Maddalena De Maria

Maddalena De Maria is an Associate Professor of General, Clinical, and Pediatric Nursing Science (SSD MED/45) at Link Campus University in Rome. Previously, she held positions as a researcher and research fellow at the University of Rome Tor Vergata’s Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, where she completed a PhD in Nursing Science and Public Health. She has extensive teaching experience in Nursing Science and Research Methodology across Italian universities like Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and international institutions such as the Catholic University Our Lady of Good Counsel in Tirana, Albania.

Her clinical expertise includes oncohematology and advanced cancer surgery coordination. She leads national and international research projects, focusing on patient-caregiver dyad dynamics in chronic illness management. Key research areas include self-care behaviors, caregiver contributions to chronic disease care in elderly populations, and innovative measurement tools for healthcare assessment.

Dr. De Maria has over 60 international publications and is active in professional organizations, serving as President of the Associazione Culturale Alumni Ph.D. Nursing & Public Health at Tor Vergata, Vice-President of the Associazione infermieristica transculturale, and member of the European Specialist Nurses Organisation’s Junior Policy Officers. She also contributes to the Italian Joanna Briggs Institute’s Scientific Committee.

Her work emphasizes cultural competence in nursing practice and education, interprofessional collaboration, and the psychometric validation of healthcare measurement tools such as the Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care Inventory and Nurses’ Professional Dignity Scale. Recently, she explored caregiving roles in low- and middle-income countries and the impact of gender on nursing professional dynamics.