Dementia Researcher Blogs
The Dementia Researcher Blogs Podcasts - through this show, you can hear our bloggers read their blogs. So if you prefer to read, you can head or our website or you can listen on the move. These shows are about academic / research careers, research, science and life as an early career dementia researchers. Brought to you by https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk - everything you need, all in one place. Remember to subscribe to our main ‘Dementia Researcher‘ Podcast, here and where ever you get your podcasts.
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Dr Victoria Shepherd narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Do you have experience of struggling to recruit people to your research study? Both Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimers’ Society have highlighted the shockingly low participation in dementia research compared to other major health conditions. Recent announcements of a ‘national mission’ to tackle dementia and funding to strengthen capacity and capability in dementia research are, of course, very welcome. However, the barriers to recruiting sufficient numbers of people living with dementia will also need to be addressed. Could there be other ways to look at this challenge? Vicky discusses in this blog.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-advance-planning-for-research-participation/
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Dr Victoria Shepherd is a Senior Research Fellow at Cardiff University where she leads a programme of research to improve inclusivity of under-served groups in trials, with a particular focus on the ethical and methodological challenges around involving adults who lack capacity to consent. She leads a number of trials methodology research projects, including the development of the NIHR INCLUDE Impaired Capacity to Consent Framework which helps researchers to design more inclusive trials. Victoria is a registered nurse and is also involved in the design and conduct of a range of clinical trials and national and international studies in care homes. Follow Vicky on Twitter: @VickyLShepherd
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Dr Sam Moxon, narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
If you follow Sam's work with Dementia Researcher you may have stumbled upon his podcast series “Food for Thought”. It’s a show Sam sits down with medical doctors who specialise in treating their patients by complementing modern medicine with well-evidenced, beneficial diet and lifestyle choices. They talk about the best foods you can eat in order to keep your brain in the best possible shape and reduce your risk of developing dementia.
If you have listened to any of those podcast episodes you will have learned that there is a wealth of evidence out there that, in many cases, genes merely load the gun for developing dementia. Diet and lifestyle pulls the trigger. So much so that diet and lifestyle choices are the biggest controllable risk factors for developing dementia. More specifically, eating healthy and exercising is one of the best things to do for your brain and there is a recurring theme from every podcast guest: avoid processed foods and bad fats. There are various ways of doing this but the easiest way to do it is to get more plants on your plate. Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes etc. and this brings us to the topic for this podcast - January is a month of change and it may be the 5th January, but you're not too late to try Veganuary, in this blog Sam talks you through how to get through it.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-top-tips-for-veganuary/
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Dr Sam Moxon is a biomaterials scientist at the University of Manchester. His expertise falls on the interface between biology and engineering. His PhD focussed on regenerative medicine and he now works on trying to develop 3D bioprinting techniques with human stem cells, so that we better understand and treat degenerative diseases. Outside of the lab he hikes through the Lake District and is an expert on all things Disney.
Enjoy listening and reading our blogs? We're always on the look out for new contributors, drop us a line and share your own research and careers advice dementiaresearcher@nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Dr Gaia Brezzo narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.
It’s from the comfort of her living room sofa that Gaia writes her final blog for 2022, cup of tea in hand and a purring cat on her lap as she taps away on the keyboard. This month, to round up 2022, Gaia decided to blog about what she has achieved – and not achieved – this year, as she reflects back on another year of her science and what – hopefully exiting stuff – 2023 could bring.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-reflections-for-2022-another-year-of-science/
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Dr Gaia Brezzo is a Research Fellow based within the UK Dementia Research Institute at The University of Edinburgh. Gaia's research focuses on understanding how immune alterations triggered by stroke shape chronic maladaptive neuroimmune responses that lead to post-stroke cognitive decline and vascular dementia. Raised in Italy, Gaia came to the UK to complete her undergraduate degree, and thankfully, stuck around. Gaia writes about her work and career challenges, when not biking her way up and down hills in Edinburgh. Follow Gaia on Twitter: @Gaia_Brezzo
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Adam Smith narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Are you making a resolution in the new year? Warning: More than half of all resolutions fail, but this year, they don’t have to be yours. Adam shares his simple resolutions and shares some top tips to become part of the small group of people that successfully achieve their goals.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-new-years-resolutions/
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Adam Smith was born in the north, a long time ago. He wanted to write books, but ended up working in the NHS, and at the Department of Health. He is now Programme Director in the Office of the NIHR National Director for Dementia Research (which probably sounds more important than it is) at University College London. He has led a number of initiatives to improve dementia research (including this website, Join Dementia Research & ENRICH), as well as pursuing his own research interests. In his spare time, he grows vegetables, builds Lego & spends most of his time drinking too much coffee and squeezing technology into his house.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Dr Clarissa Giebel narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Academia can feel rushed at the best of times, and like going at 200 kilometres an hour at the most intense of times. Depending on your career stage, that can involve grant writing, papers, analysis, leading meetings and international projects, work trips (the most exciting bits of the job!!), presenting your work at conferences and seminars, a lot of public involvement, line management, providing feedback to your students and team members, writing, more grant writing, facing rejections, and throw in some academic politics. And not to forget keeping up to date with the latest research, and jointly thinking of new research ideas. So how do you stop and reflect and take time to take-stock? Clarissa shares her tips.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-avoiding-burnout-taking-stockings-over-christmas/
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Dr Clarissa Giebel is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool and NIHR ARC North West Coast. Clarissa has been working in dementia care research for over 10 years focusing her research on helping people with dementia to live at home independently and well for longer, addressing inequalities that people with dementia and carers can face. Outside of her day work, Clarissa has also organised a local dementia network - the Liverpool Dementia & Ageing Research Forum, and has recently started her own podcast called the Ageing Scientist.
