A visionary educator, clinician, and institution-builder, Dr. Aidah Alkaissi has dedicated nearly five decades to advancing nursing education and practice, transforming it into a globally aligned, innovation-driven discipline in Palestine and beyond.
As the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Nursing at An-Najah National University, she has played a pivotal role in building the country’s academic nursing infrastructure from the ground up. Under her leadership, the university launched Palestine’s PhD program in Nursing, alongside a suite of specialised master’s programs in critical care, anesthesia, emergency, mental health, and family nursing – each aligned with leading global frameworks including, ACEN, AACN, and QSEN standards.
Her approach to education is both innovative and deeply practical. She has integrated simulation-based learning, problem-based methodologies into curricula – creating immersive, real-world training environments that equip students with critical thinking, clinical decision-making, and leadership skills.
To bridge the gap between education and practice, she established structured clinical partnerships, faculty development programs, and standardized assessment frameworks ensuring consistent, high-quality training even in resource-constrained environments.
Beyond academia, Dr. Alkaissi led an American Heart Association-accredited Life Support Training Center, where she has trained healthcare professionals in lifesaving interventions such as BLS, ACLS, and PALS.
Her research contributions span critical care, anesthesia, and patient safety, with innovations ranging from non-pharmacological pain management techniques to virtual reality applications for reducing patient anxiety and improving recovery outcomes.
Despite working across diverse and often challenging healthcare environments, from Scandinavia to Palestine, she has consistently demonstrated resilience, adapting across cultures and systems to deliver patient-centered care. Today, she brings that global perspective into her leadership, mentoring a new generation of nurses to combine compassion with clinical excellence.
Dr. Alkaissi’s legacy lies in institution-building, creating sustainable systems that will continue to elevate healthcare standards for decades to come.