International Learn & Share Webinar: Robotics in Long-Term Care

Santiago Gil Martinez is a Professor in eHealth at the University of Agder and a member of the Centre for eHealth. His research focuses on human-centred design, human-computer interaction, and digital health innovation, with a particular emphasis on inclusion of underserved and low-technology populations. He has extensive experience from international interdisciplinary projects across Europe, Africa, and Asia, applying co-design and digital health approaches to address global health challenges. His work combines innovation, education, and research to advance accessible and sustainable healthcare solutions

Lisa Farrell, Lead for Health, The National Robotarium and Lead for Deep Tech Growth Programme, Scottish Enterprise. Lisa Farrell leads health and care robotics activity at the National Robotarium, working across healthcare, government, industry and research to accelerate the adoption of robotics and automation. Her focus is on the practical barriers that prevent promising technologies moving from research and pilots into routine use, including evidence, procurement, implementation, workforce readiness and routes to scale. She also leads the Deep Tech Growth Programme at Scottish Enterprise, supporting high-growth technology companies to overcome barriers to commercialisation and scale.

Professor Margaret Whoriskey is a recognised leader in digital health and care innovation. As Head of Innovation for Care and Wellbeing at the DHI, University of Strathclyde, she brings unparalleled experience in delivering complex, interdisciplinary cross-sector programmes. Her leadership of Scotland’s decade-long £100M Technology Enabled Care (TEC) programme ( 2015 – 2024) - positively impacting over two million people - demonstrates her capacity to drive transformative change at scale. Since 2024 she has led the establishment of the first Digital Care Collaborative in Scotland, bringing together health, care, academia, industry housing and lived experience to maximise opportunities for innovation, in particular around prevention, early intervention and well being. She will provide strategic oversight, governance, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring the Hub aligns with national and international policy agendas on health and social care. With over 20 years’ experience across the Scottish Government and NHS Fife, she brings strong expertise in strategic leadership and large-scale transformation

Maddy Haag, Market Access for the East of England and Ireland and project management lead in the Evondos Group. She is a Paramedic by background and her current role focuses on how we can integrate Evondos technology in to current clinical routines to complement health and social care

Mariann Fossum is Professor at the Department of Health and Nursing Science, University of Agder (UiA), Norway, and is affiliated as researcher with the Centre for e-health. She holds a PhD in medical science with a specialization in health and caring science from Örebro University, Sweden (2012), and a master's degree in nursing science from the University of Oslo. Her research focuses on nursing documentation, clinical terminologies, computerized decision support systems, and quality of care in long-term services. Fossum has held international research positions, including a research stay at the University of Missouri, USA (2009) and a Research Fellowship at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia (2014–2016). She is currently leading the SAKO project on service robots in municipal health and care services (funded by the Research Council of Norway (NFR), 2025–2029). She is also involved in the Time-to-Care project on speech recognition for health documentation (funded by the NFR), and the CARE-CDS project on the use of a decision support system named VARHealthcare in community care (funded by THCS/NFR).

Michael Rygaard Hansen is a Professor at the Department of Engineering at the University of Agder (UiA), where he has been a member of the academic staff since 2009. His research focuses on the use of numerical methods for the modelling, design and optimisation of dynamic mechatronic systems, with applications ranging from special-purpose robotics in automation and healthcare to heavy-duty machinery.

His research has particularly emphasised the design and development of heavy-duty machinery and special-purpose robotic systems. He also has extensive experience from industry, including research and development positions within hydraulic systems, cranes and winches at Danfoss, Aker Solutions and National Oilwell Varco.

Michael has more than 30 years of experience in teaching and supervision at BSc, MSc and PhD level. His teaching has primarily been within mechanical engineering, covering areas such as statics and dynamics, machine elements, mechanism theory, design optimisation, fluid power systems, modelling and simulation, and robotics.

He holds an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Aalborg University (1989) and a PhD in Computer-Aided Analysis and Design of Mechanical Mechanisms from the same university (1992). At UiA, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Science from 2016 to 2023.

Diego Losada-Floriano is a PhD Research Fellow in Health Sciences at the Centre for e-health, University of Agder, Norway, with a focus on digital health and health informatics. His doctoral research investigates how service robots can support healthcare personnel in long-term care and help address workforce challenges in municipal health and care services. With professional experience spanning healthcare management, epidemiology, and public health in Colombia and Norway, his work explores how digital innovations and technology-enabled care models can be designed, implemented, and governed to strengthen sustainable health systems and improve population health. His research interests include artificial intelligence and robotics in healthcare, implementation of digital health interventions, digital transformation, and research informatics.