Interdem Academy

OUR KEY PROJECT

INTERDEM Academy is a European training network for early-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 under supervision of INTERDEM seniors. INTERDEM Academy want to support the early stage researchers in their pathway to senior posts in the field.

To achieve this, INTERDEM Academy organizes expert workshops and masterclasses to develop ideas and methodological expertise. The INTERDEM Academy offers biannual travel fellowships for PhD students and postdoc researchers allowing them to spend 3-6 months in another INTERDEM research center. The goal is the exchange of knowledge and experience between the INTERDEM centres. INTERDEM Academy has grown in recent years to around 200 members from 20+ different countries. INTERDEM Academy and its activities are coordinated by Alzheimer Center Limburg/Maastricht University, the Netherlands.

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

Glasgow Masterclass

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 organisation team.

Travel Fellowship - 2024/2025

INTERDEM Academy Travel Fellowship 2024-2025

The call for 2024-2025 is now closed.

In fall 2025, the call for 2025-2026 will be announced.

 

The INTERDEM Academy enables an annual travel Fellowship for Academy members, allowing them to attain experience in another psychosocial research center, to build their network and stimulate career development. Our grant covers expenses for travel and housing for a research exchange of 1–3 months, up to a maximum of €3500. Note that for the current application round, we are looking for an exchange to be scheduled to start in the calendar year 2025. Applications for the call 2024-2025 are welcomed until Monday the 11th of November (23:59PM CET).

Specific fellowship-opportunities offered by some of our established INTERDEM institutes:

It is, of course, also possible to come up with your own idea for an exchange, but we have also received some specific opportunities from our established INTERDEM institutes, which can be found below:

  • University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, England

    • Our research team at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, led by Prof Richard Cheston, has developed an evidenced based eight-week group intervention called the Living Well with Dementia (LivDem) course. www.livdem.co.uk. LivDem groups are led by trained course facilitators for people recently diagnosed with dementia to help them talk about and psychologically adjust to their diagnosis.  LivDem groups are currently run in the UK, Ireland, Italy and Japan. We have published a manual to support facilitators to run the group in their services and this has been translated into Italian. We have trained over 200 people to become LivDem course facilitators,  delivering LivDem groups in their communities. We would be interested in hosting an academy member who would like to collaborate with us on adapting and implementing LivDem in their home country.

    • Contact details:
      Prof Rik Cheston – Richard.cheston@uwe.ac.uk; 01173288927
      Dr Emily Dodd – emily3.dodd@uwe.ac.uk; 01173287496

  • School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Galway Ireland
    • The meaning of food for people living with dementia
      Sensory stimulation is recognized as a basis for psychosocial interventions for people living with dementia. A 2022 scoping review revealed that interventions are more commonly directed towards sight, hearing and touch (Hayden et al. 2022). However, Hanssen and Kuven (2016) found that traditional food evokes memories, strengthens cultural identity and brings joy to people living with dementia.
      We are interested in developing a programme of research that recognizes the potential of food and taste for sensory stimulation. Firstly, we wish to do undertake a scoping review to identify, clarify key characteristics, components and factors relating to food and taste as a psychosocial intervention for people living with dementia. We would welcome the opportunity to work closely with an INTERDEM academy member on conducting this review.
    • Contact details:
      Dr Duygu Sezgin (duygu.sezgin@universityofgalway.ie) and
      Dr Catherine Houghton(catherine.houghton@universityofgalway.ie)

  • Amsterdam UMC, dept. of Medicine for Older People, The Netherlands

    • In the Netherlands, more than a quarter of the people with dementia live in a long term care facility (Alzheimer Nederland 2021). Within these facilities a lot of data is recorded during the care process, but so far these data were hardly reused for quality improvement, scientific research and policy information. Within the “Learning from data” (in Dutch: Leren van Data) research line, we aim to improve this by analyzing pseudonymized data from electronic health records of almost half of the Dutch nursing homes. The database includes for example, information about diagnoses, the treatment policy and the use of involuntary care. The EHR also includes data about COVID-19 infections from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which was used by our team to continuously monitor the symptoms and severity of COVID-19 during the pandemic in Dutch nursing homes.
      Besides, more than 20 nursing homes participate in our audit and feedback program in which they yearly register additional data about the management of (suspected) urinary tract infections and lower respiratory tract infections and about the use of psychotropic drugs. Click here for more details.

    • Contact details:
      Karlijn Joling, PhD, senior researcher and project leader Leren van data.
      k.joling@amsterdamumc.nl

 

  • Brain+, possibilities in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Oxford (England)

    • At Brain+ we are currently developing and co-creating a product for people with dementia to use at home, in tandem and conjunction with their attendance to group Cognitive Stimulation Therapy. The app is aimed to provide relevant information for people with dementia, and CST-based home activities and discussions that can be carried out alone, with their family members or caregivers. In addition, some relevant feedback relating to their experience in attending CST sessions and journey will be collected through the product.
      At Brain+ we develop all our products through responsible innovation with the users. The internship will involve the initial development of some of these activities and conducting focus groups with people with dementia and their caregivers to identify the most appropriate and effective set of tools.

