Maria Jirwe

Maria Jirwe serves as Professor in Nursing at the Swedish Red Cross University's Department of Health Sciences, holding leadership roles as Chairperson of the Committee for Education and Research and member of the Management Council. Previously, she was Associate Professor at Sophiahemmet University College (2018-2020) and has held a research affiliation at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society since 2009.

Her research spans three interconnected domains:

• Cultural Competence: Focuses on cross-cultural nursing care for migrants, parents in pediatric settings, and diabetes patients, with projects developing Arabic-language self-care tools for Middle Eastern migrants
• Disaster Medicine: Explores VR/AI training for mass casualty incidents, hospital incident command group dynamics, and ambulance clinician preparedness through the Delphi method
• Neonatal Care Outcomes: Investigates long-term parental experiences of therapeutic hypothermia treatment and congenital cataract care

Recent publications (2021-2025) reveal a pronounced shift toward digital health interventions (VR training, smartphone apps for alcohol dependence) and culturally adapted tools for vulnerable populations. Her work consistently employs qualitative methodologies and Delphi consensus techniques across international collaborations, particularly with Tommy Carlsson's Lab and the EECC Network.

Professional engagements include membership in Karolinska Institutet's Pedagogical Academy and the Editorial Advisory Board for Nurse Researcher. She has authored approximately 50 scientific articles and co-authored the book chapter "Kulturell mångfald" (Cultural Diversity) in Swedish nursing education literature.

Collaborative projects dominate her work, including the FitForChange trial on exercise for alcohol use disorder, FitForAge yoga intervention studies in India, and EECC global consensus initiatives. No formal student advisees are documented, though she mentors through interprofessional research teams at the Swedish Red Cross University.