Name:
Sarah Gregory
Job Title:
PhD Student & Study Coordinator
Place of work / study:
University of Edinburgh
Area of Research:
PhD: The HPA axis in midlife and it’s association with dementia / Study Coordinator – Dementia Prevention Cohorts
How is your research funded:
IMI, Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Association and philanthropic donations
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a part time PhD student and a study coordinator in the University of Edinburgh. In my PhD I am looking at the HPA axis (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the human body’s biological stress response system) in midlife to see if changes to this effect a person’s dementia risk later in life. As a study coordinator I am responsible for managing the local coordination of a number of cohort studies focused on understanding risk factors for dementia. Previously I worked in a research team in London coordinating multiple clinical trials of investigational medicinal products of novel dementia treatments.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
In the last year I rehomed a lurcher called Archie with my husband from the Greyhound Awareness League in Scotland. He can often be found joining in with Zoom calls or sleeping on my feet whilst I’m working!
Why did you choose to work in dementia:
I had the opportunity to complete a year long placement as part of my undergraduate psychology degree and was lucky enough to spend this in Australia in an older adults neuropsychological department. This was my first exposure to working in the field of dementia and I knew it was an area I wanted to continue my career in. I really enjoy working with people with dementia and their families, as well as working to understand more about the causes and possible prevention strategies.