Briefly, could you tell us about your background and career up to this point?
Over the past 20 years, I have worked across the voluntary and statutory sectors, in commissioning and provider arms, and supported people affected by dementia across different clinical settings. To ensure my research has the potential to make a difference in the real world, I draw on these experiences and the specific insights gained from working as an NHS doctor in psychiatry, a National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow and King’s Parliamentary Research Intern.
I continue to support people with dementia in different ways, through my research and as a Trustee of Arts for Dementia, a charity that promotes access to meaningful art-based activities for people with dementia and those close to them. I also chair their Research and Evaluation Sub-Committee.
What is the Alzheimer’s Society Postdoctoral Fellowship and what will your research focus on?
The Alzheimer’s Society Postdoctoral Fellowship allows early career researchers to pursue a novel research idea and build their independent research portfolio. My research will focus on integrating a palliative care approach to dementia, from diagnosis to end of life. To do this, I aim to explore how best to implement the ‘IPOS-Dem’, a palliative care outcome scale, in primary care settings to provide a standardised way of delivering person-centred care for people with dementia.
What impact is this likely to have beyond the university?
My PhD from King’s led me to conclude that if we want to improve the quality of end-of-life care for people with dementia, we must start earlier in the dementia trajectory, from the point of diagnosis. With the support of primary care practitioners, lived experts and others, my research will help to inform strategies for more consistent delivery of a personalised, needs-based approach to dementia care. I hope this will contribute to efforts that improve the quality of life and quality of end of life for people with dementia and those close to them, and support the practitioners involved.
What is your favourite thing about working at King’s?
People make places and my colleagues make King’s a great place to work.
What do you do with your time outside of work?
If I’m not walking around the nearest woodland or national park, I’m spending time with my family.
Quick fire:
Favourite film? Terminator 2
Favourite holiday destination? I don’t think I have a favourite – I’m happy exploring anywhere.
Favourite karaoke song? I’ll quietly sing along to most songs, but I don’t do karaoke for public health reasons.