A network of dementia researchers, clinicians and carers collaboratively working towards reducing the burden of dementia within NSW.
The Sydney Dementia Network, launched in 2018, seeks to unite dementia researchers, clinicians, carers and patients to accelerate the focus on dementia research within NSW. Led by Prof Sharon Naismith, Prof Clement Loy, Prof Lee-Fay Low, with early career representation from Dr Claire O'Callaghan and Dr Lisa Oyston, the Network has progressed to ensure improved outcomes for patients while providing opportunities and resources from researchers and clinicians across NSW in prevention, treatment and care of dementia.
Our work includes collaborations with key researchers, clinicians, health organisations and government bodies to discuss current research efforts, the future of dementia in NSW and workshop how to improve outcomes. Below are some of our collaborations, events and initiatives from the Network so far.
The Sydney Dementia Network brings the largest multidisciplinary group of Australia’s leading dementia academics and Sydney Health Partners, an NHMRC accredited Advanced Health Research and Translation Centre. Sydney Health Partners encompasses three Local Health Districts (LHDs) providing care for 2.7 million people. This network allows us to rapidly translate research and make an impact on more than 10% of the Australian population. We bring a strong and cohesive track record of working collaboratively to lead national efforts in the rapid translation of research innovations into health care. Our partnership is successful not only because of our excellent collaboration but also because of our scale.
The Sydney Dementia Network has established effective care pathways between our research diagnostic and translational centres and clinician-researchers in Sydney LHD (Concord Hospital, Prof Louise Waite; Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, A/Prof Rebekah Ahmed), Northern Sydney LHD (Royal North Shore Hospital, Dr Helen Wu, Prof Sarah Hilmer; Hornsby Hospital, Prof Sue Kurrle), Western Sydney LHD (Westmead Hospital, Prof Clement Loy; Blacktown Hospital Prof Richard Lindley), Southern NSW LHD (Moruya Hospital, Prof Sue Kurrle).
In addition to the LHDs, the Brain and Mind Centre comprises leading dementia experts in the large majority of dementias with weekly clinics in frontotemporal dementia (Prof Olivier Piguet), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (Prof Simon Lewis), Vascular Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Healthy Brain Ageing (Prof Sharon Naismith, Prof Sue Kurrle), and leading neurodegenerative diseases associated with dementia including Huntington’s disease (Prof Clement Loy), Parkinson’s disease (Prof Simon Lewis) motor neuron disease (Prof Matthew Kiernan) and multiple sclerosis (Prof Michael Barnett). With weekly clinics across the Centre, we are already established as a leading Centre of Excellence in dementia diagnosis and management.
The Sydney Dementia Network Lived Experience Expert Advisory Panel (LEEAP) was established in 2020 by Dr Claire O’Callaghan, Prof Muireann Irish and Prof Lee-Fay Low. LEEAP involves people with lived experience of dementia, including caregivers or family members, and people with dementia. The panel meets regularly with dementia researchers to advise on project plans and priority setting.
The goal of LEEAP is to promote engagement between dementia researchers and people with lived experience of dementia, so that research can be informed by the needs of those directly affected by dementia.
We invite dementia researchers to contact us if they are interested in engaging with the panel. Likewise, we invite people with lived experience of dementia to contact us if they are interested in being involved with the panel by emailing us.