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Research and publications

Research is a key element in Dementia UK’s strategic aims and runs throughout all our approaches to supporting people with dementia and their families.

We are committed to supporting research that will:

  • improve the lives of people with dementia and their families
  • strengthen the evidence base for Admiral Nursing

Through national and international collaboration and co-authorship, we work alongside world-leading researchers to conduct research which aims to improve the lives of people with dementia and their families.

You can learn more about the research we do a Dementia UK by reading the information leaflet we created with our Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP).

Our Research Strategy is based on an extensive consultation and highlights three priority areas where we will focus over the next year years. We will be sharing our progress along the way.

Read our Research Strategy

Our Research Strategy is based on an extensive consultation and highlights three priority areas where we will focus over the next year years. We will be sharing our progress along the way.

Meet the team

The Research and Publications Team supports Admiral Nurses to be research minded and research active, providing education, support and disseminating the latest research evidence.
Karen Harrison-Denning, Head of Research and Publications

Dr Karen Harrison Dening

Head of Research and Publications
Karen Harrison-Denning, Head of Research and Publications

Dr Karen Harrison Dening

Head of Research and Publications

Karen joined Dementia UK in 2006 as a Consultant Admiral Nurse. She has over 45 years’ experience in nursing, most of those being in dementia care in a variety of settings and contexts. She gained her PhD at University College London in 2014 focusing on advance care planning and end of life care in dementia

Dr Emma Wolverson, Research Lead

Dr Emma Wolverson

Research Lead
Dr Emma Wolverson, Research Lead

Dr Emma Wolverson

Research Lead

Emma joined Dementia UK as Research Lead in October 2022. She is also a Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer in Ageing and Dementia at the University of Hull. Emma has worked with people with dementia and their families within the NHS since first qualifying as a psychologist in 2008

Madeleine Walpert, Reaearch Fellow at Dementia UK

Madeleine Walpert

Research Fellow
Madeleine Walpert, Reaearch Fellow at Dementia UK

Madeleine Walpert

Research Fellow

Madeleine joined Dementia UK as a Research Fellow in February 2024. Having completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2018, her research focused on the potential of retinal biomarkers for dementia in individuals with Down’s syndrome. Since then, she has transitioned into research policy, working to advocate for changes and improvements that support research for people with dementia and their families.

Research Fellow Phil Joddrell

Phil Joddrell

Research Fellow
Research Fellow Phil Joddrell

Phil Joddrell

Research Fellow

Phil joined Dementia UK as a Research Fellow in April 2024. He is also a researcher at the University of Sheffield in the Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH). Phil has worked with people living with dementia since 2008, working as a care assistant and later as an Assistant Psychologist in the older adult services of a mental health hospital, before transitioning into research in 2014. His PhD research focused on the digital accessibility of everyday technologies for people with dementia.

Ryan Gray

Research Assistant

Ryan Gray

Research Assistant

Ryan joined Dementia UK as a Research Assistant in February 2025. He is currently completing his PhD at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, where his research focuses on the relationship between musical engagement and cognitive function across the lifespan.

Lesley, Reseach Team Administrator for Dementia UK

Lesley Ann Holding

Research Team Administrator
Lesley, Reseach Team Administrator for Dementia UK

Lesley Ann Holding

Research Team Administrator

Lesley joined Dementia UK as the Administrator for the Research Team in June 2024.

A former Managing Director of a computer retail business, Lesley also has a career in administration spanning over 20 years.

She has worked within the judiciary, NHS, and the construction industry, holding senior PA roles. However, her early career within the NHS and care system was spent in direct patient care.