Dr Helena De Rezende is Associate Professor in General Nursing and Director of Undergraduate Programmes at the University of Limerick, Ireland. She holds a master’s degree in management of health services from the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and a PhD in Sciences from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), where her doctoral research examined systems-based approaches to improving quality and patient safety in healthcare.

Helena’s research portfolio is grounded in patient safety improvement and the development of educational strategies that strengthen safety competencies across the health workforce. Her work includes the analysis of safety culture, leadership behaviours, and speaking‑up practices, as well as the design of teaching approaches that use simulation, reflective learning, and interprofessional methods to enhance safe care delivery.

She has substantial experience in evidence synthesis, including conducting systematic and scoping reviews, and narrative syntheses on topics related to patient safety, healthcare professional behaviours, and workforce well-being. This expertise informs both her research and her contribution to evidence-based curriculum design and policy development.

With academic experience in Ireland, Brazil, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, Helena has collaborated in multidisciplinary, cross-country teams on funded research addressing inequalities in access to safe care and strengthening professional behaviours in clinical environments. Helena is committed to advancing global workforce capability through high-quality education, patient safety research, and the integration of robust evidence into practice and policy.

Patient Safety

Quality 

Staff Leadership and Well-being

Systematic Reviews

Quantitative Studies 

Reserch Methods

Patient Safety

Systematic and  Literature Reviews