STARS-Health Project

Professor- Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) Hans Hobbelen is a leading scientist in the field of frailty and movement disorders in dementia. Since 2012, he has been a professor in Ageing and Allied Health Care, and since 2022, he has been the head of the research group Healthy Ageing, Allied Health Care and Nursing at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen (The Netherlands). Member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Clinical Consortium on Healthy Ageing and the Global Network on Long-Term Care (WHO), since May 2019, he has been president of the International Association of Physiotherapists Working with Older People (IPTOP, an official specialty group of World Physiotherapy).

Project Coordinator – Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) Sandra Jorna-Lakke is the STARS-Health project coordinator and researcher at Hanze University of Applied Sciences. She has extensive experience in applied research in health, ageing, and integrated care. She has led European projects focused on improving healthcare delivery and health services innovation. In STARS-Health, she oversees the scientific and strategic coordination, ensuring integration between research, clinical practice, and the development of inclusive digital solutions.

Director of the Evaluation Unit – Canary Islands Health Service (SESCS-SCS, Spain) Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez holds a PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology and is the Director of the Evaluation Unit of the Canary Islands Health Service. She specialises in health services evaluation, health technologies, and shared decision-making. She has an extensive national and international research career, including postdoctoral work at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Mayo Clinic. In STARS-Health, she contributes her expertise in health literacy, intervention evaluation, patient-centred care, and evidence generation for public health policy.

Full Professor – University of La Laguna (Spain) Ángel Acebes is a Full Professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of La Laguna and principal investigator in neuroscience and ageing. He has a strong international research background, with experience in European projects and research group leadership. He is the leader of the STARS EU Healthy Ageing Thematic Interest Group (TIG) at ULL and co-leader of STARS-Health. His contribution focuses on healthy ageing, translational research, and the integration of scientific evidence into European projects.

Senior Researcher – University West (Sweden) Margareta Karlsson is a senior researcher at University West, with extensive experience in health, ageing, and person-centred care. Her work focuses on improving the quality of healthcare services and communication between patients, caregivers, and professionals. In STARS-Health, she contributes to the design and evaluation of interventions aimed at improving integra.

Researcher – University West (Sweden) Kristina Åhlund is a researcher at University West, specialising in ageing, healthcare, and the development of innovative practices in long-term care. Her profile combines applied research with collaboration with healthcare and social services. In STARS-Health, she participates in needs analysis, digital solution evaluation, and the development of approaches focused on older adults with lower health and digital literacy.

Professor of Nursing and Public Health – University of La Laguna (Spain) Sara Darias-Curvo is Professor of Nursing and Public Health at the University of La Laguna and Director of the Centre for the Study of Social Inequality and Governance (CEDESOG). She holds a PhD in Political Science and Sociology and has over 30 years of experience in public health, ageing, health literacy, and social inequalities. She has led numerous European and international projects and collaborated with the WHO. As principal investigator in STARS-Health, she contributes her expertise in health equity, public policy, and the social determinants of ageing.

Assistant Professor – Silesian University in Opava (Czech Republic) Markéta Skalná is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Paramedical Health Studies at Silesian University in Opava. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from Masaryk University in Brno, in collaboration with the State University of Milan, Italy. Her research focuses on human society, multiculturalism, health literacy, human anatomy, and imaging methods of the human body. She was the Principal Investigator of the Breaking Fences project, which explored norms and power structures in healthcare, and she also organises the BIP course on the same topic. Within STARS-Health, she brings her expertise in multicultural health, health literacy, and understanding social factors that influence older adults’ interaction with digital health services.

Associate Professor – Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Portugal)
Rui Pedro Lopes is a researcher and associate professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and an MSc in Electronics and Telecommunications from the University of Aveiro. His research focuses on distributed systems, operating systems, and network management, as well as innovative approaches to learning and student motivation. Within STARS-Health, he brings expertise in digital technologies, user-centred solution design, and the development of digital tools applied to health and education.

Full Professor – University West (Sweden) Ann Svensson is a Full Professor in Information Systems at University West. Her research focuses on work-integrated learning, digital transformation, and knowledge management, particularly in healthcare and public sector organizations. She has extensive experience in interdisciplinary research projects examining how digital technologies influence professional practice, collaboration, and organizational innovation. She has contributed to international publications and academic conference leadership, with a strong emphasis on the practical impact of digitalization in workplace learning and service development.