Meet The Team

Investigators

A/Prof Darshini Ayton

Darshini Ayton is the Deputy Head of the Health and Social Care Unit (HSCU) at Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow (2021–2025). Her work focuses on ageing and health services research, including dementia prevention, diagnostic approaches and models of care. Darshini leads several research programs that aim to improve care quality and quality of life for older adults. Her approach involves close collaboration with industry, health services, and aged care providers, as well as consumer and community engagement.

Dr Clarissa Giebel

Dr Clarissa Giebel is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool, leading the dementia research group on addressing health inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care. She has set up and is running the public-facing Liverpool Dementia & Ageing Research Forum, and the North West Coast Living Lab in Ageing and Dementia - both innovative models to improve co-production, networking, knowledge exchange, and capacity building in dementia.

A/Prof Yen Ying Lim

Associate Professor Yen Ying Lim is the Lead Investigator of the Healthy Brain Hub. She is also an NHMRC Emerging Leadership (EL2) fellow, Director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Optimal Ageing, and head of the Cognitive Ageing & Dementia Laboratory at Monash University. She is committed to improving the dementia diagnosis pathway in Australia, and interested in the influence of genetic, biological, and lifestyle risk factors on memory decline and Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Dr Katrina Long

Dr Katrina Long is Lead of the Residential Aged Care Research Network (RACReN) at the National Centre for Healthy Ageing and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Monash University. As an implementation scientist and health services researcher, she is passionate about amplifying the voice of people with living experience and interest holders in all stages of the research process, with particular attention on traditionally under-represented groups.

A/Prof Chris Moran

A/Prof Chris Moran is a geriatrician based at Alfred Health and the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. His clinical and research interests include healthy ageing with a focus on brain health.

Research Team

Eliza Watson

Eliza Watson is the Project Manager of the Dementia Learning and Research Community project. She holds a Bachelor of Arts/Science (Hons) and a Masters of Public Health from Monash University, and has previous experience in clinical and public health research, communications and advocacy. Eliza is passionate about research that centres those with lived experience.

Sadia Afrin

Sadia Afrin is a PhD student and a Research Assistant for the Dementia Learning and Research Community project. She has completed a Bachelor and Masters of Social Sciences in Anthropology, as well as a Masters of Public Health at the University of Melbourne. Her professional experience has focused on community-based health program interventions and services evaluation, needs assessment and identifying community informed approaches for ensuring quality health services for vulnerable, under-served and unprivileged social groups.

Public Advisory Committee

Jane Thompson

Jane is a former carer of her husband who died of Alzheimer's disease. She has a particular interest in supporting public involvement in all types of dementia research

Jane has been a contributor to numerous dementia research projects, programs and organisations since 2010.

Member 4

Member 4 is a former carer of a person living with dementia.

Mithrani (De Abrew) Mahadeva

Mithrani is a person living with dementia. Dementia Research is urgently needed to develop policies for best practice. People living with dementia (including myself) need pathways for our journey.

Karen Glennen

Karen Glennen is the wife and former carer for her husband who was diagnosed with Younger Onset logopenic variant Alzheimer’s in March 2016 at age 57. He lived with the disease for 8 years, passing away in March 2024. Their journey exposed inequalities in care and access to services for rural people. They became advocates, raising awareness of the barriers to finding appropriate and accessible care options, and challenging dementia stigma. They participated in committees, trials, and advocacy groups, addressing parliamentary committees and international conferences.