National Hospital, Iceland

Marta Jóns Hjördísardóttir, project manager (MPM), Landspitali, Iceland. Marta Jóns Hjördísardóttir is a project manager in the Project Management Office at Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland. As a centralized project manager, Marta plays a vital role in leading projects across various departments, supporting alignment with strategic objectives and efficient resource utilization. Furthermore, she is also the head of the cross professional council at Landspitali and an observing member of staff in the
hospital board. Marta finished BSc degree in nursing in 2010 and worked as a nurse in various clinical setting in Landspitali, mostly in cardiac care. She also worked for few years in the educational department where her focus was on improving teamwork and safety culture. Marta also has a MPM degree in project management since 2017 and will finish MSc degree in nursing, with focus on human resources and project management in 2024. Marta is a part of the European Researchers’ Network Working on Second Victims https://cost-ernst.eu/. The Action aims to foster discussion and share scientific knowledge on adverse events in healthcare. It promotes joint efforts to support second victims and encourages open dialogue among stakeholders across nations and disciplines. The network addresses patient safety and the impact on healthcare professionals directly or indirectly involved. Marta‘s passion is about creating an atmosphere where people can speak up about what matters to them. She believes that if we really listen and do what matters to both staff and patients, we create a foundation for safe environment and healthy workplace culture, Marta‘s interest in joy in work came after attending a Pathway to Excellence conference in Florida in 2018. Since then, she has spoken about the importance of pride and joy in work in various settings. In 2022, Marta returned to Florida for the annual IHI forum and was both inspired and motivated to continue her efforts about joy in work and what matters to her colleagues. She used this drive to create the first “what matters to you” workshop for Landspítali and has since then met with various teams and made further improvements to the workshop alongside. Marta lives in Reykjavík with her child Matthías Hjörtur, two cats, Ísabell and Yrja, and the black Labrador Aska, the youngest and most popular person of the household.