In this Practice Reflections, I describe my background and journey to becoming the first nurse and woman to lead the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS), as well as the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and how they apply to the upcoming WUWHS Congress to be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), March 1 through 5, 2022.

I strongly believe in the power of education, which I have used to connect my passion for service with knowledge and excellent patient care delivery. I began my wound care journey with the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course (IIWCC) in Iran in 2007. The theoretical background from the course solidified my knowledge about wound care, but it was my passion for wound care education in the UAE that changed my career. In 2010, the First Abu Dhabi Wound Care Conference was held under my chairmanship. Subsequently, our team also began hosting the IIWCC in Abu Dhabi. Approximately 500 nurses, doctors, and allied health graduates have since begun to shape the landscape of the region in terms of wound care. Alongside the other graduates of the IIWCC in Abu Dhabi, I created an association to uplift a common vision for wound care. I am the Founder and President of the International Interprofessional Wound Care Group. In addition, my focus on continuing education led me to a position as the Founder and Director of Ostomy Care and Management, which started in Abu Dhabi 4 years ago.

Aiming even higher, I submitted a bid to host the WUWHS Congress. Of the five countries that applied in 2016, we successfully won the bid, and I now currently serve as President of the WUWHS, the first nurse and woman to do so. Further, the UAE is the first country in the Middle East to host the Congress. The WUWHS conference was postponed from March 2020 because of COVID-19; a hybrid WUWHS Congress will take place in March 2022 instead.

The impact of COVID-19 is still felt globally in 2022, with powerful lessons learned in a very short time. The virus taught us that clear voices and respectful messages have the power to significantly expand science and bridge cultural differences in real time. We had to share skills and teach them to others fast, who in turn taught it to others and again to others. (I have written about this further in a blog post, Reassigned to Hotel Management: The Experience of a Nurse During the COVID-19 Pandemic, available on http://www.ASWCjournal.com.) Skill acquisition and their application to clinical practice became a priority when patients started to overwhelm healthcare systems during the second and third waves of infection. Each profession was automatically granted a voice and a place on the team they served in order to save lives through plans drafted sometimes on the spot. Suddenly the interprofessional team was not a far-fetched ideal, but a vital necessity.

In fact, we are all members of a worldwide interprofessional team. COVID-19 taught us that including the societies of all continents in the world on equal terms is feasible, and we have a lot to learn from each other. Challenges previously experienced only by some countries and societies are now global challenges for all. Successful strategies in overcoming those hurdles must not only be shared but also preserved for the next generation of wound care professionals.

For me, it is paramount that the WUWHS remain an organization where societies can share and showcase their wound-related initiatives and projects freely. Our vision was and still is to position WUWHS as a flagship for wound care around the world by incorporating as many societies as possible under its banner. The WUWHS is now moving toward inclusivity with minor adaptations and enhancements to existing processes, such as its hybrid conference model.

During the Congress and beyond, we have the opportunity of a lifetime to bring wound prevention to the forefront as a vital international priority. Prevention saves money, preserves dignity, and, most of all, saves lives. As a worldwide society, we are perfectly positioned to meet this challenge and promote wound prevention as the legacy of the WUWHS. Not only will it change lives, but it will also provide lessons for those to come.