Ružica Tokalić

Ružica Tokalić

Ružica Tokalić

MY BACKGROUND:

I am a medical doctor, currently working as a research and teaching assistant. My work is focused on research methodology, evidence based medicine, research integrity and ethics. My PhD thesis is based on reporting and transparency of clinical practice guidelines, as well as effective teaching and understanding the quality of the evidence. I am a long-term volunteer at our Cochrane geographical group. For the last two years, I have been the project manager for our translation activities.

WHY AM I INTERESTED IN RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION:

My first job after finishing medical school was a Horizon 2020 project focused on responsible research and innovation – HEIRRI (Higher Education Institutions and Responsible Research and Innovation). Through this, I have encountered an entirely new perspective on research and society, one that was completely unfamiliar to me, having only laboratory research experience. It made me realize how much potential for improvement there is, and how much my own medical field needs to open up. That is why I continued to work in similar areas of research. Since then, I have been working on two more Horizon projects, EnTIRE (Mapping Normative Frameworks for EThics and Integrity of Research), and VIRT2UE (Virtue-based ethics and integrity of research: Train-the-trainer programme). Through these, we have been working on enabling researchers to mindfully approach their work, to recognize complex issues and approach them systematically, and to help them find resources they would need.

WHAT DO I HOPE TO LEARN / CONTRIBUTE AS COUNTRY CORRESPONDENT:

RRI is complex, ambitious and forward. That is why it is often perceived as something abstract, in-the-future, and not an applicable framework. It is also incredibly important, which is why these misconceptions need to be cleared. While my experience has taught me this, my education background has also imprinted me with a need to measure and analyze wherever I can, so that progress can be tracked more easily. I believe this is something I have in common with many RPO and RFO employees in my country, and I also believe that can be a great starting point for a conversation. As a SuperMoRRI correspondent, I hope to contribute to development and understanding of RRI through experiences of Croatian researchers and funders. Finally, I hope that during that process, I will have a better understanding of those processes in my country, which is necessary for future improvement.

Speaker Details
  • Country

    Croatia

  • Institution

    University of Split School of Medicine

  • Position

    Research assistant, PhD candidate

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