Welcome to Our New Junior INTERDEM Board Members
We are pleased to introduce Aysegul Kafadar and Dr Federica D’Andrea, our newly appointed INTERDEM Junior Board Members! With diverse expertise spanning psychosocial interventions, multi-sensory research, public health, and care transitions, they bring innovation and a commitment to representing early-career dementia researchers in the INTERDEM network.
About our new INTERDEM Board members
Aysegul Humeyra Kafadar
“This opportunity represents an exciting new chapter in my academic career. I am deeply motivated to help shape INTERDEM’s future while representing early-career researchers’ perspectives.
As a final-year Ph.D. student in Applied Psychology at the University of Nottingham, my research focuses on vaccination behaviour and experiences among people with dementia and their carers in the United Kingdom. This work combines my nursing background with my passion for public health and dementia care.
Through international collaborations, my research explores dementia risk and prevention, quality of life in dementia, dementia care transition, and childhood dementia through various methodological approaches. I have contributed to numerous systematic reviews, with publications in prestigious journals including The Lancet. My experience across different INTERDEM Academy taskforces has not only given me valuable insights into diverse aspects of dementia research but also fostered a strong sense of academic belonging and deepened my appreciation for the value of international collaboration in advancing dementia care research.
As a Board Member, I aim to strengthen connections between early-career and senior researchers while developing initiatives to enhance networking opportunities and cross-country collaborations. I bring a unique geographical perspective as a researcher based at Istanbul University, Türkiye, and a strong foundation in healthcare as a nurse with a master’s degree in public health.
INTERDEM (Early detection and timely INTERvention in DEMentia) is a collaborative network developing psychosocial interventions for people with dementia and their carers across Europe. Joining the Junior Board allows me to help shape research priorities while connecting with fellow early-career researchers passionate about improving dementia care.
I see this appointment not just as a personal achievement but as an opportunity to create meaningful connections within our research community. Whether you are a fellow researcher, healthcare professional, or someone with personal experience with dementia, I welcome your insights and potential collaborations.”
Federica D’Andrea
“As a Lecturer in Dementia Studies at the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory (GIAM), University of West London, I am pleased to join the INTERDEM Board as a Junior Board Member representing the INTERDEM Academy. This appointment aligns closely with my work in advancing psychosocial research and innovation in dementia care. I have long supported INTERDEM’s mission and values, and I am excited to contribute more actively to its future direction. Over the past years, I have been a member of the INTERDEM Methodology Taskforce and, in 2024, a member of the INTERDEM Website Committee. My research focuses on advancing innovative provisions and multi-sensory interventions in dementia care. In particular, I am dedicated to investigating the underexplored area of olfactory (smell) research in ageing and dementia. This has informed my research interest in novel methodological approaches in dementia research (please see UWL impact video).
Over the past few years, I have been working with INTERDEM Methodology Taskforce, a multi/interdisciplinary group of experts in dementia across Europe aiming at advancing methodological approaches and promote best research practices. This collaborations led to the publication of a opinion paper on methodological gaps in psychosocial intervention in dementia research and the successful award of the METHODEM study, funded by the Alzheimer’s Association. As co-lead of this study, we are aiming at enhancing methodologies and methods for developing, implementing and evaluating psychosocial interventions in dementia care.
In my role as INTERDEM Academy Representative in the INTERDEM Board, I aim to advocate for early-career researchers and support inclusive, interdisciplinary opportunities to advance psychosocial dementia research, practice and policy.”
Aysegul and Federica look forward to representing INTERDEM Academy members within INTERDEM Board and serving as a bridge between established researchers and those early in their careers. If you would like to connect or discuss potential collaborations, please don’t hesitate to reach out to them at aysegul.kafadar1@nottingham.ac.uk and Federica.dandrea@uwl.ac.uk
Written by: Aysegul Humeyra Kafadar, University of Nottingham Dr Federica D’Andrea, the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory, University of West London