Associate Professor

Djenana Jalovcic

Department of Health and Functioning
Djenana Jalovcic
Tel: +47 55 58 58 48
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Field of work

Djenana Jalovcic, MPA, MSc, EdD has over 30 years of experience working with post-secondary institutions in disability, community based rehabilitation (CBR) and inclusive development globally. She is an educator, researcher and inclusive development practitioner.

In 2023 she received the status of meritted teacher (merittert underviser) at HVL.

  • Education: Dedicated to teaching and learning she shares her professional experiences with students globally. Djenana teaches courses in healthy ageing and rehabilitation, leadership and management, and migration health. Her teaching is rooted in her inclusive development praxis as well as the philosophy of constructivist, collaborative, and networked teaching and learning. In 2010 she pioneered online continuing education for disability and rehabilitation practitioners globally. She uses the principles of the universal design for learning in her courses. Through the 2023 HK-dir funded project on universal design that she led, principles of universal design for learning are introduced to HVL and resources created in the project are available at UDL Collaboratory - Designing learning experiences for all. Students’ evaluations consistently show that they appreciated her first-hand experience and knowledge of the topic, her enthusiasm, as well as her availability to support them throughout and after the course. Djenana has in-depth knowledge of pedagogy and educational technologies, and experience in instructional design and curriculum development of interprofessional graduate programs in health and social studies.
  • Research: Her research interests include experiences and perceptions of ageing, disability, refugee and migrant health, climate health and interprofessional education and practice. She uses qualitative and participatory methods.
  • Inclusive Development Praxis: Djenana facilitates multistakeholder partnerships through verious international projects she has been involved in. Her expertise is in project and program planning, implementation, and evaluation by using human rights based approach.  
  • Projects: Djenana is a Coordinator of the UTFORSK project Climate and Health: Interprofessional Learning, Innovation and Collaboration (IP LINC) 2025-2028. She is a member of the HVL team of  an Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education Project Building Blended Master Programs in Rehabilitation in Kenya and Tanzania 2024-2027. She coordinated Erasmus+ Persons with Refugee Experience Education Project - Interprofessional (PREP IP), 2021-2024 and HKdir Universal Desing for Assessment Collaboratory. She Participated in Health Equity through Education for a sustainable society (HEQED), 2021-2024.
  • Service: Djenana volunteers at HVL and for local and international organizations. She is a member of the HVL AI group. She is a founding member of Women in Global Health Canada Chapter and Canadian Women in Global Health.  She has been on the boards of the Learning Disability Association of Kingston,  Accessibility for All and the Canadian Society for International Health. 

Courses taught 

Course plan for Healthy Ageing: Theoretical Foundation(MARE510) - Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Course plan for Leadership in Rehabilitation(MARE530) - Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (hvl.no)

Course plan for Interprofessional approaches to refugee health(MARE551) - Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (hvl.no)

Course plan for Independent Study Course(MARE560) - Western Norway University of Applied Sciences


Research areas

  • Her research interests merge disability, education and global development. She uses qualitative, phenomenological methods to study how persons with disabilities experience technology mediated services and education. Her other research interests include community based rehabilitation globally as a strategy for inclusive community development, the interaction of gender, age and disability, climate and health, and refugee and migrant health. 


Research groups

Rehabilitation and Health Promotion Research Group

Courses taught
  • MARE551, Interprofessional Approaches to Refugee Health, Fall 2025, subject responsible
  • MARE570, Master's Thesis, Spring 2026
  • MARE570, Master's Thesis, Fall 2025

Publications