Profile – Dr Nika Seblova

Name:

Nika (Dominika) Seblova

Job Title:

PhD candidate

Place of work / study:

Aging Research Center and Dept. of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Area of Research:

Causal effects of education on life-course cognitive ability and dementia.

How is your research funded:

I am funded by a monthly salary coming from grants, which were obtained by my supervisors. The funding predominantly comes from a grant from FORTE (2013-2277) and a “distinguished younger researcher” grant from the Swedish Research Council (446-2013-7189).

Tell us a little about yourself:

I am an educational globe trotter, an interdisciplinary researcher in the field of public health, an avid nature lover and believer in human connections and kindness. If I am not moving between countries or disciplinary fields, I can be found hiking, biking, kayaking, writing postcards or baking for my friends and colleagues. Academically, I am keen on understanding how various structures or environments (healthcare provision, education, etc.) can be altered to achieve equitable health outcomes and how can we create more equal and healthier societies.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself:

I am somewhat obsessed with the colour orange. It makes me simply happy when I look at it. So my wardrobe and my home might be a bit overwhelming to others.

Why did you choose to work in dementia:

Starting a PhD, which looks at cognitive ability and dementia as the main outcomes, was a matter of serendipity and meeting my supervisors at the right time. Since then, I have learned so much about dementia and the challenges it poses. Multiple perspectives are always important to me. Therefore, I have read biographies about dementia, went to presentations by a care taker and a relative of an older person with dementia as well as obtained a lot of theoretical knowledge. With all this knowledge I can appreciate the importance of working in the dementia field even more.

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