Modifiable dementia risk factors such as depression, cardiovascular disease and physical and cognitive activity account for 40-50% of dementia risk and their association with neuropsychological performance is evident in both preclinical and prodromal dementia stages. Over the course of her career, Professor Naismith has examined how modifiable risk factors relate to various aspects of cognition and brain degeneration and how best to treat them. She has led the development of cognitive training programs and clinical trials targeting these risk factors. She has authored more than 350 papers across a range of fields largely focused on cognition but also utilising neuroimaging, genetics, e-health, data syntheses, as well as clinical trials and health services. Her most recent work focuses on how sleep and circadian disturbance is linked to cognitive decline, how best to treat sleep disturbance in older people and how to utilise new digital sleep technologies to derive maximal reach and scale within the rapidly rising ageing population.

In this presentation, the evolution of her program of work over time will be considered with respect to core discipline-specific foundations but also amidst the changing research landscape, research challenges and the need to optimise health impact. The importance of multidisciplinarity, career mentors and partners, capacity building, and engaging with government and policy makers will be discussed as well as other factors considered to be key to mid-career research success.