Dr Marcia Van Riper is a Professor and Chair of the Family Health Division at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and current President of the International Family Nursing Association. Dr. Van Riper will be based at the Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, where she will collaborate with faculty on teaching and will conduct research in a cross-cultural study on adaptation and resilience in families of children with Down Syndrome.