Interdem Academy
OUR KEY PROJECT
INTERDEM Academy is a European training network for early-and mid-career dementia researchers. INTERDEM Academy was established in 2014. The aim of INTERDEM Academy is to develop the careers and to build capacity of early-career researchers working on psychosocial interventions affiliated with INTERDEM seniors. INTERDEM Academy want to support junior researchers in their pathway to senior posts in the field. INTERDEM Academy has grown in recent years to around 350+ members from 20+ different countries.
The INTERDEM academy offers the opportunity to share expertise, create awareness for Academy talent and stimulate collaboration.
Executive office INTERDEM Academy: interdem-masterclass@maastrichtuniversity.nl
About INTERDEM Academy
The INTERDEM Academy has been founded in 2014 as part of the PRIDE project (PRomoting Independence in Dementia), funded by the NIHR/ ESRC (Ref ES/L001802/1WP5), led by prof Martin Orrell. This project aimed to identify how social and lifestyle changes may help reduce the risk of developing dementia and disability. PRIDE’s workpackage WP5 was to develop an INTERDEM Academy for the career development and capacity building of researchers in the area of psychosocial interventions and timely diagnosis in people with dementia, and to support the pathway to senior academic posts in the field. Maastricht University/Alzheimer Center Limburg was appointed the coordinating centre (prof Frans Verhey, prof Marjolein de Vugt). A postdoc was appointed for support in administration and organization. Prof Orrell, together with Dr Aimee Spector (UCL) and prof Esme Moniz-Cook were are also members of the initial organisation team.
To see our annual report of 2024, please click here.
Travel Fellowship - 2026 - Special edition!
INTERDEM Academy Travel Fellowship 2026 – Special Edition
Outcome INTERDEM Academy Travel Fellowship 2026
On behalf of the INTERDEM Academy executive office
With great pleasure we announce that the special INTERDEM Academy Travel Fellowship 2026 has been awarded to Zsofia Zekeres, for her project “First steps towards an international citizen science active ageing programme”! This one month exchange aims to establish opportunities for knowledge exchange and future collaboration between researchers at the Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research (CAWR), Cardiff Metropolitan University, and the PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity (PROFITH) Research Group at the University of Granada.
Szofia: “This Travel Fellowship will enable me to undertake an exploratory project that strengthens my research network, enhances my methodological expertise, and facilitates collaboration with European researchers and public health teams. Ultimately, this experience will support my ambition to lead innovative, solution-focused research addressing dementia prevention and health inequalities through community-based and systems-oriented approaches.”
Our jury of three independent senior and junior INTERDEM and Academy members reviewed 4 applications for this round. The jury commented: “It was not easy to rank them; all candidates displayed a high level of skills and described a good project. The project/career stages were very diverse, and especially the potential outcomes and benefits, making it difficult to single out one person.”
The jury shared about the winning application of Zsofia:
“Their application was well written, making it easy to highlight the scientific importance and the benefits for all institutes involved and for INTERDEM. The applicant reported tangible, actionable outcomes from the visit, as well as the dissemination of the visit to their home institute and the wider INTERDEM. Through this visit, the applicant will be increasing the visibility of INTERDEM introducing the network to some researchers who are not currently part of the network.”
Zsofia: “I am very excited to start planning my stay in Granada. I look forward to making the most of the experience, sharing my research activities and ideas, and learning from the PROFITH research team and their innovative work in Granada.”
Once again, a huge congratulations to you, and INTERDEM Academy wishes you the best of luck on your visit to Granada!
INTERDEM Academy previous Fellowships
The previous INTERDEM Academy Fellowship has been awarded to Marine Markaryan, PhD student at Maastricht University The Netherlands. She visited the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at Bangor University for 9 weeks.
Membership & Registration Form
INTERDEM Academy is a network of early- and midcareer researchers exploring psychosocial interventions for dementia under the supervision of INTERDEM members. Membership is free of charge and will enable you to take part in our events, and/or to apply for one of our travel fellowships.
Criteria for INTERDEM Academy Membership:
- Are you involved in psychosocial research about dementia?
- Do you consider yourself a junior researcher in the field?
- Are you affiliated with or supervised by an INTERDEM member? *Not mandatory!*
If you’re in doubt about your eligibility to become an INTERDEM Academy member, please email us at interdem-masterclass@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Applications for membership of INTERDEM Academy can be done by filling out this FORM
(Note, by signing up for the INTERDEM Academy, you agree that your contact information will be stored on a secured server of Maastricht University, only accessible by the INTERDEM Academy executive office, for the duration of your membership)
INTERDEM Academy Masterclass
Invitation for INTERDEM Academy members:
Join our In-person multiple day Workshop ‘Evidence-based innovation in Health’
On behalf of Prof Dr Martina Roes
Location: in-person, DZNE/Witten, Stockumer Str. 12, Witten/Annen-Nord, Germany (Room 58)
When: 17th until 21st of Aug, from Tuesday – Thursday, (arrival/ leaving on Monday / Friday possible)
Costs: The workshop is free of charge, but traveling costs need to be covered by the attending people.
