Welcome to our mini-series on post-doccing in the 21st century, where we discuss the highs, the lows, the problems and the potential solutions. In this series Dr Yvonne Couch, ARUK Research Fellow from the University of Oxford is joined by Dr Kritika Samsi, Senior Research fellow at King’s College London, Dr Sarah Kate Smith, Research Fellow at Sheffield Hallam and one of our new regular bloggers at Dementia Researcher Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali at the University of Glasgow.

If you’ve not listened to either of the first two episodes go back and have a gander. In the first we our great postdoc panel give advice to early career researchers based on their experiences and in the second they talk about how their experiences have affected them and what they enjoy, as well as what we don’t, about life in academia. In this, the final episode, Yvonne, Kritika, Kamar and Sarah talk about some of the problems they bought up last time in more depth and contemplate what needs to happen in order for things to change. Tune in for some important discussion about the road to change.

All this week Dementia Researcher is publishing content aimed providing help, advice and support for anyone who feels a little 'stuck' at the postdoc career stage. Ideal for anyone looking to break out into indepednant research, avoid ever getting in the situation, hoping to work out how to get a promotion or accept this but challenge the issue of short-term contracts.

You can find out more about our guests, and access a full transcript of this podcast on our website at:

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/podcast

Register on our website to receive your weekly bulletin, and to access more great content – blogs, science, career support + much more

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Perpetual Postdoc - It’s Broke, So Let’s Fix It, Some Conversations Important People Need to Hear

Perpetual Postdoc - It’s Broke, So Let’s Fix It, A discussion Important People Need to Hear

In this podcast Dr Yvonne Couch, Associate Professor of Neuroimmunology and ARUK Research Fellow at University of Oxford is joined by four experts to discuss Narrative CV’s, why they’re being introduced, and how to build one. Prefer to watch rather than listen? Find the video version of this podcast exclusively on YouTube.

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This weeks guests are:

Dr Katie Meadmore, Senior Research Fellow, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC), University of Southampton.

Dr Ola Thomson, Research Associate in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at University of Bristol, the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research.

Dr Rosa Sancho, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Dr Claartje Vinkenburg an Independent Expert Consultant in careers and diversity working with Universities, European Commission and Research Funders.

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Background

In October 2019 The Royal Society published “Résumé for Researchers”, and since then many UK and European research funders have adopted the requirement for grant applicants to use a Narrative CV, including UK Research & Innovation, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Dutch Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland.

A Narrative CV is a content-rich alternative to the traditional CV. It enables applicants to showcase a broader range of contributions to research e.g., Science Communications, teaching, mentoring etc. Through the use if this new format, funders hope address concerns that they is an over focus on success measures such as publications in high impact journals and big grant funding (although of course these still help). 

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Resources

UK Research & Innovation R4RI Guidance - https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/improving-your-funding-experience/introducing-a-better-way-for-you-to-evidence-your-contributions/

ARUK Narrative CV Guidance - https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/research/for-researchers/resources-and-information/narrative-cvs/

Royal Society Résumé for Researchers - https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/research-culture/tools-for-support/resume-for-researchers/

Dr Katie Meadmore, Thematic Framework for use of Narrative CV - https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/documents/2-15

DORA Guidance on progressing adoption - https://sfdora.org/resource/using-narrative-cvs-process-optimization-and-bias-mitigation/

Hows and Whys from University of Bristol - https://www.bristol.ac.uk/blackwell/news/2021/narrative-cvs-blog.html

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You can find out more about our panellists, and their work on our website. There you will also find a full transcript:

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

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Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society, who we thank for their ongoing support.

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How to create a Narrative CV

Technology & Dementia Week Special – Episode Two - Learning about the Design & development of Tech Interventions. Exploring the challenges and practicalities of how to set-up and deliver a tech and dementia intervention trial.

This week we turn the spotlight on tech and dementia research, we have three special podcasts (released on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), numerous blogs from people researching and using the latest technologies, and updates on the wider field.

