Catharina Melander

Profile

I am a registered nurse with specialist training in care of older people, and a PhD in nursing. I currently work as a senior lecturer at Luleå University of Technology, where I combine research, teaching, and educational development.

I work closely with both academia and practice and am particularly interested in how healthcare, education, and digital solutions can be designed to be accessible, equitable, and relevant to people with different circumstances. A particular focus of my work is the health and well-being of older people, including issues related to cognitive disease and digitization in healthcare and social care.

Research

My research concerns the health and well-being of older people and has a particular focus on how healthcare and social care can be designed in an era of increased digitalisation. A deeper focus in my research concerns people with cognitive diseases and their relatives, and how healthcare and social care can be designed to enable participation, accessibility and equality as the basis for a dignified life.

In my research, I investigate how digital solutions affect healthcare, care, and everyday life for older people, while highlighting opportunities, challenges, and risks. I study how digital tools can support independence, participation, and quality of life, as well as what adjustments in healthcare and care are needed to make this possible.

My research encompasses both developmental and evaluative studies, as well as other empirical studies, and is conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods, often in combination. A consistent focus is on the experiences of older people and healthcare professionals in relation to care, everyday life, and health promotion work.

Ongoing research projects

Hälsonätet 2.0 – a digital resource for better health and quality of life among older people

An interprofessional research project that develops, tests, and evaluates a web-based group intervention to promote older people's health, quality of life, and social participation.

The project meets the need for new health promotion methods in a time of demographic change and the shift towards local healthcare. The intervention is digital, interprofessional, and based on educational principles such as the flipped classroom, where participants prepare individually for joint digital meetings.

Hälsonätet 2.0 aims to create an equitable, accessible, and knowledge-based intervention that can contribute to more sustainable working methods in healthcare.

The project is funded by the Kamprad Family Foundation and will run from 2024 to 2026. It is being carried out in collaboration between researchers in nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and psychology.

Read more about Hälsonätet 2.0 (in Swedish)

Teaching

I mainly teach in the nursing program and specialist nursing programs. My teaching covers nursing and medical science with a focus on the older person and people with cognitive diseases, as well as evidence-based care, scientific approaches, and ethical issues in healthcare and nursing. I also teach courses on complex care situations and professional decision-making, and supervise degree projects at both the bachelor's and advanced levels.

In my teaching, I strive to create inclusive learning environments and develop teaching methods that take into account the different needs and circumstances of students. I also try to create context in what students encounter in their education by linking it to the situations they will encounter in their professional practice, while at the same time working to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills.

Pedagogical and educational leadership

As the educational leader for the nursing program, I work with strategic development, coordination, and quality assurance for the program. The work includes program development and issues related to progression, development, and revision of educational and course plans, as well as coordination between courses, teachers, and work-based education.

I have undergone training in pedagogical leadership, which influences my approach to educational development and pedagogical issues within the program. The pedagogical work is based on research-related education and clear professional relevance, with a focus on student-active learning and progression.