    • Contact details:
      Dr Nahid Zokaei, Chief Scientific Officer at Brain+ (nahid@brain-plus.com)
  • University of Surrey, England
    • The Interdem Fellow will join a group of researchers interested in olfaction and ageing. Current projects in the Innovation in Ageing Lab include: olfactory acuity in older people and those with mild cognitive impairment; olfactory training; olfactory board games in dementia care settings; and menopause and olfactory function. The fellow will have the opportunity to engage with cross cultural research, to collaborate with industrial partners, and to develop skills and expertise in olfactory stimulation.
      University of Surrey has a Centre of Excellence on Ageing and will host the British Society of Gerontology conference in 2025.
    • Contact details:
      Victoria Tischler, Professor of Behavioural Science (v.tischler@surrey.ac.uk)

Time schedule:

Call open: Monday 16 September 2024

Deadline applications: Monday 11 November 2024

Announcement of winner: Halfway December 2024

Contact and more information:
INTERDEM Academy Executive office
Interdem-masterclass@maastrichtuniversity.nl

INTERDEM Academy previous Fellowships

The INTERDEM Academy Fellowship 2023-2024 has been awarded to Andreia Fonseca de Paiva, PhD student at the University of Bradford, UK. She visited the University of Surrey (UK), and Maastricht University (The Netherlands) during her exchange of 5 weeks, to learn more about ‘Connecting Minds, Advancing Care: Advancing Dementia Prevention and Care Innovation through Global Research Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange.’. You can read more about her experiences here.

The INTERDEM Academy Fellowship 2021-2022 has been awarded to Charlèss Dupont, Early Stage Researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium. She visited Ulster University (Northern Ireland) during her exchange of 3 months, to learn more about ‘The use of web log data in a feasibility study to evaluate an advance care planning website for people with dementia and family caregivers’. You can read more about her experiences here.

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


Next INTERDEM Academy Masterclass – Galway, Ireland (May 2025)

More information on the next HOMEDEM training school in Galway, Ireland, will be posted here closer to date.

Previous INTERDEM Academy Masterclass

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

HOMEDEM Masterclass Technology, Research and Design in Dementia
Thursday 1 February 2024, Eindhoven, the Netherlands

This in-person masterclass is part of the Doctoral Training Network project HOMEDEM, which focusses on co-designing a home with dementia, and will be part of their 2nd training week. This Masterclass is hosted by Eindhoven University of Technology and co-hosted by Maastricht University (the Netherlands). Registration and participation are free of charge for all INTERDEM Academy members.

 

Previous INTERDEM Academy Masterclass

The previous in-person INTERDEM Academy Masterclass “Breaking the stigma: INTERDEM Academy and HOMEDEM, connecting and designing for dementia”, took place at the campus Genk/C-mine (Belgium) on Tuesday the 3rd of October 2023. To learn more about the experiences of Maud Ritzen, one of our attendees, go to our blog. 

INTERDEM Academy Café & SPOTLIGHT Webinar Series

INTERDEM Academy Cafe is an online event where European early-career dementia researchers meet and learn from and with each-other.

 

Previous INTERDEM Academy Cafés:

  • 5 December 2022: Exploring best practices to support early career dementia researchers: A World Café – Part 2
  • 30 March 2023: Playing the Dilemma game
  • 29 June 2023: Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology and business for living with dementia

Next INTERDEM Academy Café – Save the date – 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:

Friday 6 December 2024

Taskforce Inequalities in Dementia Care
TBA

Previous webinars:
Friday 8 December 2023
Taskforce Intercultural Aspects

Friday 8 March 2024
Taskforce Methodology

Friday 14 June 2024
Taskforce Technology

For more information, please contact Sara Bartels (sara.bartels@maastrichtuniversity.nl) or Esther Gerritzen (Esther.Gerritzen@nottingham.ac.uk), Academy board members.

Publication Award

INTERDEM Academy Publication Award 2023-2024

We are proud to announce that the call for articles for the annual INTERDEM Academy publication award is open and welcoming submissions. The purpose of this award is to create a platform in which young researchers inform each other and the senior INTERDEM network about their important research.

The winner will be invited to give a short presentation during the annual INTERDEM business meeting prior to the 34th annual Alzheimer Europe Conference (Geneva, Switzerland, 8-10 October 2024), and the top 3 will provide a blog on their contribution to be published on https://www.interdem.org.

Additionally, the winner will receive a €1000,- prize, and the two runners-up will each receive €500,-. This money is meant for a course/conference/training to support your career     development.

If you want to participate, send us an email (interdem-masterclass@maastrichtuniversity.nl) to receive more information!

Outcome 3rd INTERDEM Academy Publication Award – 2022-2023

Winner of this year’s award:

  1. Joost Wammes – Dyadic Discrete Choice Experiments Enable Persons with Dementia and Informal Caregivers to Participate in Health Care Decision Making: A Mixed Methods Study

Runner-up (in alphabetical order)

  1. Federica D’Andrea – Object Handling for People With Dementia: A Scoping Review and the Development of Intervention Guidance
  2. Maarten Houben– Designing for Everyday Sounds at Home with People with Dementia and their Partners

To learn more about the winning articles of this year and their authors, go to https://interdem.org/?p=8422

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:

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/


Members