Silvia Cassiani has been Regional Advisor for Nursing and Health Technicians at the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization in Washington, DC, since April 2013. She has a PhD in Nursing. Prior to her current position, she worked as a professor, head of Department and Dean of the Ribeirao Preto College of Nursing - University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. She has won several awards, recognitions, and published several books and articles. She founded the Brazilian Network of Nursing and Patient Safety in Brazil, with the mission of increasing actions / activities and research on nursing and patient safety and was recognized as one of the best initiatives coordinated by nurses to influence health policy in Brazil. At PAHO, she is responsible for 15 PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centers in Nursing and Midwifery and has worked to strengthen nursing education, practice and research towards Universal Health and is coordinating various activities to expand the role of nurses in Primary Health Care. She was a member of the American Academy of Nursing until 2017. In 2018 she was recognized as Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of the Republic in Uruguay.