Asst. Prof. Irena Pavela Banai, PhD, Head of the Centre
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
Irena Pavela Banai is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. She began her academic career in Zadar, obtained her PhD in Zagreb, and pursued further professional development in the United Kingdom. She teaches courses in research methodology, sexuality and sport psychology. Her research interests are rooted in evolutionary psychology and currently focus on physical activity and mental health. She is the author of more than 40 scientific and professional papers and has received several awards and recognitions for her scientific achievements.
Between the lecture hall, office and family life, she devotes her time to running. Combining science and personal experience, she launched the Running for Mental Health initiative with the aim of strengthening individual resilience and creating a supportive community. The initiative quickly became the foundation for the establishment of the Centre.
Assoc. Prof. ANA KURTOVIĆ, PhD, Deputy Head of the Centre
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
She teaches courses in clinical psychology. In addition, she teaches in the doctoral programme Literature and Cultural Identity and in the lifelong learning programme Pedagogical, Psychological, Didactic and Methodological Training, and she is the head of the lifelong learning programme Social and Emotional Learning in Education at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. Her research interests focus on clinical psychology, particularly risk and protective factors related to mental health, while her professional work includes the Student Psychological Counselling Unit and projects aimed at psychological empowerment, positive youth development and the protection of mental health. She has received training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy, Schema Therapy and EMDR therapy.
Prof. GORKA VULETIĆ, PhD
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
She graduated in psychology from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, after which she completed postgraduate studies in Public Health at the School of Medicine in Zagreb. She obtained her master’s degree and PhD in the field of biomedicine and health sciences at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine. Until 2008, she worked at the Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, and since 2008 she has been employed at the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, where she is currently a Full Professor with Tenure in the interdisciplinary field of science (psychology and public health). Her primary areas of scientific and professional interest are health psychology, mental health, health and quality of life. She is a member of national and international professional associations: the Croatian Chamber of Psychologists, the Croatian Psychological Association, the International Well-Being Group and the International Society for Quality of Life Studies.
Asst. Prof. IVANA MARČINKO, PhD
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
Her primary research interests are clinical and health psychology. Her research has addressed factors important for people’s mental health. She has focused particularly on dispositional personality characteristics, as well as early psychological trauma that may play a significant role in mental health adjustment.
Prof. SANJICA FALETAR, PhD
Department of Information Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
Sanjica Faletar is a full professor at the Department of Information Sciences of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. Her research interests include library services for underrepresented and marginalized social groups (e.g. older people and people with dementia, people with dyslexia, prisoners, immigrants, etc.), as well as their information behaviour and reading interests. She is a member of the IFLA Section for Equitable and Accessible Library Services and the Commission for the Adaptation and Accessibility of Library Services of the Croatian Library Association. Since 2019, she has organized a cycling event at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek in support of the national campaign for people with reading difficulties and dyslexia, “I Want to Read Too” (
https://ijazelimcitati.org/).
NARCISA VRBEŠIĆ-RAVLIĆ, univ. mag. iur., spec. iur.
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
Narcisa Vrbešić-Ravlić is a lecturer at the Department of Sociology. She is a specialist in human rights, which, together with vulnerable groups, form the focus of her research and the social and humanitarian activities to which she is dedicated. She is a member of the Committee for Students with Disabilities at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek.
ŽELJKO BEISSMAN, Senior Lecturer
Chair of Common Courses, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
His work focuses on the development of physical and psychomotor abilities and on encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle among students. His work is aimed at creating lasting habits of physical activity, developing functional abilities and empowering students to engage in physical activity independently.
SANJA DIÓSY, univ. mag. psych.
Student Psychological Counselling Unit, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
She is employed at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, where she works in the Student Psychological Counselling Unit, providing psychological support to students. Her work focuses particularly on anxiety, depression, perfectionism and adjustment to academic demands. She actively participates in the development of programmes aimed at improving students’ mental health and promoting a culture of mental health care within the academic community.
