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UCL-Osaka collaboration on dementia care strengthens with Dr Kanemoto visit
2 March 2020
Osaka University and UCL continue their commitment to partnered research with Dr Hideki Kanemoto’s recent visit to UCL to discuss their shared goals in dementia research
UCL academics are taking steps towards working more closely with their counterparts from Osaka University (OU) and funding has been awarded to develop integrated research proposals on several aspects of dementia prevention, treatment and care.
The proposals span epidemiology, looking at data from Japanese cohort studies, led by Professors Andrew Steptoe and Eric Brunner in UCL Population Health Sciences; clinical science and robotics, led by Professor Nick Tyler in UCL Engineering; and care and social structure, including social function and coping strategies for carers, led by Professor Gill Livingston in UCL Psychiatry.
“We were delighted to meet Dr Kanemoto and host him at UCL. We at UCL are working increasingly closely with academics in Osaka to research ways of supporting people with dementia as there is an opportunity to learn a great deal from each other to improve our research and care,” said Professor Livingston.
“We are excited to look at differences in risk factors for dementia by analysing Japan’s excellent longitudinal studies, and we plan to collaborate on clinical research which will benefit from each other’s strengths such as in technology, and applied health research. Together we are setting up a UCL-OU powerhouse,” she added.
“Dr Kanemoto’s visit presented an opportunity to discuss current and future research projects and for him to see our clinical services. We look forward to seeing services in Osaka.”
Dr Kanemoto said: “In light of our partnership with UCL, the Department of Psychiatry in OU plan to conduct research to validate the Japanese version of the SF-DEM scale, which was made by UCL in order to evaluate the social functioning of patients with dementia. During this visit, we were able to discuss our plan for this particular research, and other research proposals.”
Professor Livingston and Psychiatry colleagues Dr Andrew Sommerlad and Dr Naaheed Mukadam plan to visit Osaka to discuss joint projects and learn more about the work there, which includes robotics and ambulatory EEG monitoring, as well as visiting different research groups.
Osaka University is an important partner for UCL, with academics from across seven UCL faculties currently collaborating with counterparts in a range of areas, from neuroscience to education.
Academics have co-published 70 papers with OU colleagues since 2013, as well as jointly running workshops on topics including global health and wellbeing, sustainable urban design and society and education
The next call for the UCL-OU Strategic Partner Funds – which aims to increase research collaboration between the two institutions – opens in Spring 2020.
The relationship between UCL and Japan dates back more than 150 years, to the arrival of some of UCL’s earliest international students, the ‘Choshu Five’. They were the first Japanese students to study in UK, who went on to become influential political and industrial leaders in modern Japan and are regarded as its ‘founding fathers’.
Links
The Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Medical School
Social functioning in dementia (SF-DEM) scale
UCL-OU Strategic Partner Funding (opens Spring 2020)