Jitka Vseteckova

I have an on-going interest in ways via which we can improve health and quality of life outcomes in older adults.

The Ageing Well Public Talk Series (AWPT Series) - recently shortlisted for The Open University Research Excellence Awards (watch this SHORT DOCUMENTARY) are structured around The Five Pillars for Ageing Well,. The AWPT Series have a positive impact in educating the public about living a healthy life and encouraging them to adopt healthy lifestyles. The Five Pillars for Ageing Well framework is evidence-based and anchored in recent research done in the field of ageing worldwide. So far we have built a collaborative network of healthcare and voluntary organisations across the UK. Over the past 3 years, the AWPT Series have been delivered via a GP practice in Suffolk, The Open University, in partnership with Voluntary Health Scotland and internationally with the Cambridge Medical Academy &UKeMED. The series are currently being delivered via The Open University as webinars, in partnership with Age Scotland, Age Uk MK, Age UK Northamptonshire, Public Health Northamptonshire, Healthwatch MK and Camphill MK. This work is accompanied by 5 mini lectures on specific topic relating to Ageing Well.

The Ageing Well Public Talks have been very positively received by service users as well as practitioners and policy makers across the country and internationally. The busy programme of consultancy of the past three years continues and we welcome invitations to contribute to programmers of care, integrated care initiatives as well as all other supporting services in the UK and overseas.

I am Principal Investigator on externally funded projects (Esmee Fairbairn Foundation in partnership with The Froglife Trust; Carers in Hertfordshire; Ageing Well Public Talk Series) where co-design and co-production of outputs is conceived in close partnership with stakeholders and where possible with people with lived experience. I also hold several in internal grants looking at health and well-being of carers, their relationships with physical activity. We are researching with informal carers as well as organisations supporting informal carers across the UK about the best ways to support informal carers with the care they give to the cared for persons and their physical as well as mental health and well-being.

Most recently (March 2022) I was funded as Co-I by British Academy (PI Leslie Mabon, STEM OU ) for a study looking at Urban trees as a nature-based solution for heat-resilient green neighborhoods.

In February 2022 I was funded as Co-I on an add on funding from NIHR (PIs Prof Ryan and Prof Wallace): Additional Funding: Improving the support for older people with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge others, family and professional carers, and end of life care planning for carers. This funding links to NIHR funded study researching ways in which we can improve the support for older people with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge, family and professional carers, and supporting end of life care planning for carers http://wels.open.ac.uk/research/growing-older-planning-ahead https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/hsdr/NIHR129491/#/

I have an ongoing interest in ways by which we can improve postural stability, prevent falls and engage older people living with or without dementia in exercise, and if possible outdoors too. See more at https://www.keepmewalking.info/. this project is a great example of Knowledge Exchange and research collaboration between The Open University and The Parks Trust MK. It is great for everybody to get outdoors but that might not be so easy if people are living with dementia, either in community or in a care home. With The Parks Trust MK we are working together to evaluate a new initiative 5WaysCafe that include walks in the beautiful Manor park in Great Linford in Milton Keynes for peole living with dementia and their informal carers. you can check our outputs on OpenLearn, The Parks Trust Channel, and /or our project website.

In the past, I was involved as co-investigator in two mental health studies which are funded by the NIHR - National Institute for Health Research (COCAPP and COCAPP-A). Both studies aim to identify the components that are most important to ensure that care planning and coordination for people with severe mental illness is: recovery-focused, personalised & collaborative. I contributed (via data collection, data analysis and presentation of findings - see conferences below) to Preceptorship study funded by East London Foundation Trust to evaluate their mentorship (Preceptorship) programme for newly qualified mental health nurses.

I was also collaborating externally (data analysis - see publications below) on HAPIEE study with University College London. The HAPIEE study is a cohort study that assesses the effects of dietary factors, alcohol consumption and psychosocial factors on the health of men and women aged 45-69 years in four countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which undergo rapid social and economic transition. The HAPIEE study has received funding from the Wellcome Trust, the MacArthur Foundation and the National Institute on Aging.

I have been recently appointed as Academic Consultant on BBC Programme Series titled All in the Mind. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/tv-radio-events/radio/all-the-mind-autumn/winter-2020

I am making a contribution to the development of evidence base for the effective use of eHealth applications. This is multidisciplinary and international in collaboration with Imperial College London, the Nanyang Technological University Singapore & Karolinska Institutet.

QUALIFICATIONS
04/2019 Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) Senior Fellowship
11/2014 Higher Education Academy Fellowship
10/2013 – 10/2014 Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice

10/2007 – 4/2009 D. Prof. in Philosophy, Psychology and Pedagogy. Department of Sport Medicine and Health Oriented Physical Education, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University in Prague.

10/2005 – 09/2008 PhD in Kinanthropology and Biomedicine.
Department of Sport Medicine and Health Oriented Physical Education, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University in Prague.
- Research thesis: Monitoring of postural stability indicators – measured on Kistler´s platform in the elderly – depending on calendar age and physical activity.

10/1997 – 092003 Combined Bachelor and Master Degree studies
Charles University in Prague & Paris VIII Université (Erasmus Scholarship).
- Domain 1:French Psychology, Pedagogy.
- Domain 2: Physical Education and Sport Therapy, Sport Psychology, Pedagogy.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
10/2014 – Present: Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care, The Open University
My current role with the Faculty of Health and Social Care in the Open University is multi-faceted and enables me to be involved in research, development of academic curricula and external collaborations.

09/2011- 09/2014: Director of BSc (Hons) in Nursing Studies / Lecturer in Adult Health - School of Health Sciences, City University London.
Directing BSc (Hons) in Nursing Studies programme (responsible for developing and assessing academic curricula, programme administration, periodic reviews, programme promotion, recruitment of students, management of teaching staff, pastoral care for students etc.).

09/2010 -08/2011: Visiting Lecturer - School of Health Sciences, City University London.
04/2009- 08/2010: Hon. Visiting Research Fellow- School of Health Sciences, City University London.

01/2009-06/2009: Lecturer in French – Croydon College, Croydon.

10/2005-10/2008: Lecturer / PhD Candidate – Faculty of Physical Education & Sport, Charles University Prague.