Assoc. Prof. DANIJELA KUNA, PhD
Faculty of Kinesiology Osijek
Danijela Kuna is employed at the Faculty of Kinesiology Osijek, where she currently serves as Vice-Dean for Science and International Cooperation. Her areas of scientific and professional work focus on kinesiology-based recreation, fitness and sport, with a particular interest in an interdisciplinary approach in which she integrates and applies knowledge from physiology and psychology through research and professional work. Her research interests centre on studying the role and effects of different forms of physical activity on mental health, psychological well-being and quality of life in different population groups. Outside the academic environment, she is particularly dedicated to recreational running, which she has pursued actively for more than twenty years, primarily in long-distance road running. Alpine skiing, in which she is also active as a ski instructor, and paragliding hold a special place among her sporting interests.
Asst. Prof. DRAGAN GLAVAŠ, PhD
Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Croatia
Dragan Glavaš is an assistant professor at the University Department of Psychology of the Catholic University of Croatia, where he also serves as Head of the Department. His scientific and professional work focuses on the psychology of physical activity and mental health, with particular emphasis on the role of beliefs and other psychological mechanisms in explaining the relationship between physical activity and psychological well-being. His research interests also include cognitive aspects of sports performance, particularly in the context of decision-making and the role of working memory. He is the principal investigator of a completed and a current research project aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying the relationship between physical activity and mental health. He has published a number of scientific papers in his areas of research interest. He teaches courses in statistics as well as Sport and Exercise Psychology. He actively promotes the application of psychological knowledge in developing and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, particularly in the context of physical activity and sport, and is himself an active amateur football player.
Assoc. Prof. ANA ŠIMUNIĆ, PhD
Department of Psychology, University of Zadar
Ana Šimunić is an associate professor at the Department of Psychology of the University of Zadar. She teaches courses in psychological methodology, statistics, psychometrics and environmental psychology. Her research interests focus on the relationship and balance between work and other life roles, as well as the relationship between people and their environment, particularly the natural environment and its preservation. She has also received additional training in advanced psychometric and statistical methods, completed courses in autogenic training, mindfulness and nature-based therapeutic interventions, and is currently a second-level trainee in behavioural and cognitive therapies.
RUBEN BETLEHEM, univ. mag. psych.
Centre for Vocational Rehabilitation Osijek
A graduate psychologist with several years of experience in vocational rehabilitation and psychodiagnostics and a second-level trainee in cognitive behavioural therapy. Alongside his professional practice, he is actively involved in the academic community as an external associate and teaching assistant at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law in Osijek. In his free time, he participates in triathlons, goes hiking and plays the guitar.
BENJAMIN BANAI, PhD
Banai Analitika, Data Processing Business
Benjamin Banai works as an independent expert and consultant, providing support with the methodological and analytical aspects of research projects. Throughout his career, he has participated in national and international research projects in the fields of mental health, public health, environmental protection and mobile game development.
STUDENTS
MIA PUCIĆ
A final-year psychology student, driven by curiosity and a genuine interest in people, their stories, relationships and perspectives that both connect us and make us different. Through questioning and exploration, I do not limit myself to theory, but strive to understand what I have learned and put it into practice, with a particular interest in mental health and the ways it can be nurtured through everyday, often small but meaningful moments. In this process, I am increasingly drawn to exploring the role of physical activity, particularly running, which, even as a beginner, teaches me perseverance and presence, as well as the power of community, through which I increasingly recognize how closely the body and mind are connected and how movement and our relationship with ourselves influence our well-being.
MIRNA GRUJIĆ
A psychology student particularly interested in projects and initiatives aimed at fostering a sense of community, empathy and mutual understanding, with special emphasis on the importance of relationships for our psychological well-being. In her free time and semi-professional work, she contributes a creative perspective to such initiatives through brainstorming, filming and content creation, while seeking to portray the human element at their very core.
GABRIJELLA STELLA STANKOVIĆ
A psychology student with a particular interest in a multidisciplinary approach to understanding people. She believes that mental health can only be improved when psychological, social and physical aspects of life are taken into account. Her everyday life is filled with organizing and carrying out humanitarian initiatives, as well as running as a form of physical activity through which she takes care of her own mental health.