Mačiulskytė, Sonata

I am an Associate Professor in social policy and gerontology in the Department of Social Work, Faculty of Health Sciences since September 2016. I graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science degree (Political Science) and a Master of Social Science degree (Political Science and Public Administration) from Klaipeda University in 1999 and 2001 respectively. I received a PhD in Social Work from University of lapland (Finland) in 2014. The title of my doctoral thesis The Code of Society Transformation in Social Work: Modelling the Construction of Lithuanian Social Work Professionalization. 2014. Acta Universitatis Lapponiensis 273. Rovaniemi: University of Lapland Printing Centre. Most of my professional life I held administrative positions in Lithuanian universities alongside small-scale lecturing (Lithuanian social policy, comparative social policy, social gerontology for undergraduate and postgraduate social work students). Due to my administrative duties, my involvement in research has always been limited, focusing more on academic projects that would enrich the content of the subjects taught. For the past few years, my research interests have revolved around social policy and ageing, dementia and family care. My non-academic activities and involvements also shift my scientific interests. I am a member of management board of association „Dementia in Lithuania“, also a member of advisory expert working group for Lithuanian Ministry of Health Care (advising on the questions of dementia and Long-term care agenda development in Lithuania), Ministry of Social Protection and Labour (advising on the development of person-centred services for people with dementia framework development in Lithuania), Ministry of Education, Science and Sports. I am a Board member of Alzheimer Europe and a chairperson of European Dementia Carers Working Group at Alzheimer Europe.