC Annual International Conference and the FoC Leadership and Mentoring Program (LAMP).
After participating in the ILC conference last year in Oxford, this year’s conference once again offered a high-quality and enriching experience. I especially appreciated Alison Kitson’s reflections on the past and future of FoC and ILC, reminding us that by working together in the sphere of control, we can form a discourse with which we can affect the sphere of influence and contribute to care changes.
I participated in the research workshop focused on study design and research questions, which brought meaningful perspectives to my PhD work. I also had the privilege of presenting a poster based on the Scoping Review from my PhD project, receiving insightful feedback that are valuable for my ongoing research. Once again, I enjoyed connecting with passionate nurses and researchers from all over the world to discuss nursing, intensive care and FoC.
Following the Conference, I spent three intense, inspiring, and highly educational days at LAMP. Guided by skilled facilitators, we explored LAMP, implementation strategies, the Flinders University tools and how to approach implementation as a research process.
The workshop provided me with valuable new perspectives on implementing fundamental care changes, including how to articulate and advocate for high-quality, person-centered fundamental care. I also learned about the FoC Action Loop (FoCAL) and its four steps. We discussed barriers and enablers within our organization. Collaborating with nurses from around the world added a rich global dimension to this implementation process. On the final day, we each presented our Action Plan and were matched with our mentors. I am excited to apply these insights to drive meaningful changes in my clinical practice, guided by my two talented mentors.
Amanda Tate – Australia
In June 2025, I was selected to attend the two day conference and three day Leadership and Mentoring Program (LAMP) hosted by the International Learning Collaborative in Genoa, Italy. The event brought together likeminded professionals from around the world to showcase the Fundamentals of Care (FoC) framework, an approach that aligns strongly with my organisation’s strategic direction.
The conference opened with a keynote from Professor Alison Kitson, whose depth of knowledge set the tone for the event. Her presentation discussed the evolution of the ILC and highlighted many of the achievements along the way.
I was invited to present to the Clinical Practice group, sharing insights into how we have worked to embed the FoC principles within our organisation and discuss our Dying with Dignity project. What I found most humbling was looking out to a sea of people who were all in Italy for the same reason. Because they care. All interactions were genuine, and all attendees were always engaged.
Several key themes emerged from the conference that offer both validation of current practices and opportunities for growth. These include understanding future needs, delivering genuine quality care, promoting transformational leadership, enhancing collaboration and shared decision-making, and using data to drive continuous improvement. There was also a strong emphasis on engaging staff, clients, and families in organisational decisions, and recognising the importance of reflection, innovation and cross-sector partnerships.
In addition to strategic insights, the LAMP program provided practical tools and frameworks for project planning and implementation. I was interested to learn about how the tools could be used and integrated in to job advertisements and performance reviews, training and development modules, educational games and project planning.
We’ve now joined the International Learning Collaborative as an organisation and are excited to continue working with their team to further embed the Fundamentals of Care throughout our business. Thank you for the generous scholarship and opportunity to be a part of the growing team in the future.
Rebecca Lemieux – Canada
I was honored to receive a scholarship to attend the 2025 ILC Conference and LAMP in Genoa, Italy. This funding provided the opportunity to present my poster about identification of delirium risk in the pre-operative setting and its importance in promoting Fundamentals of Care as delirium prevention and management strategies. Attending LAMP facilitated my ability to develop and lead a focused project related to improving delirium recognition in my hospital.
Reflecting on this week in Italy surrounded by like-minded people, two words stand out to best describe how I felt returning home from the ILC Conference and LAMP.
Inspired and empowered.
Inspired, that I was surrounded by others who emphasized the critical importance of returning to the root of nursing through a renewed focus on Fundamentals of Care. Inspired, that others around the world experience the same care issues as we do here, in Toronto, Canada, and that we are all in this work together. Inspired, that there are many who want to be change-makers and influence a culture shift back towards the humanity of our patients rather than speed them through the medical management machine as the affected limb or organ for treatment. Inspired, that the incredible, established leaders in this space invested their time and expertise to support and lift us emerging leaders through LAMP.
Empowered, that LAMP gave me the time and opportunity to brainstorm and articulate exactly what project I wanted to work on. Empowered, because it gave me the practical tools, like FoCAL and i-PARIHS, to develop my project plan and set me up for success to lead this work in my hospital. Empowered, because of the expert leaders in the room championing my ability to lead this exciting and necessary work. Empowered, due to the differing perspectives and experiences that influenced the direction of my project in ways I had not considered.
Leaving Italy, I want to be part of this international change-making world, and I feel emboldened to champion the Fundamentals of Care as the foundation of high quality and genuine patient and family centred care. I look forward to what opportunities the future brings within this outstanding and meaningful work with the ILC.