Global Challenges Academy

Staff Profile

Professor Dame Louise Robinson

Professor of Primary Care and Ageing; Regius Professor of Ageing

Background

Introduction

I am Regius Professor of Ageing, an academic GP and Professor of Primary Care and Ageing at Newcastle University. My personal research programme is focused on improving quality of life and quality of care for older people, especially those with dementia. I lead 1 of 3 UK Alzheimer Society Centres of Excellence on Dementia Care and the only NIHR Global Research Group on Dementia Care and Prevention with international collaborations in Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Tanzania and New Zealand.　


Roles and Responsibilities

Regius Professor of Ageing (2016-)

Primary Care Professor of Primary Care and Ageing, Newcastle University (2008-). 

GP principal (Saville Medical Group, Saville Row, Newcastle upon Tyne). 


Nationally

  1. Primary care lead, NICE dementia health and social care guidelines group
  2. Lead primary care advisor: Prime Minister's National Dementia Challenge

Honours and Awards

  • Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners
  • RCGP National Clinical Champion for Dementia (2012-15) 
  • RCGP National Clinical Champion for Ageing (2009-2011)
  • Royal Society of Apothecaries William Farr Medal for excellence in the care and research of older people (2015)Alzheimer's Society Ambassador
  • NIHR Professorship (2012-2017)
  • Regius Professor of Ageing (2016)
  • NIHR Senior Investigator (2018)
  • Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2018)

Google Scholar: Click here.

SCOPUS: Click here.

Research

Research Interests

Health of older people in primary care
Dementia care
Assistive and next generation technologies.
Systematic reviewing
Pragmatic trials of complex interventions

Current Research

I led the successful £40 miIlion* bid to Government Office for Newcastle University to host the National Centre for Ageing Science and Innovation (*£20 million funding match from Newcastle University).

Total research funding won to date is around £35.6 million (£27 million as PI/co-PI) from a variety of sources including NIHR funding streams, BUPA Foundation, TSB ALIP and the Department of Health.

I currently lead:

i) 1 of 3 national Centres of Excellence in Dementia Care funded by the Alzheimer's Society and

ii) NIHR Global Health Group on Dementia Care and Prevention.  

My personal research programme focuses on three themes:
1) Health and wellbeing of older people in primary care:  To identify factors which facilitate healthy ageing, and hence minimise dependency, as people grow older in the community. This work currently includes several major national cohort studies: Newcastle 85 study (PI Kirkwood, Newcastle), which explores the health and wellbeing of the oldest old (2004-) and MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS) (PI Brayne, Cambridge).

2) Enhancing the quality of dementia care:  I am currently PI on NIHR Programme Grant looking at Supporting Excellence in End of Life care in Dementia (SEED) (2013-2018) and co-applicant on a range of studies exploring the whole spectrum of dementia care from diagnosis and early detection, through to advanced dementia and end of life care. An emerging strand of this theme is exploring the development and evaluation of assistive technologies to promote independence for people with dementia.

3) Technologies for ageing populations: Assistive technologies afford huge potential to facilitate independent living for our ageing populations. This is a new programme of work focused on the development, evaluation and implementation of assitive technolgoies for older people, especially those with dementia. This work is funded through grants from DH, ESRC Technology Strategy Board Assisted Living Platform.  

 

Research Roles

Research principal investigator
Lead: Primary Care Clinical Studies Group; DeNDRoN Research Network

Postgraduate Supervision

I currently supervise 4 PhD/MD students and regularly supervise MSc students and GP Specialist registrars on the Academic Innovative Posts of the Northumbria GP Vocational Training Scheme.

Esteem Indicators

RCGP National Clinical Champion for Ageing and Older People (2009-2012)
Lead, Primary Care Clincial Studies Group for Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN).
Primary care lead and committee member of following national committees: UK Ministerial Advisory Group on Dementia Research; National Dementia Strategy Implementation Committee; National Dementia Strategy Workforce Development Group.
Invited key note speaker at national and international conferences.

Funding

  1. £1,928,468. NIHR Global Health Group on Dementia Prevention and Enhanced Care – (De-PEC). Project number 16/137/62. 2017-2020. Robinson L, Walker R, Gray K, Paddick SM, Prina M, Manthorpe J, Goodson M, Vryn-A, Pin M, Reidpath D, Allotey P, Chaiyakunapruk, Mohan, Urassa, Mushi, Mayige, Jusabani, Iype, Vijayajumar, Nair.   Principal Investigator.

  2. £1,680,224. Alzheimer’s Society – Centre of Excellence. Primary and Community care based post diagnostic Dementia care (PriDem): developing evidence-based, person centred sustainable models for future care. Robinson L, Allan L, Manthorpe J, Wilcock J, Walters K, Banerjee S, Corner L, Knapp M, Wittenberg R, Rait G, Harrison-Dening K, Bamford C, Lewins D, Adamson J, Bamford SM, Tucker S, Burns A. 2018-2022. Principal Investigator

  3. £45,000. NIHR Senior Investigator Award. 2017-2020. NF-SI-0616-10054.

