Close
I have worked in the Division since 2016 across a number of studies supporting people living with dementia and their family carer network. I am involved in both recruitment and intervention delivery in my current post for the DREAMS-START trial, headed by Gill Livingston and Penny Rappaport who are collaborating with sleep experts at Oxford University.
Sleep issues are common in dementia. There is no treatment at present and medications can do more harm than good, so the team is testing a new non-pharmacological intervention. DREAMS-START is aiming to help people to sleep better, both carers and people living with dementia, through the development of strategies to help people living with dementia to be more active during the day and sleep better at night. Twitter: @DreamsStartUCL.
To me, EDI feeds into all aspects of my life. Both personally, considering my own identity, my values, where they come from. And professionally, how that identity fits in the workplace, how I can offer value in my role to both colleagues and clients, recognise the areas I do not know about, and learn more to allow others to feel seen and respected.
I am grateful to have a reflective practice in my work to have been able to consider identity and its impact. People are complex, it is important to consider what makes them unique: gender, class, sexual identity, race.
Research and psychology don’t tend to be very representative in regards to gender class and ethnicity, which I am only aware of from working in it, so having an EDI initiative is crucial to make underrepresented and marginalised groups feel more welcome. As a queer white male from a working class background, my identity has impacted my career in both positive and negative ways. Working in a predominately white profession, my identity is often accepted due to the colour of my skin. I have been able to reflect on my own identity and consider how I offer unique experiences and how I can support others within psychology (and clients) who do not feel represented, especially those who are impacted by racism / racist constructs within the profession.