Dr Lesley Williamson PhD, MRCPsych, FHEA
NIHR Dementia Research Fellow
Research interests
- Palliative care
Pronouns
she/her
Biography
Lesley is an NIHR Dementia Research (DEM-COMM) Fellow at the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, and the Health & Social Care Workforce Research Unit at The Policy Institute, King’s College London.
She uses mixed methods research to contribute to advancing knowledge on health and social care equity for people affected by dementia. Her current work involves exploring palliative dementia care and service access towards the end of life. She jointly coordinates the Dementia Community Research Network (DCRN), which comprises community, research and public partners to improve equity of research involvement among people with dementia from minoritised ethnic communities.
Lesley has a keen interest in policy and co-leads the Service Development & Policy module for the MSc in Palliative Care. She has previously worked in the House of Lords as one of the King’s Parliamentary Research Interns, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists and St Andrew’s Healthcare as one of the National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellows.
By background, Lesley is a medical doctor and psychology graduate. She holds a PhD in palliative dementia care and has a master's in clinical leadership.
Research interests:
- Palliative dementia care
- Health and social care inequities
- Health policy and systems research
- Community engagement and coproduction
Research interests: Dementia care, palliative and end-of-life care, equitable access.
Enquiring about potential PhD supervision
If you’re thinking of applying for one of our PhD programmes and are looking for potential supervisors, please email nmpc_pgr_enquiries@kcl.ac.uk listing the names of the supervisors you’ve identified as having expertise in your chosen area, along with your CV and a short research proposal.
Our Postgraduate Research Team will contact supervisors on your behalf and get back to you. If you have any queries in the meantime, please use the email address above, rather than contacting potential PhD supervisors directly, because they are unable to respond to initial enquiries.
Lesley is a Palliative Care MSc dissertation supervisor
Teaching
Palliative Care MSc:
- Module co-lead: Service Development and Policy module
- Supervision: Postgraduate student dissertations
- Session teaching: Research Methods & Statistics, and Service Development & Policy modules
Research
NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London: Social Care Theme
Researchers at HSCWRU are working on the Social Care theme as part of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London.
Understanding Why People With Dementia Attend the Emergency Department Towards the End of Life
A mixed-methods study examining the determinants of emergency department attendance by people with dementia towards the end of life.
Project status: Completed
The Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
The Impact Centre aims to close the gap between evidence and practice, ensuring that everyone approaching the end of life receives the best care possible.
Strengths-based approaches in social care and community services
From October 2024 to March 2026, our work continues to focus on strengths-based approaches in social care and community services.
Project status: Ongoing
Setting And Responding to Priorities (SARP)
We are co-producing research and development priorities for south London social care communities.
Project status: Ongoing
News
ARC South London Social Care Theme at the Unit
Highlights from our programme of work, 2019-2024
Learning from the King's Parliamentary Research Internship
As part of her experience, Dr Lesley Williamson developed a policy brief on palliative and end-of-life care for people with dementia
King's colleagues attend Parliamentary reception to discuss new Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
The reception, hosted by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, was focused on improving palliative and end-of-life care and reducing inequalities.
Developing research proposals
Olivia Luijnenburg's team project for a virtual reality learning platform wins seed funding
Poor access to care driving people with dementia to A&E
Hospital emergency departments have become a last resort for people diagnosed with dementia, as the condition is often not recognised as a life-limiting...
Four ways to improve end-of-life care for people with dementia
Efforts to improve the quality of end-of-life care for people with dementia are urgently needed.
Spotlight
Influencing policy on better palliative care for people with dementia
Dr Lesley Williamson is an early career researcher in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care. Through her PhD research,...
Getting palliative care to those who need it
The research helping introduce high quality, cost-effective palliative care into the health systems where people need it.
Research
NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London: Social Care Theme
Researchers at HSCWRU are working on the Social Care theme as part of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London.
Understanding Why People With Dementia Attend the Emergency Department Towards the End of Life
A mixed-methods study examining the determinants of emergency department attendance by people with dementia towards the end of life.
Project status: Completed
The Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
The Impact Centre aims to close the gap between evidence and practice, ensuring that everyone approaching the end of life receives the best care possible.
Strengths-based approaches in social care and community services
From October 2024 to March 2026, our work continues to focus on strengths-based approaches in social care and community services.
Project status: Ongoing
Setting And Responding to Priorities (SARP)
We are co-producing research and development priorities for south London social care communities.
Project status: Ongoing
News
ARC South London Social Care Theme at the Unit
Highlights from our programme of work, 2019-2024
Learning from the King's Parliamentary Research Internship
As part of her experience, Dr Lesley Williamson developed a policy brief on palliative and end-of-life care for people with dementia
King's colleagues attend Parliamentary reception to discuss new Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
The reception, hosted by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, was focused on improving palliative and end-of-life care and reducing inequalities.
Developing research proposals
Olivia Luijnenburg's team project for a virtual reality learning platform wins seed funding
Poor access to care driving people with dementia to A&E
Hospital emergency departments have become a last resort for people diagnosed with dementia, as the condition is often not recognised as a life-limiting...
Four ways to improve end-of-life care for people with dementia
Efforts to improve the quality of end-of-life care for people with dementia are urgently needed.
Spotlight
Influencing policy on better palliative care for people with dementia
Dr Lesley Williamson is an early career researcher in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care. Through her PhD research,...
Getting palliative care to those who need it
The research helping introduce high quality, cost-effective palliative care into the health systems where people need it.