Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network celebrates Scottish research with joint Stirling conference
A recent two-day conference which championed Scottish research across a variety of disciplines has been hailed a success by the NHS Research Scotland (NRS) Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network
The event — organised by the Network, the Scottish Dementia Research Consortium (SDRC), and Brain Health ARC — took place at The Barracks in Stirling across Thursday 28 and Friday 29 May under the theme ‘Celebrating Scottish Research’.
Attended by around 130 people, it showcased and discussed research across dementia, brain health, and neurodegenerative disease happening across Scotland, celebrating progress made in these areas.
The two days featured a wide range of voices including keynote talks from world-leading researchers, presentations from early career researchers, and those with lived experience, drawn from across Scotland and beyond.
Organisers encouraged “plenty of discussion, idea sharing and networking opportunities” throughout a diverse programme with the first day placing its focus on Network activity and the second being dedicated to SDRC-related insights.
On Thursday morning, Dr Tom Russ, Network Champion and SDRC Executive Member welcomed all with a talk on ‘What’s new in the Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network’.
Dr Russ was followed by Dr Emma Law, Network Strategic Manager and co-chair of Enabling Research in Care Homes (ENRICH) Scotland, who presented ‘What’s new in ENRICH Scotland’.
This was followed by a joint update from Dr Rosalie Ashworth, Denise Munro and Fiona Hartley, who delivered ‘A whistlestop tour of patient and public involvement through Partners in Research and RICH Voices’. To complete the morning updates, Dr Gordon Waiter, Aberdeen Lead for SINAPSE, provided an overview of its activity.
Among numerous other highlights, there were presentations from early career researchers and an interactive presentation shared by Dr Katey Warran, Dr Olivia Turner, and Willy Gilder on the topic of ‘Participatory Arts for Dementia Research’.
Concluding the first day’s presentations were Dr Gordon Duncan and Jessica Crossan of both the Network and University of Edinburgh with ‘Research for Parkinson’s and Dementia with Lewy Bodies in the NDN’.
Speaking on Friday morning with a focus on fresh developments in their respective organisations were:
- Professor Terry Quinn, Chair of SDRC — also clinical lead of the NHS Research Scotland (NRS) Ageing Specialty Group
- Henry Simmons of Alzheimer Scotland
- Dr Joanna Crispell, Head of Brain Health Scotland, accompanied by Dr Farid Bardid, Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity and Health of the University of Strathclyde
- Lyes Oussaiden, researcher and Master’s student as part of the Alzheimer Scotland Student Research Programme, hosted at Abertay University
- Dr Mick Craig, Scotland Network Steering Group member of Alzheimer’s Research UK and Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience of the University of Glasgow
The day further included a keynote presentation from Professor Dame Louise Robinson, Regius Professor of Ageing at Newcastle University, on ‘Post diagnostic dementia care: getting research into policy and practice’.
There were also five early career researcher lightning talks, as well as a segment on the Childhood Dementia Initiative Scotland — a collaborative network formed by Alzheimer Scotland and the Childhood Dementia Initiative to raise awareness and improve care for the estimated 380 families in Scotland affected by the condition.
Fiona Morrison of NHS Lanarkshire provided a summary of relevant learnings taken from events including:
- The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) held in Toronto
- The Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s Disease (AD/PD) International Conference held in Copenhagen
- The Clinical Trials on Azheimer’s Disease (CTAD) Conference held in San Diego
To finish the day, insights drawn from CONSOLIDATE Network Plus — a £2 million UK research initiative led by Heriot-Watt University, the University of Strathclyde, and Age Scotland — were offered by:
- Professor in Dementia Research of the University of the West of Scotland, and Director of the Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice, Louise Ritchie
- Professor of Psychology, Alan Gow of Heriot-Watt University
- Professor in Psychology, Mario Parra Rodriguez of the University of Strathclyde
Network Champion, Dr Tom Russ said: “We are grateful to our co-organisers for jointly helping to turn this conference into an exciting reality.
“Thanks also to a great range of speakers joining us in Stirling, it meant that two days of cutting-edge learning were delivered and a huge amount of knowledge was shared for the improvement of Scottish research.”
Publication date: 17th June 2026
