Professor Claire Surr
Name:
Professor Claire Surr
Job title:
Professor of Dementia Studies, Director of the Centre for Dementia Research
Place of work / study:
Leeds Beckett University
Area of Research:
I carry out applied dementia research with a particular interest in workforce education and training and social care.
How is your work funded:
Largely by NIHR but also charities such as Alzheimer’s Society
Tell us a little about yourself:
My research addresses care and support for people living with dementia and those who care for them. I have a particular interest in workforce development, education and training and also social care research, focussed in care homes, including the design, implementation and evaluation of interventions to support delivery of person-centred care. I am also involved in a portfolio of work on improving healthcare for people with dementia, with a particular focus on people who have both dementia and cancer.
I am particularly proud of my research on dementia education and training for the health and social care workforce, identified factors associated with effective dementia training design, delivery and implementation. The findings are embedded within UK and international governmental and practice guidance on dementia education and training and are being implemented in the design and delivery of dementia training by health and social care providers globally.
I am the funding panel Co-Chair for the Research Programme for Social Care, part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). I also sit on the NIHR Research Professorships funding committee. Prior to this I was a member of NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Yorkshire and the Humber, NIHR Research for Social Care and the Alzheimer’s Society funding panels. I was appointed as an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2025 in recognition of my research leadership and contribution to the NIHR.
I am a member of Nurturing Innovation in Care Home Excellence in Leeds (NICHE Leeds) a care home research initiative based on the ‘Living Lab’ model. NICHE Leeds is a partnership between academia, led by the University of Leeds, in collaboration with Leeds Beckett and care home providers. It brings together practice and research expertise to identify and prioritise research questions and to work in partnership to research what might help.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I have 3 dogs and 2 cats (one of the cats George is famous for making appearances on my desk during Teams calls!) and I love to mountain bike and hike. I’m a Trustee for a dog rescue charity that operates in Romania and go out to volunteer at the shelter twice a year.
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
Tom Kitwood who was a pioneer in writing about person-centred care for people with dementia, was my psychology lecturer at University. My great-grandma was diagnosed with dementia and so I became interested in the topic, with a PhD opportunity becoming available with Tom as I was completing my undergraduate degree. The rest as they say, is history ….
What single piece of advise would you give to an early-career researcher?
Build a network of people around you who are supportive, kind and who you enjoy working with.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
Map Addict by Mike Parker – if you love maps (think Ordinance Survey) like I do, then you will love this book!
Favourite film of all time?
Stand By Me
Favourite ways to unplug and unwind?
Walking with my dogs, reading
What’s the best decision you ever made?
To not be afraid to put myself forward for roles I wasn’t sure if I was ready for – fight the imposter syndrome!
What’s your favourite vacation spot?
Lake District
Do you collect anything?
Not really – I do have quite a few maps though come to think of it!
Bernie McInally
NIHR