Irena Laska, RN, APRN, MSc (Albania)

Irena Laska is an advanced practice nurse from Albania and has served since 2004 as Executive Director of the Mary Potter Palliative Care/Hospice Center in Korçë. In this role, she leads clinical services, education programs, organizational governance, and national advocacy initiatives. Under her leadership, the Center has developed structured multidisciplinary palliative care services, expanded home-based care, and become a national reference institution, recognized by the Council of Region, the Municipality of Korçë, the Albanian Parliament, OSCE Albania, and international partners. She completed the European Palliative Care Academy (EUPCA) program in leadership and management (2015–2017) and is currently a PhD candidate focusing on integrating palliative care into emergency departments in public hospitals in southeastern Albania.

Ms. Laska has been actively involved in the institutionalization and development of palliative care in Albania since 2000. She is a founding member and organizational secretary of the Albanian Palliative Care Association and has contributed to national working groups responsible for drafting National Palliative Care Standards, treatment protocols, the National Palliative Care Training Manual, the National Action Plan for Palliative Care, and the national palliative care law. She has also served as Chair of the National Commission for the Nursing Licensing Examination, contributing to professional and regulatory standards for nursing practice.

Advocacy for access to essential palliative care medicines is a central focus of her work. Since 2020, she has led nationwide training programs for primary health care physicians and nurses, and in 2025 she directed a national multidisciplinary program on the use of opioids and adjuvant analgesics in pain management for nurses, physicians, and pharmacists.

Education and capacity building are core to her contribution. Ms. Laska has coordinated and delivered ELNEC programs, national and international palliative nursing masterclasses, and continuing professional education across Albania and the region. She has served as a trainer for international nursing leadership initiatives and as a scientific committee member and abstract reviewer for EAPC Congresses. She is a member of the EAPC Nursing Task Force and Primary Care Reference Group, and an invited lecturer at Fan S. Noli University of Korçë since 1999.

Ms. Laska has been an active member of the IAHPC contributing as an author, speaker, facilitator, and representative in international policy forums. She joined its Board of Directors in January 2026.

Beyond her professional commitments, she values time spent reading, being in nature, and hiking.