  4. £2,803,331. REducing and preventing COgnitive impairment iN older age groups (the RECON Programme). Little P (PI), Kendrick A, Yao GL, Stuart B, Griffiths G, Robinson L, Ballard C, Rossor M, Griffin S, Mutrie N, Rathod S, Gallacher J. 2017-2022. NIHR PGfAR RP-PG-0615-20014. Co-investigator.

  5. £593,860. Organising general practice for care homes: A multi-method study. Hanratty, B, Gage, H, Spilsbury, Robinson, L, Brittain, K, Duncan, R, Matthews, F. NIHR HS&DR Programme 14/196/05. 2017-2019. Co-investigator.

  6. £20,000,000*. National Centre for Ageing Science and Innovation (NASI). MRC Grant ref: MR/P012299/1. 2016 – 2019.  Robinson L, Day C, Brink C, Watson P.  Government Office 2016-2019. Principal Investigator. (*matched £20M from Newcastle University)

  7. £353,923. Dementia undetected or undiagnosed in primary care: the prevalence, causes and consequences. Savva, G, Brayne, C, Barnes, L, Arthur, A, Robinson, L, Stephan, BCM, Matthews, F, Dening, T, Fox, C, Kirkham,  Y, Horne, G, Swart, A-M, Aldus, C, McCormack, S, Broadwar, R, Romero J. NIHR HS&DR Project 14/70/96. 2016-2018. Co-investigator.

  8. £514,118.10. Is it possible to develop a complex intervention to improve the outcome of fall-related injuries in people with dementia? Allan, L, Bamford, C, Fox, C, Barber, R, Corner, L, Steen, I, Homer, T, Younger, P, Connolly, J, Robinson, L. NIHR HTA Project 13/78/02. 2015-2018. Co-investigator.

  9. £2,400,000. NIHR School for Primary Care Research membership. Robinson L, Hanratty B, Kaner E, Jagger C, Steele J, Thomson R. NIHR 2015-2019. Principal Investigator.  

  10. £49,999. Core Outcome Data Set for Dementia clinical trials (COD Dementia). Livingston, G, Howard, R, McCleery, J, Mountain, G, Lafortune, L, Pickett, J, Roberts, C.    NIHR HTA; 15/62/02. 2015 – 2016. Collaborator.

  11. €499,234. Coimbra Institute for Ageing Teaming bid. PI Thomas von Zyglincki, Passos J, Robinson L, Armitage G, Corner L. Horizon 2020 Teaming. Project number: 664629 2015-2016. Co-investigator. 

  12. European Institute of Innovation and Technology Knowledge Information Community EIT-Health Consortia on Health Ageing. UK lead partner Imperial College. Horizon 2020. 2015-2020.

  13. £1,100,000. Reducing rates of avoidable hospital admissions: Optimising an evidence based intervention to improve care for Ambulatory Care Sensitive conditions in nursing homes. Also known as BHiRCH (Better Health in Residents in Care Homes). PI Downs M (Bradford), Sampson L, Ballard C, Robinson L et al. NIHR Programme Grant. 2015-2018. Co-investigator.

  14. £292,925. The development of a comprehensive medicines management approach for people with dementia in primary care. PI Hughes C (Queen’s University Belfast), Ryan C, Passmore P, Barry H, Robinson L, Molloy G, Darcy C, Buchanan H. HSC Public Health Agency. 2014 – 2017. Co-investigator.

  15. £110,000. The (North East) Dementia Hub. Robinson L, Corner L. AHSN NENC. 2014 – 2016. Joint Principal Investigator.

  16. £1,917,545. Supporting excellence in end of life care in dementia (SEED programme).  Robinson L, Bamford C, Hughes J, Exley C, Sampson E et al. NIHR Programme grant.  2013-2018. Principal Investigator.

  17. £59,875. Stephan B, Robinson L. Concept of Vascular Cognitive Impairment to Dementia. Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences PhD studentship. 2013-2017. Joint Principal Investigator.

  18. £1,130,000. NIHR Translational Professorship Award. Living with dementia; towards better quality community care.  NIHR. 2012-2017. Principal Investigator.

  19. £3,000,000. NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme. Evaluating the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) to enable Person Centred Care training (PCCT) for people with dementia and staff: A UK cluster randomised controlled trial in care homes (DCM EPIC trial).  PI Claire Surr (Bradford), Murna Downs, Clive Ballard, Louise Robinson, Graham Stokes et al. 2013-2017. Co-investigator.

  20. £336,252. NIHR Service Delivery and Organisation. Co-morbidity and dementia: improving healthcare for people with dementia. (CoDem). HS&DR - 11/1017/07. PI Frances Bunn (Herts), Clare Goodman, Louise Robinson, Greta Rait et al. 2012-2015. Co-investigator.






 

 

Teaching

Undergraduate Teaching

MBBS degree course: Personal and professional development.
Examiner for clinical and preclinical MBBS.

Postgraduate Teaching

MSc Health Sciences
Certificate in Clinical Research

 

Publications