Name:
Dr Penny Rapaport
Dr Penny Rapaport
Job Title:
Clinical Psychologist
Place of work / study:
MARQUE Study, Division of Psychiatry
University College London
Area of Research:
Development & testing of psychosocial interventions in dementia care
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a clinical psychologist and I have worked clinically for a number of years with people with dementia in community, hospital and care home settings. In the past ten years I have moved back into applied health research and enjoy trying to develop interventions that are fit for purpose in the messy real world, which will be used and which will make a difference to peoples’ lives. I am just finishing my PhD connected to the MARQUE research programme.
July 2021 update -Dr Rapaport is leasing a study called DREAMS:START (Dementia Related Manual for Sleep: Strategies for Relatives) hopes to help carers manage a person’s disturbed sleep better – ‘There are currently no known effective, safe treatments for sleep problems in people with dementia, possibly because there may be many causes even in the same person,’
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
When I was 8 I auditioned for the part of Tracy Barlow in Coronation Street (I did not get the part).
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
From a young age it was always a part of my life, worked as a home carer as a teenager and realised that there was so much potential to make small changes that can make a big difference to people living with dementia.