Alicija was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. From a young age, she knew she wanted to help children. After studying at Vilnius College of Medicine, she became a children’s nurse and started working at Vilnius University Children’s Hospital. For 10 years, she cared for seriously ill children in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
Later, Alicija moved to the Netherlands to continue her work in the PICU at VU Medical Centre in Amsterdam. She didn’t stop learning. She completed a special course for PICU nurses in 2009 and later studied Clinical Health Sciences at Utrecht University. By 2014, she had earned a Master of Science in Nursing.
While studying, Alicija discovered her love for research. In 2016, she started a PhD at the University Medical Centre Groningen. Her project, called “ProDoc,” focused on creating a safe and caring way for children to become an organs and tissues donor. Her work led to a new protocol called “Child as Donor.”
In 2019, she moved to Aberdeen, where she worked at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital. After many years in the PICU, Alicija shifted her focus from patient care to research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she became a research nurse at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
In May 2025, Alicija defended her PhD thesis in Dutch (!) and earned her doctorate from the University of Groningen. At the same time she has successfully completed the Training Programme of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
Her journey shows how a passion for learning and care can lead to amazing achievements. Well done Alicija!