Interests
Sarah Fox, PhD
Dementia Research Fellow
We need all voices at the table and an appreciation of the nuanced learning each perspective brings.
Current Work
As a DEM-COMM dementia research fellow Sarah works in an interdisciplinary team at the University of Manchester studying the impact of everyday aesthetic experiences for people affected by dementia. This work aims to develop a applied therapeutic approach to improve wellbeing through optimizing access to everyday aesthetic experiences.
Personal Hero
My Nanny Blue
Words of Strength
Collaborative, innovative, creative, driven
Vision
We are shaped by our sensory and social experiences, and everyone deserves access to the experiences which bring them meaning and bolster their unique identities. We need to develop policy and support frameworks to ensure people living with dementia have equitable access to meaningful experiences which bring them joy and help then connect with their environments, those around them and their own identities.
Strategy
As a researcher with a multidisciplinary background, Sarah is uniquely placed to act as a conduit for transdisciplinary research. Though the study of aesthetics may have originated in the field of art and beauty, its everyday impact can be seen at a psychosocial and biological level. Sarah’s intention is to bring together researchers across the academic spectrum and people affected by dementia to explore how everyday aesthetics can improve care and support for those living with dementia.
Impact
As an Atlantic Fellow, Sarah hopes her experience will help spark global discourse around the benefits of patient and public involvement in research. She’s also enthusiastic about learning from other fellows and translating this learning back to her home community.
Motivation
The medicalization of dementia means that people with a diagnosis are often viewed through a disease-focused lens. While biomedical approaches to dementia are important, they are not the whole story. Sarah’s work looks to platform everyday experience and personhood, bringing increased parity to policy, care and social support for those living with dementia.
Education & Experience
Sarah received an undergraduate master's degree in neuroscience from The University of Manchester, followed by a PhD in cognitive neuroscience and Alzheimer’s disease research. She sidestepped away from the academic pathway to follow her passions for communication and research, working in the fields of public involvement, regional policy and governance, with a focus on dementia. After completing a fellowship with GBHI, Sarah now works as an NIHR dementia research fellow at the University of Manchester.
Podcasts
Voyage Around My Brain: Sarah Fox, Susanne Roehr, Berenice Werle and Francesca Farina
What is Brain Health?
Featured Publications
Send
Sarah
a NoteHave ideas for global brain health or a collaboration? I would love to hear from you. Feel free to send an introductory note.
