Staff profiles
Current Members of the Department of Social Work
Previous Members of the Department of Social Work (2025/2026)
prof. PhDr. Ladislav Vaska, PhD.
Professor in Social Work
Scientifically, researchly and pedagogically, he is profiled in the field of supervision in social work, forms and methods of social work, supervised professional practice and social-psychological training.
He is the chairman of the Standing Commission of the Slovak Social Work Association at the Academy of Social Work and the Vice-chairman of the Accreditation Commission of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Humanities of the Slovak Republic for the field of education.
He is a founding and visiting member of the Slovak Chamber of Social Work and Social Work, a member of the Academy of Social Work and Social Work. He is a member of scientific councils (FZaSP TU in Trnava and FSVaZ UKF in Nitra), professional committees (FF PU in Prešov, FF UPJŠ in Košice, PF UMB in Banská Bystrica and FZaSP TU in Trnava), editorial boards.
As part of his pedagogical activity, he works as a supervisor of final theses at all levels of higher education in the field of social work, a member of habilitation and inauguration committees.
In research and science, he works as a principal investigator and co-investigator of scientific grant tasks (VEGA, KEGA).
He has a high publication activity in scientific and professional domestic and foreign journals.
He has received several awards (from the deans of the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava, the Faculty of Arts of the University of Bratislava in Banská Bystrica and the Rector's Award of Comenius University in Bratislava) for pedagogical, scientific and research activities and the development of Student Scientific Professional Activities, as well as letters of thanks and honorary recognition from the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Family and the Mayor of Banská Bystrica.
doc. PhDr. Peter Brnula, PhD.
Associate Professor in Social Work
As part of his education, he is a qualified social worker, university teacher and supervisor.
He is pedagogically oriented towards subjects in the field of history of social work, theories of social work, ethics in social work and supervision. He works as a supervisor of final theses at all levels of university education in the field of social work, a member of habilitation and inauguration committees.
He focuses his research activities on the field of history of social work, professional ethics, supervision, social work. As part of his scientific activities, he is a co-investigator, investigator and deputy investigator of scientific grant tasks: VEGA, KEGA, TA ČR and other grant schemes in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Founding and visiting member of the Slovak Chamber of Social Work and Social Work since 2015 and in 2015-2019 member of the Professional Council of the Chamber; member of the Association of Social Work Educators since 2007, in 2009-2015 member of the Board of Directors and its secretary; member of the Association of Supervisors and Social Counselors since 2008; in 2019-2023 he was a member of the Executive Board of the Association of Social Work Educators in the Czech Republic. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the Czech Association for Supervision (since 2025).
Member of scientific councils (FSE UJEP in Ústí nad Labem (2016-2025); FF UPJŠ in Košice (2019-2023); PdF KU in Ružomberok (from 2025); trade commissions (FHS UK in Prague; PF UMB in Banská Bystrica), editorial boards of the journals Revue sociálnych služieb (from 2011), Fórum sociální práce (2017-2021), Adiktologie v prevenívní a čečebné praxis (2018-2025).
He is an evaluator of the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education and the National Accreditation Office for the field of Social Work and Social Work.
He is a consultant in projects of transformation of social services and deinstitutionalization of social services.
doc. PhDr. Martina Hrozenská, PhD.
Associate Professor of Social Work
In her research, teaching, and publishing activities, she focuses on methods and forms of social work, social services, gender-based violence, and working with seniors and people with disabilities.
She is a guest member of the Slovak Chamber of Social Workers and Social Pedagogues and a member of the AVSP. She is the secretary of the departmental committee in the field of social work at the Faculty of Education, Comenius University in Bratislava.
She participates in scientific grant projects (APVV, VEGA, KEGA) and several national projects in the social sphere as the principal investigator, co-investigator, or expert guarantor.
As part of her teaching activities, she supervises final theses at all levels of university education in the field of social work and is a member of committees for state final examinations, committees for rigorous and doctoral proceedings, and habilitation committees.
She publishes in domestic and foreign scientific and professional journals. She is the author of several books and scientific monographs.
doc. PhDr. Michaela Šavrnochová, PhD.
Associate Professor of Social Work
In her research, teaching and publishing activities, she has long been profiled in the field of social work with families, risky social phenomena, substance and non-substance addictions, codependency and prevention of risky social phenomena in children, youth and adults.