Our podcasts have all been recorded with early career researchers working across Europe, undertaking research projects aiming to improve the lives of people with dementia and their carers through technology and from the DISTINCT Programme (Dementia: Intersectorial Strategy for Training and Innovation Network for Current Technology).

In this show guest host Dr Anna Volkmer talks to Fanny Monnet from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Josephine Rose Tan from Amsterdam University Medical Centre and Gianna Kohl from University College London.

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In addition to the overview, each guest shares information on their own projects:

*Fanny is researching an interactive website for advance care planning (ACP) for people with dementia and their family.

*Josephine is a health psychologist evaluating the effectiveness of a person-centred touch-screen based photo-activity for people with advanced dementia.

*Gianna is researching the use of technology in disclosure of dementia by the diagnosed individual to their social networks.

For more information on DISTINCT and guests projects visit:
www.dementiadistinct.com/

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You can find out more about our guests and all the special content for our tech & dementia special on our website. There you will also find a full transcript of the show:

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

Prefer to watch rather than listen? Then check-out our YouTube channel for a full video version of this podcast:

https://youtu.be/r2MvLPhRrQw  

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Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Design & development of Tech Interventions

Technology & Dementia Week Special – Episode Three - Evaluation & Implementation of Tech & Trials. So, you have done the research, found a tech intervention that could help people… what next? 

This week we turn the spotlight on tech and dementia research, we have three special podcasts (released on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), numerous blogs from people researching and using the latest technologies, and updates on the wider field.

Our podcasts have all been recorded with early career researchers working across Europe, undertaking research projects aiming to improve the lives of people with dementia and their carers through technology and from the DISTINCT Programme (Dementia: Intersectorial Strategy for Training and Innovation Network for Current Technology).

In this show guest host Dr Anna Volkmer talks to Simone Felding and Kübra Beliz Budak from the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), and Dr David Neal from Amsterdam University Medical Centre.

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In addition to exploring evaluation and delivery, each guest shares information on their own projects:

*Simone is interested in the anthropology of health her work focusses on observing how a social robot interacts with people with dementia living in nursing homes, which is linked to how social robots are implemented in long-term care.

*Kubra is a Psychologist by training. She is interested in the implementation processes of Active Assistive Living (AAL) technology to enhance psychosocial well-being of people with dementia.

*David originally worked as an NHS doctor, and is founder of health tech start-up Vesalian. David is carrying out a randomized controlled trial of the FindMyApps intervention (FMA). FMA is designed to support people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia to use tablet computers, with the aim of increasing social participation and self-efficacy.

For more information on DISTINCT and guests projects visit:

http://www.dementiadistinct.com

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You can find out more about our guests and all the special content for our tech & dementia special on our website. There you will also find a full transcript of the show:

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

Prefer to watch rather than listen? Then check-out our YouTube channel for a full video version of this podcast:

https://youtu.be/cEIqt2-D0Vg

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Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Evaluation and Implementation of Tech & Trials

Dr Fiona McLean from University of Dundee guest hosts this podcast discussing some of the latest research into Parkinson’s disease with two group leaders from the UK Dementia Research Institute - Dr Dayne Beccano-Kelly, from Cardiff University and Dr Sarah Marzi from Imperial College London. 

For those who don’t know (but we’re sure you do) Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease. Despite advancements in the understanding of the pathology and its treatment, the cause of PD remains unknown (although our guests have some thoughts on this). Research into the disease has focused on identifying the underlying mechanisms that lead to its development, as well as potential therapeutic strategies – both of these topics are discussed today.

Recent research has implicated genetic and environmental factors in the development of PD, as well as changes in the dopaminergic system – this also happens to be the expert area of our brilliant guest Dr Marzi. A number of genes associated with PD have been identified, including those that encode for α-synuclein and parkin, two proteins that are associated with the development of PD. Additionally, environmental factors, such as exposure to certain neurotoxins and head trauma, have been linked to PD – an area that the awesome Dr Beccano-Kelly know much about. Studying the role of the dopaminergic system in PD, is an area also being investigated. This system is responsible for the production and release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in motor control. In PD, there is an imbalance between the dopaminergic neurons and the other neurotransmitters, resulting in impaired motor control. 

