معرفی
Dana Hradcová is Assistant Professor at the Department of Applied Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague. Since 2019 she has taught master-level courses in ethnographic & collaborative research, ethics, dis/ability studies, participatory approaches, and service quality, and since 2017 she has supervised doctoral candidates in the Applied Ethics and Longevity Studies programmes.
Education
- Ph.D. in Applied Ethics, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University (2008–2015)
Dissertation: Ethics and Power in Social Health Services: Ethics of Practice in Long-Term Care - M.A. in Special Education, Faculty of Education, Charles University (1989–1993)
Research interests centre on care and empirical ethics, disability studies, science & technology studies, social work, and ethnographic/collaborative methodologies. Her work explores how power, ethics, and everyday practices intersect in long-term care and residential settings for people labelled as disabled or living with dementia, aiming to foster de-institutionalisation and participatory forms of care.
Across more than twenty recent publications she examines institutional dining, quarantine experiences, cognitive multiplicity, case-management translations, and quality-improvement strategies. These studies combine qualitative, ethnographic, and STS lenses to illuminate the lived realities of care recipients and staff, while critically interrogating the normative assumptions underpinning disability and ageing policies.
Scientific leadership & service
- Principal Investigator, Czech Science Foundation grant “Overcoming (total) institutions: Strategies for disablement and de/institutionalisation” (2025–2027)
- Principal Investigator, Norway Grants project “Life stories for human rights” (2021–2024)
- Co-Investigator / team member on six additional Czech and international projects on dementia care, case management, and gerontological supervision (2010–2024)
- Head, Department of Applied Social Sciences (2020–2024)
- Director, Centre of Expertise in Longevity and Long-term Care (2016–2019)
- Member, Board of Longevity Studies PhD Programme (since 2016)
- Member, Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Humanities (2018–2024)
She leads the Centre of Expertise in Longevity and Long-term Care research group and collaborates with national and European partners to translate empirical findings into policy and practice improvements.
