Djenana Jalovcic

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.
• 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 the Erasmus+ Project Health Equity through Education and Artificial Intelligence (HEQED AI) and the 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. 

Download for free our book: 

Interprofessional Approach to Refugee Health: A Practical Guide for Interdisciplinary Health and Social Care Teams | Open Book Publishers

Research areas 

• Her research interests merge disability, education and global development. She uses participatory and qualitative methods to study experiences of older persons, persons with disabilities and refugees and migrants, and factors that shape their health and participation.  

Research groups 

Rehabilitation and Health Promotion Research Group