But that’s enough from us… listen to the show to hear from Sarah and Dayne to hear about their work in the field and the latest research into Parkinson’s disease.

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You can find out more about our panellists, and their work on our website. There you will also find a full transcript:

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

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Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode.

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This podcast is brought to you by University College London / UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in association with Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia who we thank for their ongoing support.

Investigating Parkinsons Disease

Investigating Parkinson's Disease

Last week Adam Smith attended the 32nd Alzheimer Europe Conference in Bucharest, Romania. In this podcast Adam and his guests bring you highlights from the discussion and an informal chat around some of the issues being explored on the agenda.

This week’s guests are husband and wife team - Chris Roberts, Chair of the European Working Group of People with Dementia, Jayne Goodrick, Dementia Carers Count Advisory Member. We also have three fantastic early career researchers, Dr Joni Gilissen & Charlèss Dupont from Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Simone Felding from DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

In this great show we not only get the highlights from our researchers, but we have the privilege of getting first-hand commentary from Chris and Jane, whose personal experience of living with dementia and its impact on their lives, provides a unique, thought provoking, often moving, and essential perspective.

This year’s conference was held under the motto “Building bridges”. As in previous years, this conference is one of the few in the diary that provides a great networking opportunity which brings together people with dementia, their carers, volunteers and staff of Alzheimer associations, policy makers, health and social care professionals, researchers, academics and industry representatives from all over Europe and beyond. It received over 300 abstracts for oral and poster presentations covering a broad range of topics, from fundamental science to care, diagnosis, policies, interventions, treatments and more.

Links discussed in the show:

Conference Website - https://bit.ly/3gm4eTo
Conference hashtag - https://bit.ly/3Sn4ezT
Alzheimer Europe Reports - https://bit.ly/3Srxo0V
INTERDEM World Café 5th December 2022 - https://bit.ly/3Ttj9dk

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You can find out more about our panellists, and their work on our website. There you will also find a full transcript:

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

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Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Alzheimer Europe Conference Roundup

Alzheimer Europe Conference Roundup 2022

Adam Smith asked us to interupt our usual schedule to bring you some special news...

The 2022 Dementia Research Charity Chatathon LIVE will take place on Friday 2nd December. Adam will host 12+ hours non-stop chat with over 60 researchers and special guests working accross all areas of discovery to beat Alzheimer's disease and all forms of dementia. Raising money for Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society, Race Against Dementia and The Lewy Body Society and providing insights into the latest research taking place across the UK and Worldwide.

Find details on the event and liverstream speakers, schedule and how to make a donation at:

http://www.chatathon.uk

Be sure to also tell all your friends and colleagues.

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Note Dementia Researcher is not officially involved in this event, we're just delighted to support this great work, direct and questions or queries directly to adam.smith@ucl.ac.uk

Dementia Research Charity #Chatathon - 2nd December

In this podcast we bring you highlights from the International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias (ISFD) Conference, which was held in Lille, France from the 2nd – 5th November 2022.

Regular Guest Host Dr Anna Volkmer talks with Dr Chris Hardy, Jess Jiang and Dr Jochum Van't Hooft all from University College London discussing their work, and what they’re taking away from this year’s conference.

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The International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias is a non-profit scientific society focused on frontotemporal dementias. Members include the leaders in FTD research around the world, and the society is associated with a large, international biannual meeting presenting the latest findings.

For more information visit:

https://isftd.org 

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You can find out more about our guests and their work on our website. There you will also find a full transcript of the show:

http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk 

Prefer to watch rather than listen? Then check-out our YouTube channel for a full video version of this podcast:

https://youtu.be/6j6JkinUhQ8 

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Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society, who we thank for their ongoing support.

ISFTD 2022 Conference Highlights

ISFTD Conference 2022 Highlights

Adam Smith is back to let you know that the Dementia Research Charity Chatathon was a great success. Over 2,500 people joined the livestream of have watched back since, and almost £1100 has been raised.