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If you would like to write your own blog drop us a line, we're always on the look out for new contributors to write about their research, careers + more dementiaresearcher@nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Friday Dec 16, 2022
Friday Dec 16, 2022
Dr Yvonne Couch, narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website.
OK so that title was really boring. Apologies. But on the upside, it’s super obvious what we’re going to talk about today. For this one, Yvonne was inspired by two things. A chat with a junior colleague (who will know who she is if she’s listening) and the amazing Lonely Pipette podcast episode with Jen Heemstra.
Yvonne approaches this topic in stages because it’s important to note is that what you prioritize and how you prioritize will change throughout your career.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-prioritising/
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Dr Yvonne Couch is an Alzheimer's Research UK Fellow at the University of Oxford. Yvonne studies the role of extracellular vesicles and their role in changing the function of the vasculature after stroke, aiming to discover why the prevalence of dementia after stroke is three times higher than the average. It is her passion for problem solving and love of science that drives her, in advancing our knowledge of disease. Yvonne writes about her work, academic life, and careers as she takes a new road into independent research.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Dr Connor Richardson narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Connor is back to the second part of his introduction to the dementia researcher blog. In this piece Connor introduces himself as a researcher, with a tour of his career so far - with a great demonstration how one move, leads to the next.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-my-research-career-from-biochemistry-to-biostatistics/
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Dr Connor Richardson is a Neuro-epidemiology Research Associate in the Newcastle University Population Health Sciences Institute. Connor is the research statistician for the Cognitive Function and Ageing studies (CFAS) multi-centre population cohort. His research interest lies in using advanced statistical modelling and machine learning to measure dementia risk. Connor blogs about his research, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and sometimes his Pomapoo’s.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Nathan Stephens narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Dementia is rarely considered a market issue, well at least not explicitly. Yet the unequitable distribution of care and support, cost of care and unpaid care, and inequality of information are symptoms of a ‘failed market’. This is according to the Treasury’s Green Book which identifies four domains of market failure: under-provision of public goods/services, imperfect information about goods/services, externalities, and market or monopoly power. In this blog Nathan discusses the issues.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-addressing-market-failure-why-we-cant-let-the-market-win/
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Nathan Stephens is a PhD Student and unpaid carer, working on his PhD at University of Worcester, studying the Worcestershire Meeting Centres Community Support Programme. Inspired by caring for both grandparents and personal experience of dementia, Nathan has gone from a BSc in Sports & Physical Education, an MSc in Public Health, and now working on his PhD.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Dr Sam Moxon, narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
It’s that time of year again. Time to go “really?! End of the year already?!” The time where you maybe take a second to look back on the year and reflect on what has happened, what maybe didn’t happen and what you want to do next year to keep moving forwards. That’s Sam's topic for this month and he hopes you will join him for the ride and maybe spend a little time afterwards thinking about this year and what you want to carry forwards into the next one. It’s a personal blog it’s a good thing to do when this time of year rolls around - self-reflection as a tool for improvement.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-looking-back-on-2022-a-year-of-change/
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Dr Sam Moxon is a biomaterials scientist at the University of Manchester. His expertise falls on the interface between biology and engineering. His PhD focussed on regenerative medicine and he now works on trying to develop 3D bioprinting techniques with human stem cells, so that we better understand and treat degenerative diseases. Outside of the lab he hikes through the Lake District and is an expert on all things Disney.
Enjoy listening and reading our blogs? We're always on the look out for new contributors, drop us a line and share your own research and careers advice dementiaresearcher@nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.