Walking in your Footsteps

Dr Natalie Ryan and Briony Campbell

Walking in your Footsteps is a collaborative project involving neurologist Natalie Ryan, artist Briony Campbell and members of the Rare Dementia Support Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) support group, developing creative workshops where people can connect and share their stories, whilst exploring experiences of living in a family affected by FAD and meaningful milestones in the FAD journey.

Dr Natalie Ryan is a neurologist at the Dementia Research Centre at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL and the Cognitive Disorders Clinic at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Her research focuses on young onset and familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD). The FAD support group, part of Rare Dementia Support, brings together individuals from families affected by FAD to provide information, support and opportunities for them to meet each other in face to face and online meetings. Rare Dementia Support, funded by the National Brain Appeal, aims to empower, guide and inform people living with or affected by a rare dementia diagnosis, and to create opportunities for them to share their experiences and insights with each other, and with the people working to better understand and treat their conditions. Twitter: @DrNatalieRyan @RareDementia

Briony Campbell is a photographer, filmmaker and creative facilitator. Using participatory art methodologies she offers unique creative experiences to underrepresented groups and vulnerable people. Through a responsive approach to collaboration Briony co-creates visual stories about relationships and identities. Her projects have focussed on such themes as intercultural relationships, living with death and grief and autistic people's relationships. She has been funded and commissioned by such institutions as AHRC, UCL, Kent University, The Southbank Centre, and Arts Council England. Briony navigates academia/art partnerships confidently, sensitively and effectively to produce art that is beautiful, accessible and compelling.