You can find links to all the recordings at https://www.chatathon.uk

If you prefer to listen... all the sessions have been converted to audio and put in their own dedicated podcast. You can find them in your podcast app or head over to https://podfollow.com/chatathon

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Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100377

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Update from the Dementia Research Charity Chatathon

It’s our last podcast of 2022. We’re breaking from our usual tradition of bringing you old clips and instead we brought together eight of our brilliant researcher bloggers for a chat. In this show hosted by Adam Smith, they talk about their personal highlights from the year, share what they’re most looking forward to in 2023 and give us a glimpse into what they like away from work.

We’re delighted to welcome Dr Yvonne Couch from University of Oxford, Dr Aida Suarez Gonzalez & Dr Anna Volkmer from University College London, Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali from Teesside University, Beth Eyre from University of Sheffield, Dr Gaia Brezzo from the UKDRI at The University of Sheffield, Dr Sam Moxon from The University of Manchester and new blogger Dr Connor Richardson from Newcastle University. 

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Read or listen to all of our researchers blogs at:
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/support-resources/blogs/

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You can find out more about our bloggers and their work on our website. There you will also find a full transcript:

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

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Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode + if you prefer to watch rather than listen, you'll find a video version of this podcast on our YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/AJUw-mx-xCw

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This podcast is brought to you by University College London / UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in association with Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia who we thank for their ongoing support.

2022 End of Year Reflections from Dementia Researchers

Over the past decade, blood-based biomarkers for dementia have been increasingly studied as way to diagnose and track the progress of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. In this podcast three leading blood-based biomarker pioneers come together to discuss the field, their research and motivations, current challenges and future directions of this field of research (they also reveal a little about themselves as people away from the lab too – find out which if them wants to drive refuse trucks…).

In the host chair is Dr Nicholas Ashton, Associate Professor of Neurochemistry from University of Gothenburg and King’s College London. Nicks has more than a decade of experience in biofluid analysis and assay development for Alzheimer’s disease, which ranges from discovery mass spectrometry methods to ultra-sensitive immunoassays. Recently this has produced ultra-sensitive single molecular array (Simoa) assays for phosphorylated tau in blood, which are now widely used in research settings, therapeutics trials and being validated for clinical use.
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Nick’s guests are:

Oskar Hansson, Professor of Neurology & Senior Consultant in Neurology at Lund University in Sweden. Oskar explores fluid and imaging biomarkers for neurodegenerative disorders. His inspiration came at medical school when diagnosing dementias. It became clear to him that we needed to be able to identify these diseases before widespread neurodegeneration and disabling symptoms have already developed. At these early disease stages, we are more likely to substantially slow down or even stop the disease progression by different types of interventions.

Henrik Zetterberg, Professor of Neurochemistry, Senior Consultant in Clinical Chemistry, Head of Department at UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London and University of Gothenburg. With a background in molecular biology and medicine, Henrik has have spent the last 15 years developing biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and other brain disorders - becoming a world expert in the process. He has published more than 1100 scientific articles and has received numerous awards.
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If you’re listening to this podcast, you probably already know that Biomarkers are proteins, molecules, or other measurable substances that can provide valuable insight into diagnosing and measuring the progression of a medical condition or disease. For a many years researchers have been exploring the potential of what can discover from blood, to help diagnose Alzheimer’s and other Neurodegenerative diseases.
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You can find out more about our panellists, and their work on our website. There you will also find a full transcript:
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
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Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode.
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This podcast is brought to you by University College London / UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in association with Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia who we thank for their ongoing support.

Blood Based Biomarkers for Dementias

A biweekly podcast for early career researchers, bringing together fantastic guests to discuss their research, careers + much more. 

Dedicated to sharing the science, encouraging collaborations, attracting more people to the field, and supporting those already here to succeed.

Brought to you by https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk at University College London, in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia - everything you need, all in one place. supporting early career researchers across the world

Register today to recieve weekly bulletins, with news, funding opportunities, jobs, and events.

Perpetual Postdoc - It’s Broke, So Let’s Fix It, A discussion Important People Need to Hear

Dementia Researcher

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