She is the chairwoman of the Association of Social Work Educators in Slovakia. She is a member of the editorial board of the international professional journal Sociální práce/Sociálna práca.
In the field of research, she works as the main investigator and co-investigator of scientific grant tasks VEGA and KEGA, which are focused on the issues of addictions, codependency, digital risks and the development of system-oriented interventions in working with families.
She is a lecturer in innovative education "Prevention of substance and non-substance addictions in the school environment", within which she provides a module focused on family factors of addiction and codependency at the Faculty of Education of the Catholic University in Ružomberok.
She is a member of the doctoral study committee at the Faculty of Education of Comenius University in Bratislava, works as a supervisor of final theses at all levels of higher education in the field of social work and is a member of the committees for state final exams, rigorous, doctoral and habilitation procedures.
She is the author and co-author of monographs, university textbooks, scripts and scientific studies published in domestic and foreign scientific journals registered in the Web of Science, Scopus and Current Contents Connect databases.
She expanded her professional competences by completing several foreign pedagogical mobilities and professional trainings focused on social counseling in the field of addictions, resocialization, codependency and motivational interviewing methods.
Mgr. Katarína Čavojská, PhD.
Professional assistant
In her scientific, professional, and publishing activities, she focuses on research in the field of youth and civil society.
She is the head of the Section of Youth Sociology and Sociology of Education of the Slovak Sociological Society of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
She cooperates with non-governmental organizations dedicated to youth. She is a member of the European Rural Youth Observatory (EURYO) association. She is the executive director of the Association of Supervisors and Social Workers (ASSP).
As part of her scientific and research activities, she is a co-researcher on scientific grant projects (APVV, VEGA).
She is a supervisor of bachelor's and master's theses in the field of social work.
She publishes her work in professional and scientific journals in Slovakia and abroad.
PhDr. Martina Čierna, PhD.
Assistant Professor
In her scientific, professional, and publishing activities, she focuses on social policy and quantitative data processing.
In terms of science and research, she is a co-researcher on scientific grant projects (APVV, VEGA).
As part of her teaching activities, she supervises bachelor's and master's theses in the field of social work.
Her publications appear in professional and scientific journals in Slovakia and abroad.
PhDr. Jana Budoš Vrťová, PhD.
Professional assistant
Her scientific, research, and pedagogical work focuses on the historical context of social work, social work ethics, and supervision.
As part of her scientific and research activities, she is a co-researcher on scientific grant projects (VEGA).
She is a member of the Association of Educators in Social Work.
She is a supervisor of bachelor's and master's theses in the field of social work.
She publishes her scientific and professional work in domestic and foreign scientific journals.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9674-7605
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[Translate to English:] PhDr. Patrik Beňuš, PhD.
Assistant Professor
In his teaching and research activities, he focuses on the interdisciplinary study of economic, political and social processes and their interrelationships.
He pays particular attention to issues of social policy, the development and functioning of the state, as well as the impact of economic and social transformations on the lives of individuals and different population groups.
His professional interests also include economic and social history, particulary transformations of society within a broader political and economic context. In his teaching, he connects historical and social-science perspectives with contemporary issues of social policy.
[Translate to English:] Mgr. Lucia Krivosudská
PhD Student
During her university studies, she developed a particular interest in forensic social work, with a focus on penitentiary and post-penitentiary care and psychosocial support for members of the Corps of Prison and Court Guard.
During her doctoral studies, she is expanding her professional and research interests to include the issue of codependency among partners of individuals with alcohol dependence.
Her professional experience in social work also includes five years of practice at the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family in the area of employment mediation services.
She has recieved several awards for her academic, research and creative achievements: 1st place in the national round of Student Scientific and Professional Activity (ŠVOČ) competition in the field of Social Work (2026), the Dean´s Award for an outstanding thesis (2026), the Rector´s Academic Commendation of Comenius University Bratislava for outstanding academic performance throught her studies (2026), the Dean´s Award for outstanding academic performance (2024), 1st place in the essay competition for the Mark Frauwirth Prize (2024), and 3rd place in the essay competition for the Mark Frauwirth Prize (2022).
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0587-9455