Prof Dr Rebecca Palm
Prof Dr Rebecca Palm
Rebecca Palm heads the Department of Health Services Research at the School V - School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, which was founded in October 2023. The chair is the first at a university medical centre in Lower Saxony. She heads the degree programme "Nursing - Advanced Nursing Practice", which started at the University of Oldenburg in the winter semester 2024/25.
Before taking up this professorship, Rebecca Palm held the professorship for Nursing Science with a focus on practice development and previously held a deputy professorship for Acute Care at Witten/Herdecke University in the Department of Nursing Science. In her role as Professor of Nursing Science, she was head of the local Master's degree programme in Nursing Science.
Before starting her academic career, Rebecca Palm trained as a nurse and worked in cardiothoracic surgery. She studied nursing science at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences and Witten/Herdecke University, where she also gained her doctorate. She previously worked as a researcher at the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Witten in the care structures working group.
In her research, Rebecca Palm focuses on the nursing care of people with complex care needs. Her research is guided by the clinical relevance of the questions and the importance of research for evidence-based nursing practice. The aim of the research is to generate knowledge that can contribute to improving nursing practice. It deals with the occurrence, prevention and management of nursing care problems and develops, implements and evaluates innovative care concepts. The focus here is on care concepts that are to be implemented responsibly by academically trained nursing professionals (Advanced Practice Nursing). She is also interested in how advanced practice nurses can be successfully integrated into current care practice and uses her research to support the role development of this newly established profession in Germany.
Rebecca Palm is a member of the board of the German Society for Nursing Science (DGP), a member of the German Network for Health Services Research (DNVF), the European Academy of Nursing Science (EANS), the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) and the European Delirium Association (EDA).
Curriculum vitae
Since 10/2023 Professor of Health Services Research at the School V - School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Oldenburg
2020-2023 Professor of Nursing Science at the Department of Nursing Science at Witten/Herdecke University
2017-2020 Substitute Professor of Acute Care at the Department of Nursing Science at Witten/Herdecke University
2010-2017 Research associate at the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) at the Witten site
Research focus
Dementia and delirium
https://uol.de/pflegewissenschaft/projekte/delidem-nh
Practice development
Advanced Nursing Practice
Promotions
Recognition, occurrence and characterisation of delirium in people with dementia in inpatient geriatric care (Johanna Seiters, University of Oldenburg, ongoing)
Geriatric high-risk patients in conservative care - potentials of advanced practice nurses (Julian Seidel, University of Oldenburg, ongoing)
Acceptance and applicability of hearing screening tools in the elderly population (Mai Linh Ngyen, in co-operation with Jade University of Applied Sciences, ongoing)
Prevalence survey, health services research and health economic analysis of chronic wounds in the university acute hospital sector (Leah Dörr, doctoral programme at Witten/Herdecke University, ongoing)
Psychometric properties of the German Environmental Audit Tool (G-EAT) and the view of people with dementia towards their physical environment in long-term care settings (Anne Fahsold, doctoral programme at Witten/Herdecke University, completed in 2025)
Facility-internal regulations on person-centred care for people with dementia in German care facilities (Anna Hoffmann-Hoffrichter, Doctoral College at Witten/Herdecke University, ongoing)
Delirium in inpatient geriatric care: Prevalence and influencing factors, (Alexandre Houdelet-Oertel, PhD programme at Witten/Herdecke University, ongoing)
Development of an interdisciplinary e-learning programme to promote the delirium-specific expertise of nursing staff and general practitioners in geriatric care facilities (Vincent Molitor, University of Oldenburg, ongoing)
Development of an instrument to assess nappy dermatitis (incontinence-associated dermatitis) in children (Sibylle Reick, PhD programme at Witten/Herdecke University, ongoing)
PASSiON Patient Care in Swiss General Practices - The Potential of Advanced Practice Nurses (Margarithe Schlunegger, Doctoral Programme at Witten/Herdecke University, completed in 2025)
Development of a dementia-specific, nursing-led care model for inpatient geriatric care in Germany (Kathrin Schmüdderich, PhD programme at Witten/Herdecke University, ongoing)
Exploring and Understanding the Adult Ventilator Weaning Process by Developing a Programme Theory, (Fritz Sterr, Doctoral College of the University of Witten/Herdecke, ongoing)
Public relations
Why nursing needs more publicity - Interview in UNI-INFO
https://presse.uni-oldenburg.de/uni-info/2024/4/uni-info-2024-04-es.pdf