Print This Post
Dr Sarah Griffiths
Name:
Dr Sarah Griffiths
Job Title:
Senior Research Fellow
Place of work / study:
University College London
Area of research:
Primary care based dementia support
How is your work currently funded:
Alzheimer’s Society
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a dementia researcher with experience in study management, and qualitative research methodologies. My career has encompassed clinical practice (as a speech and language therapist), research and teaching in higher education. I was senior lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy at Plymouth Marjon University for 14 years. I am currently based at UCL and was study manager for the feasibility and implementation phase of PriDem (2021-2023), a project developing evidence-based and sustainable approaches to primary care led post-diagnostic dementia support. I am now an Alzheimer’s Society fellow and Principal Investigator on ‘Communication Aspects of Personalised care Planning in Dementia: the CAPPD study.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I have a cockapoo called Albie. He’s the world champion at fetching a ball.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante – Yes I would recommend it.
Favourite ways to unplug and unwind?
Walking or running with a good podcast. ‘The Trawl’ and ‘The Rest is Politics’ are current favourites.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Find a topic that motivates you. Build relationships with researchers you like to work with, who generously support you.
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
I had been working with people who have Parkinson’s for a number of years and had become very interested in cognitive difficulties associated with the condition and how they impact on communication. My PhD was a conversation analytic study of everyday conversation management in Parkinson’s. I was part of the team delivering the dementia content on the BSc SLT programme and to prep for this, visited the amazing and inspiring Gloucestershire SLT dementia service. When a Research Fellow post opened up in Plymouth, I knew it was time to follow this developing interest and go for a dementia research focussed post.
