Javier Jerez Roig
Principal Investigator of the KOKU Bladder project. Professor at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC). Coordinator of the Research Group M₃O and the Health Care Area of IRIS-CC (Institute for Research and Innovation in Life Sciences and Health in Central Catalonia). Research Advisor of the Catalan Board of Physiotherapists. Senior Researcher at the Lithuanian Sports University.
Doctor and master's in Public Health. Physiotherapist and expert in pelvic health and ageing. He has participated in 30 research projects (22 with national or international funding).
Emma Stanmore
She supports this project as the founder and lead for the KOKU app. Stanmore is a nurse and Senior Researcher (grant income as PI is £2,522,329 and Co-PI £17,311,813, 54 publications, 7 supervised PhDs (+9 ongoing)). She will coordinate the fieldwork of KOKU Bladder in Manchester and facilitate the development of the new technological solution.
Marius Brazaitis
Prof. Marius Brazaitis leads the Human Environmental Physiology research group at The Lithuanian Sports University and is internationally recognized for his contribution to understanding human adaptation physiology to various environmental conditions. Brazaitis laboratory has international research links with Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz Germany, University of Tartu Estonia, National Taiwan Normal University, University of Vic, and collaborations with Karolinska Institute Sweden where has worked with Erhardt S and Westerblad H for over 15 years. M Brazaitis has published >150 peer reviewed articles, including 120 majors refereed journal papers, ½ as first or senior author. His work has been cited a total >1900 times with an average of 17 citations per paper (WoS; h-25). Two of his earlier papers have been recognized by the top leading media magazines TIME US, The Wall Street Journal US, The Daily Telegraph UK. While one of the joint publications in The American Journal of Human Genetics (2021), has received a high level of media attention to date with 71 media reports (including BBCnews, The Science Times, and a research highlight in Nature), scoring in the top 5% of all research measured by Altmetric (attention score 614) and the top 1% of research published at a similar time. He has contributed or supervised 30 national and international projects, supervised 13 successfully defended doctoral dissertations. He has expertise in implementing interventions and evaluating neurological, psychological, and physiological stress factors by using evoked interventions, such as cold, heat, sleep deprivation, calorie restriction, exercise and etc. Performed studies in the field indicates his high international level as expert in research methodology. He was highly active in sharing his scientific activities by giving international lectures in countries such as Spain, Germany, Estonia, Israel, Portugal, Italy, Poland, the USA, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, Canada and Sweden. Professor Marius Brazaitis specializes in teaching exercise physiology, motor control and learning, and biomedical research methodology.
Óscar Águila Gimeno
He is a physical therapist specialized in pelvic floor. He has completed a Masters in Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation at the Fundació Universitària del Bages (Spain), and has been working in this speciality for more than 7 years. He has been working with pelvic floor patients at Santa Maria University Hospital of Lleida (Spain) since 2018. He is part of the Pelvic Floor Committee of the same hospital. Santa Maria University Hospital of Lleida will participate in the different phases of the project.
He is a PhD Student in Comprehensive Care and Health Services at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia. Óscar is conducting an Industry PhD funded by AGAUR (Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca), with the KOKU Bladder project.
Rima Solianik
She holds a doctorate in Biomedicine as well as Master's and Bachelor's in Physiotherapy. She is a senior researcher at the Institute of Sport Science and Innovations and an associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation at the Lithuanian Sports University. Her research interests cover topics such as the effects of various factors, including different physical exercises, on health-related indicators, psycho-emotional state, and physical and mental performance. Rima Solianik is a co-author of 37 publications in journals indexed in the Web of Science and 21 publications in other journals.
Andrea Fuente-Vidal
Andrea holds a Degree in physiotherapy and a MSc in physical activity for health. She has extensive experience in physical training and university lecturing within the Degree of Physiotherapy. She is currently (Jan. 2025) a PhD Candidate in sports sciences. Her participation in funded research projects includes experience with app-delivered physical training, e-Health, online educational courses on physical activity and nutrition for health professionals, with emphasis in the older adult population.
Since 2022, Andrea holds positions of Project Manager for EU-funded projects at UVic-UCC. She has experience in participatory research design and analysis. As a freelancer, she maintains extensive activity in communication and health for the general public and the physical training community.
Norina Gasteiger
She (BA/BHSc, MPH (Hons.), PhD) is a Research Fellow in the Division of Nursing, Midwifery, and Social Work at the University of Manchester. She is an early career researcher with 40+ published journal articles, 7 conference papers, and 3 book chapters. Her research takes a multidisciplinary approach to designing, evaluating, and implementing innovative digital technologies to transform healthcare delivery. Norina is advising on the project, contributing her expertise in app evaluation.
https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/norina.gasteiger-postgrad
Chloe French
Chloe French is a Nutritionist and Research Assistant at The University of Manchester with experience in both qualitative and quantitative methods. Her PhD worked on developing and assessing the nutrition game embedded within KOKU Health to support dietary intake and prevent malnutrition. She is currently working on the RCT currently being conducted in Greater Manchester to compare use of KOKU versus usual care in community-dwelling older adults.
Erika Karkauskiene
She has a Master of Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) qualification with ongoing PhD studies in Biology at Lithuanian Sports University. She works as a PM&R physician at Kaunas Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. In the past 5 years, she has published 3 articles. Her skills in quantitative assessment and intervention implementation align with the project's goals. Her hands-on experience as a PM&R physician will contribute significantly to the development of the program of this project (including participants’ recruitment).
Laura Jarutienė
She has a Master of Medicine and Psychiatrist qualification with ongoing PhD studies in biology at Lithuanian Sports University. She works as a psychiatrist at the Psychiatry Clinic of Kaunas Clinics of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and as a teaching assistant at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. In the last 5 years, she has published 3 articles. She has expertise in quantitative assessments, implementing interventions, and academic matters. Also, her practical experience in psychiatry and psychological knowledge will significantly contribute to the implementation of this project (especially the intervention components related to BCTs).
Milda Šarkūnė
She is studying a masters of physiotherapy at Lithuanian Sports University. At the moment, she is working in primary and secondary medical care at Kaišiadorys hospital as a physiotherapist and massage therapist. For the last 7 years, she has been living in Iceland and working as a physiotherapist at "HSS" secondary medical care unit and rehabilitation center "Sunnuhlid" in Reykjavik. She has been specializing in pain management and attending various courses regarding this. Her goal is to exceed the limits and move forward towards something new—in this case, this exciting journey participating in KOKU Bladder, which she is excited to be part of.
Julia Romeu Busquets
Third-year Physiotherapy student at UVic-UCC, she is actively collaborating on various projects throughout her studies while also working with the World Federation of Incontinence and Pelvic Problems (WFIPP).