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Professor David Cash
Name:
Dr David Cash
Job title:
Professorial Research Fellow
Place of work / study:
UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
Area of Research:
Analysing longitduinal change in imaging biomarkers during the at-risk stage of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
How is your work funded?
Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Leaders Fellowship
Tell us a little about yourself:
I’m a professorial research fellow at the Dementia Research Centre in the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. I got my PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, and I previously worked in industry for five years at IXICO Ltd, overseing the imaging acquisition and analysis for clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease and oncology for various pharmaceutical sponsors. My research focus is on imaging biomarkers to detect and track the pre-symptomatic phase of various dementias, as well as how best to use imaging in large scale multi-site studies and clinical trials. I was lead investigator of Health and Bioscience IDEAS, where we developed new interactive ways to train researchers on how to use medical imaging data more effectively within their work. I have an active role on various national and international committees working on imaging in Alzheimer’s disease, including the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN), the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), the GENetic Frontotemporal Initiative (GENFI), Dementia Platforms UK, the ISTAART Neuroimaging PIA, ISTAART Advisory Council, and the AAIC Scientific Programming Committee.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I was a DJ on a college radio station in the States for more than 5 years.
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
Because it is an important health care priority – it can be so devastating to many individuals and their loved ones – and because it is such a challenging problem, a long disease with a slow buildup of many different processes, which can look quite different depending on the individual. And so it is great to work with a large team, each bringing their own expertise, to try and make progress understanding the disease and how to treat it.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Find the research that gets you out of bed in the morning and motivated to work. Embrace the level of uncertainty and doubt that comes with this research, questioning yourself and your approach will make you a better researcher.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan. It’s really great – tackling a lot of issues around AI that we face today, but I like the alternate reality where Alan Turing becomes an altruistic tech bro genius amidst the era of Margaret Thatcher
Favourite film of all time?
Do The Right Thing
Favourite way to unplug and unwind?
Fun with my kids and wife, and playing Music League with my friends!
What’s the best decision you ever made?
Marrying my wife, the smartest person I know
What’s the best vacation spot?
Tie between Hawaii or any Greek Island
Do you collect anything?
Vinyl records
