I am an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, the Research and Medical Director of the Research Institute for the Care of Older People (RICE) (rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC in 2022), and a Consultant in the Medicine of Older People at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. I completed my PhD and medical training in Nottingham where I held the post of Clinical Assistant Professor in the Medicine of Older People. Having relocated to Bath I was appointed deputy director at RICE before taking up my current position as Director in 2022. I also have the honour to be Associate Editor at Age and Ageing (the leading journal in Geriatrics and Gerontology impact factor 12.782), the co-chair of the British Geriatrics Society Dementia specialist interest group, and the secretary to the Royal College of Physicians Geriatric Medicine Exam board.

At RICE I oversee a portfolio of research activity primarily focussed on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with a particular interest in clinical therapeutics and prescribing. The portfolio involves a mixture of academically funded work and commercially funded randomised controlled trials of potential novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

I am driven by a need to help improve the care of people with dementia. Drug treatments are a part of this but the wider impact of the disease also needs to be considered.  My research interests reflect this so as examples I would highlight: the PrAISED2 project (a trial of tailored physiotherapy/occupational therapy in people with dementia), and SIPA2 (improving pharmaceutical care for people with sensory impairment). The drug trials include those involving aducanumab which has been making headlines in the last year. I am actively involved in the European Geriatric Medicine specialist interest groups for Dementia, Delirium, and Falls-Risk-Increasing-Drugs.

I have a firm interest in medical education and pedagogical research. I currently hold the position of deputy lead of the Complex Medicine of Older People component of the undergraduate medical curriculum at the University of Bristol. I contributed to the development of this new innovative curriculum and have been an invited speaker at international, national and regional conferences.