ISTAP Announces New Board of Directors Following 2025 AGM

The International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP) is pleased to announce the results of the 2025 Board of Directors elections and appointments. These changes were made official at the ISTAP Annual General Meeting held on May 27, 2025.

The call for nominations closed on May 16, 2025, and we extend our sincere thanks to all individuals who submitted nominations or self-nominated for open positions. All nominees received confirmation once their documentation was submitted to info@skintears.org.

About ISTAP

With more than 4,500 members worldwide, ISTAP is a multidisciplinary panel of healthcare professionals dedicated to advancing the prediction, assessment, prevention, and management of skin tears. Representing regions across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America, ISTAP's mission is to improve outcomes through education, research, and advocacy—pursuing our vision of a world without skin tears.

2025 Board Positions & Results

The following positions were open for the 2025–2027 term:

• Secretary

• Treasurer

• Regional Director North America – USA

• Regional Director North America – Canada

• Regional Director Europe

• Regional Director Middle East

• Regional Director Africa

Acclaimed Positions:

• Secretary: Emmy Nokaneng (South Africa)

• Treasurer: Steven Smet (Belgium)

• Regional Director North America – Canada: Mary Hill (Canada)

• Regional Director Africa: Johlene Sander (South Africa)

Elected Positions:

There were two candidates each for both the Regional Director North America - USA and the Regional Director - Europe. An election took place, with Class A ISTAP Members voting.

The candidates for Regional Director North America - USA were:

1. Dot Weir

2. Laura Swoboda

The candidates for Regional Director Europe were:

1. Nenad Zivanovic

2. Anika Fourie

Class A ISTAP Members voted the following candidates to those positions:

1. Regional Director North America – USA: Laura Swoboda (USA)

2. Regional Director Europe: Anika Fourie (Belgium)

We congratulate all acclaimed and elected board members and thank each candidate for their dedication to advancing ISTAP’s mission. To learn more about our new and continuing board members, please visit https://www.skintears.org/board-member.

New and Continuing ISTAP Board of Directors (as of May 27, 2025)

Name	Role	Country	Type	Term
Karen Ousey	President	United Kingdom	Appointed	2024–2026
Ray Samuriwo	President-Elect	United Kingdom	Acclaimed	2024–2026
Emmy Nokaneng	Secretary	South Africa	Acclaimed	2025–2027
Steven Smet	Treasurer	Belgium	Acclaimed	2025–2027
Laura Swoboda	Regional Director North America - USA	United States	Elected	2025–2027
Mary Hill	Regional Director North America - Canada	Canada	Appointed	2025–2027
Anika Fourie	Regional Director Europe	Belgium	Elected	2025–2027
Jeannie Donnelly	Regional Director Europe - United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Acclaimed	2024–2026
OPEN	Regional Director Middle East			2025–2027
Jenny Prentice	Regional Director Australia	Australia	Acclaimed	2024–2026
Harikrishna Nair	Regional Director Asia	Malaysia	Acclaimed	2024–2026
Johlene Sander	Regional Director Africa	South Africa	Acclaimed	2025–2027
Pia Molina	Regional Director Latin America – Spanish	Chile	Acclaimed	2024–2026
Cinthia Viana Bandeira da Silva	Regional Director Latin America – Portuguese	Brazil	Acclaimed	2024–2026

Thank You to Our Outgoing Board Members

ISTAP also extends its gratitude to the following individuals for their leadership and service:

• Samantha Holloway – Immediate Past President

• Julie Harris – Executive Secretary

• Salvacion Cruz – Regional Director Middle East

• Asresash Admassie – Regional Director North America – USA

Open Position: Regional Director Middle East

The position of Regional Director for the Middle East remains open. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply. To learn more, please visit our Call for Nominations.

We look forward to a productive term with our new Board of Directors as we continue working together toward a world without skin tears.

Watch the recording of the ISTAP AGM

ISTAP Members may view the recording of the 2025 ISTAP AGM at https://www.skintears.org/agm-2025