Summary: This workshop emphasizes innovation, entrepreneurial thinking, and evidence-based practices in healthcare, with an aim to develop interprofessional problem-solving skills. The overall focus is on health innovation, with the goal of building capacity among participants to address healthcare challenges and promote innovation ecosystems. The proposed course will cover approximately 20 to 30 teaching hours, engaging participants in a series of interactive sequences on topics such as wicked problems, ideation techniques, value propositions, design thinking, PESTLE and SWOT analyses, customer discovery, testing and prototyping, and pitch presentations.
The workshop includes:
- Teaching sequence in the morning,
- Interactive session in the afternoon
- Working in interdisciplinary teams, addressing different problems, one topic over the whole timeframe
- On the last day, each team will present their problem/ critical reflecting/ solutions, with some kind of‚ critical reflection / questioning‘ from the audience.
- At the end of the WS, each participant will receive a certificate.
Facilitators/ organizers:
- Drs. Kateryna Metersky (Nursing) from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) https://www.torontomu.ca/nursing/about/people/faculty/kateryna-metersky/
- Roya Haghiri-Vijeh (Nursing) from York University, https://discover.academics.yorku.ca/Roya.HaghiriVijeh
- supported by the DZNE/Witten, Prof dr Martina Roes
- Funded by Mitacs-Horizon Europe Mobility Award
Register here: https://terminplaner6.dfn.de/de/p/782b6a82ac18fd3434328d67d57723bb-1810558?authkey=830427c55c4acd7a86c99ee28fe3152294479f7acc5fec8…
If you have question about the program, please reach out to me directly (martina.roes@dzne.de)
If you need help with accommodation, please reach out to Sabine Moeller (sabine.moeller@dzne.de or viktoria-peters-nehrenheim@dzne.de)
Previous INTERDEM Academy Masterclasses
HOMEDEM training school at University of Galway, Ireland, on May 21 and 22, 2025.
Theme: Advancing Dementia Research, Policy, and Care. Read more about it in the blog by Ajda Flisar, one of the HOMEDEM DC’s.
HOMEDEM training school at University of Aveiro, Portugal, on September 30 and October 1, 2024.
Theme day 1: Lectures on caregiving support and reminiscence + workshop on data visual representation
Theme day 2: Lectures on person-centered dementia care and economics of psychosocial care + workshop on evaluation in design research
HOMEDEM training school at Politecnico di Milano, Italy, on May 13 and 14, 2024
Theme day 1: Service design and care ecosystems
Theme day 2: Healthcare policy & design
INTERDEM Academy Café & SPOTLIGHT Webinar Series
INTERDEM and INTERDEM ACADEMY SPOTLIGHT SERIES
Join us for the INTERDEM Spotlight webinar! In this new webinar series the taskforces take the spotlight and will prepare an informative and interactive session for all INTERDEM and Academy members.
- Stay up to date on the latest research and best practices;
- Meet and learn from fellow INTERDEM members;
- Network and build new collaborations!
| Next webinar: May 7, 2-3.30pm CEST
Taskforce: Social Health 14:00-14:05 Welcome / opening
14:05-14:20 Presentation 1: Introduction to the Social Health taskforce (Prof Myrra Vernooij-Dassen)
14:20-14:35 Presentation 2: Introduction to the ENSURED project (Dr Sara Laureen Bartels)
14:35-14:50 Presentation 3: A Core Outcome Set of Social Health measures in the Context of Cognitive Decline and Dementia (Julia Misonow & Dr Karin wolf Ostermann
14:50-15:05 Presentation 4: Early-Career Social Health research (Dr Noortje Kloos & Dr Bryony Waters-Harvey)
15:05-15:25 Panel discussion (chair: Prof Rabih Chattat)
15:25-15:30 Close + evaluation form
|
Previous Spotlight webinars:
Friday 8 December 2023 – Taskforce Intercultural Aspects
Friday 8 March 2024 – Taskforce Methodology
Friday 14 June 2024 – Taskforce Technology
Friday 7 February 2025 – Taskforce Inequalities in Dementia Care
Thursday 5 June 2025 – Taskforce Prevention
Friday 5 December 2025 – Taskforce Palliative care
For more information, please contact first person of contact Dr. Esther Loseto-Gerritzen (Esther.Gerritzen@nottingham.ac.uk).
INTERDEM Academy Publication Award: 2025-2026
INTERDEM Academy Publication Award: 2025-2026
Outcome 5th INTERDEM Academy Publication Award: 2024-2025
Winner of this year:
The runners-up (in alphabetical order)
2. Janissa Altona – Instruments for Assessing Social Health in the Context of Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Systematic Review
3. Frank Spichiger – Intervention effect of person profiles for people with advanced dementia: Stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial
Blog winning articles:
The call for the next publication award (2025-2026) will open in Q1 of 2026!
Outcome 4th INTERDEM Academy Publication Award: 2023-2024
Winner:
Jacoba Huizenga – What matters most: Exploring the everyday lives of people with dementia
2 Runners-up (in alphabetical order)
Jem Bhatt – The development and validation of the Discrimination and Stigma Scale Ultra Short for People Living with Dementia (DISCUS-Dementia)
Naomi Thompson – Investigating the impact of music therapy on two in-patient psychiatric wards for people living with dementia: retrospective observational study
Blog winning articles:
Other information
One of the most crucial aspects of establishing a successful research career is securing funding. For early career researchers, understanding where to find funding can be the key to advancing your work. See below some links that may help you with this: