Cambridge Dementia Research Day | 28 April 2026
Day meeting | Fully Booked
What are you doing about dementia?
Dementia is the biggest neurological health problem affecting society.
The meeting will highlight the wide variety of dementia research from across the University and beyond.
Alongside flash talks and panels, we will also be sharing a delegate list on the day with highlighted projects so you can connect with new contacts exploring solutions to dementia in a variety of ways from diagnostics, to treatments, care, art therapies, and much more.
The day will explore patient perspectives, the biology of dementia, how society approaches and feels about dementia, discovering new treatments, dementia tests and data, the NHS, how we can accelerate research - and most importantly - what does care look like and how can we deliver new treatments?
Event details & full programme
The day meeting of talks and panels is led by the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge Neuroscience.
28 April 2026 | Cripps Court Conference Centre, Chesterton Rd, Cambridge (Magdalene College)
Teas, coffees and a sandwich lunch including vegetarian and vegan options will be available for this day meeting. Networking drinks will follow.
|
Time |
Overview |
Chairs and speakers |
|
8.30 |
Registration opens |
|
|
9:00 |
Opening address |
Patrick Maxwell (School of Clinical Medicine), The Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals, and CUHP “Deciphering and healing the Brain” Life Science Strategy |
|
9:10 |
Patient Voice: Interviews |
Roger Barker (Clinical Neurosciences) interviewing Ann Hayes (lived experience) |
|
9:40 |
The size of the problem |
Carol Brayne (CPH), ‘How and what do we know about the nature and occurrence of dementia in populations’? |
|
9:55 |
Biology of dementia: science stories |
Michel Goedert (LMB), Maria Spillantini (Clinical Neurosciences), Sjors Scheres (LMB), Will McEwan (UK DRI), Janin Lautenschlager (CIMR) |
|
10:40 |
Memory |
Alasdair Coles (Clinical Neurosciences), Catherine Pickstock (Faculty of Divinity - Theology of memory), Sally Hunter (artistic response) Becky Dowson (ARU - music therapy); Helena Gellersen (SBS - memory and cognitive decline). |
|
11:00 |
Coffee |
|
|
11.25 |
Midpoint address |
Dinah Pounds, Mayor of Cambridge City, ‘What could better dementia treatments mean for cities?’ |
|
11:30 |
Discovering new treatments |
John Skidmore (ADDI), Tim Rooney (ADDI), Damian Crowther (TrimTech) & Elena di Daniel (Astex) |
|
12:15 |
Dementia diagnostic tests, stratification and data |
James Rowe (Clinical Neurosciences), David Klenerman (Chemistry), Maura Malpetti (UK DRI), Carl Anderson (Sanger), John Bradley (NIHR Bioresource), Tim Rittman (Clinical Neurosciences), Rik Henson (CBU) |
|
1:00 |
Lunch |
|
|
1:45 |
Panel: dementia and the NHS now |
Ben Underwood (CPFT/Psychiatry), Jeremy Isaacs (National Clinical Director for Dementia), Brian Human (lived experience), Dr Richard Biram (Consultant Geriatrician), Steve Grange (CEO CPFT), Lynda Barnes (CPFT R&D PPIE lead) |
|
2:30 |
Panel: Accelerating discovery of dementia treatments |
Laurence Barker (Dementia Discovery Fund), Miles Parkes (BRC), Jo Latimer (UK DRI), Susan Kohlhaas (ARUK), Michael Cook (Our Future Health), Giovanna Lalli (LifeArc) |
|
3:15 |
Clinical Trials |
Roger Barker (Clinical Neurosciences), Aidan and Karen Walmsley (lived experience), Alex Murley (Clinical Neurosciences), Caroline Williams-Gray (Clinical Neurosciences), James Rowe (Clinical Neurosciences), Kristin-Anne Rutter (CUHP) |
|
4:00 |
Preventing dementia |
Mina Ryten (UK DRI), Zanna Voysey (Clinical Neurosciences - sleep), Debi Vickers (SOUND Lab - hearing), Christopher McMurran (Clinical Neurosciences - healthy ageing clinics) |
|
4:45 |
Concluding Speech |
Lord O'Shaughnessy (CUHP – Chair) |
|
5:00 |
Close |
Patrick Maxwell (School of Clinical Medicine) |
|
5.05 |
Networking drinks |
|
How to get to the venue
The event takes place at the Cripps Court Conference Centre, Chesterton Rd, Cambridge (Magdalene College).
The college map with the location of Cripps Court is online here: Magdalene College Map
Please see the Magdelene College directions page: How to find us | Magdalene College
This is a central Cambridge venue and there is no parking on site. The nearest car park is Castle Hill Car Park, For more details, visit the Cambridge City Council Parking information
