Alexandra Husivargova Theofanidis (born in 1988) is a researcher with an interdisciplinary background in psychology, medical sciences, and public health. She graduated in Psychology from the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia, in 2012. Her master’s thesis explored cultural differences across 17 countries in Europe, Asia, and Australia, examining self-esteem, well-being, honesty, leisure activities, beliefs about the afterlife, and financial satisfaction. Entitled “Intercultural Comparison of Differences in Self-Esteem, Well-Being and Its Attributes in the Population of Employed Young Adults,” the thesis received highly positive evaluations from both her supervisor and reviewer and was awarded the Dean’s Prize. Her bachelor’s thesis, “Differences in the Choice of Authority Between Convicted Offenders and People Without a Criminal Record,” explored differences in authority preferences between incarcerated individuals and people without a criminal record. In 2016, she returned to academia and joined the Department of Social and Behavioural Medicine at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. She subsequently pursued doctoral studies in Medical Sciences at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Her doctoral research focused on non-pharmacological interventions and the impact of COVID-19 on patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving biological treatment. In December 2024, she successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, entitled “The Challenges of Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Need for a Biopsychosocial Approach.” Continuing her academic development, Alexandra completed a second doctoral journey in Public Health at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, successfully defending her dissertation, “Musculoskeletal Diseases, Disability and Social Participation: Implications for Healthcare.” Alexandra currently works as a senior researcher, contributing to research across several interconnected areas of public health. Her primary interests include musculoskeletal diseases, alongside research on overweight populations and weight management, and other chronic conditions. She also participates in the national AgeWISE project (Age Management: Work Adapted to Age Phases), which focuses on adapting working environments and practices to the needs of people at different stages of their working lives. A further dimension of her work concerns health inequalities and the circumstances of socially vulnerable populations. Her research and teaching interests extend to homelessness, including her involvement in the EU-Homelessness Counts project, as well as unemployment, poverty, and the social inclusion of marginalised groups, including Roma communities, migrants, and people with physical disabilities. Alongside her research activities, Alexandra has supervised more than 20 diploma theses in General Medicine, all of which have been successfully defended. She is also a member of the IBTN network and the Commission for the Promotion of an Intercultural, Tolerant, and Inclusive Environment at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University. “The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated.” Plato (427–347 BC)

University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, 2010, psychology

University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, 2012, psychology

University of Groningen, 2024, Medical Sciences