Mgr. Ján Hlodák, PhD. (b. 1998) began his academic journey in the field of nursing at a secondary medical school, where his direct contact with patients during clinical practice fostered a growing interest in the psychological dimensions of healthcare. This experience led him to pursue a degree in psychology at the Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.
He graduated with distinction in 2020, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology. His thesis, titled “Identification and Application of Instrumental Aggression”, focused on the psychometric evaluation of the Slovak version of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire within a population of secondary school students. This early research demonstrated his emerging interest in applied psychological assessment.
Continuing at the same university, he collaborated with the Department of Neurology at the Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Košice for his master’s thesis research. He investigated the psychological dimensions of living with narcolepsy, culminating in the defended thesis “Psychological Aspects of Quality of Life in Patients with Narcolepsy” (2022). This work marked the beginning of his sustained engagement with sleep disorders and patient-centred psychological research.
In 2022, driven by a deepening commitment to this underrepresented patient population, he commenced his doctoral studies in Health Psychology at Comenius University in Bratislava. His PhD research is conducted in partnership with the Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology at the Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University. His dissertation project, “Living with narcolepsy: a patients’ perspective” adopts various research approaches to explore the lived experiences of individuals affected by this rare neurological condition. He defended his thesis in August 2025 and received a PhD degree in the field of Health Psychology.
During his doctoral studies, he also worked as a counselling psychologist at the Centre for Counselling and Prevention in Rožňava, where he provided psychological support to clients across a range of mental health concerns. Subsequently, he was employed at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, further contributing to the academic and clinical development of the field.
Email: jan.hlodak@upjs.sk
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