Profile – Dr Lucy Stirland

Name:

Dr Lucy Stirland

Job Title:

Clinical Research Fellow

Place of work / study:

Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, University of Edinburgh

Area of research:

Epidemiology of multimorbidity, polypharmacy and mental health (including dementia biomarkers and cognitive outcomes)

How is your work funded:

I have a Clinical Research Fellowship funded by the Medical Research Foundation and MRC through the PsySTAR programme (Psychiatry: Scottish Training in Academic Research)

Tell us a little about yourself:

I’m an old age psychiatrist and have taken time out of my training to do a PhD in epidemiology. On completing my research post in August 2019 I’ll go back to the NHS, working in Liaison Psychiatry, and aim to continue academic work alongside this. My research interests are the mental and brain health of people with multiple chronic conditions.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself:

I have a pet tortoise who I expect will outlive me

Why did you choose to work in dementia?

I initially chose to work in psychiatry because of the caring atmosphere, true teamwork and fascinating people we meet. My passion in clinical work is for older people, who bring along their own life histories and often complex comorbidities. A large proportion of day-to-day work in old age psychiatry is assessing memory problems and caring for people with dementia. I work in a research team that’s aiming to find ways to prevent dementia. However, I also think it’s important not to lose sight of the people living with the condition who need care and support now.

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