Research Areas

Our Staff

Our dedicated staff are key to the success of the network

Dr Tom Russ - Clinical Research Champion – Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Tom trained in medicine and psychiatry in Edinburgh, the Highlands, and London and undertook doctoral training at the University of Edinburgh. He is a consultant psychiatrist in NHS Lothian with clinical responsibility for two hospital-based complex clinical care units as well as working at the Memory Assessment and Treatment Service. He is Director of the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre and an honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, both at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Emma Law – Network Manager

Emma Law has been the Network manager since June 2009. She is responsible for recruiting, training and developing network staff as well as developing links with other networks in Scotland. She also oversees the financial governance of the network.

Prior to taking up the post in June 2009 she was a nurse in a dementia assessment ward and day hospital, the Practice Development Manager for Psychiatry of Old Age in Perth and Kinross and managed the older people's mental health teams.

She has filled various roles in research projects including study coordinator and co-authoring peer-reviewed publications.

 

NHS Border

Bernie McInally - Clinical Studies Officer

Bernie has been a qualified nurse since 1987. He holds a BSc in Community Mental Health Nursing and he is currently working towards a Masters in Health Research at Stirling University. His experience is predominantly in older adult mental health. He is an independent prescriber and provides 3 nurse-led clinics in the Scottish Borders.

He has worked for the Network since January 2011 and currently recruiting to AD Genetics.

 

NHS Grampian

Dr Alasdair Lawrie - Consultant

Dr Alasdair Lawrie is a Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry currently working in North West Aberdeenshire and is Clinical Lead for the Network in the Grampian region.

Alison McBain - Clinical Studies Officer

Alison qualified as an Occupational Therapist in Aberdeen in 1995. She has worked predominantly in Mental Health, including 3 years in London, and has worked at Royal Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen since 2000.

She currently works as an Occupational Therapist in Community Mental Health for older adults as well as her role as Clinical Studies Officer for the Network.

 

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Catriona McNeill - Senior Clinical Studies Officer

Catriona qualified as a nurse in 1990 and worked in the medical wards at Glasgow Royal Infirmary before moving into a clinical research role in 1996.

She has worked continuously in clinical research since then in a variety of roles from research nurse to audit. She has a strong background in the smooth running of clinical trials.

 

NHS Lothian

Jacqui Kerr - Senior Clinical Studies Officer

Jacqui qualified as a Mental Health Nurse in 2000 from the University of Paisley. In 2002, she completed further studies in a BSc in Nursing Studies Gerontology, and in June 2022 completed her Master of Science in Global Issues of Gerontology and Ageing.

Since qualifying, Jacqui has worked in the care of Elderly Mental Health in various health care settings before moving in to a clinical research role in 2006.

Jacqui joined the network as a Senior Clinical Studies Officer in July 2015 and is currently working on clinical research projects in Lothian.

Maria Dewar - Clinical Studies Officer

Maria completed a degree in Nursing Studies at Edinburgh University and is a Senior Research Nurse with over 25 years experience in clinical trials. She has worked on MCI, Dementia and Parkinson’s trials for the NDN since 2015. Prior to this she worked in Respiratory Medicine managing CF Gene Therapy, Asthma & COPD Trials.  

 

NHS Tayside

Justine Hudson - Senior Clinical Studies Officer

Justine qualified as a Mental Health Nurse in 1999 in Dundee.  She subsequently worked in areas such as Acute admission assessments, challenging behaviour unit, dementia intermediate care unit and others.  The majority of her nursing has involved working with people with dementia. 

Tiffany Stewart - Clinical Studies Officer

Tiffany graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2008 from The University of Abertay, Dundee. She has worked in a research setting since then, working on research studies involving healthy adults and patients in the adult mental health population. Whilst working for the Department of Psychiatry at The Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Tiffany completed a part-time MSc by Research at The University of Edinburgh.

More recently, Tiffany has worked as a Clinical Trials Monitor in the Tayside Medical Science Centre, learning about research governance, pharmacovigilance and quality assurance.

Tiffany started with the Network in June 2015. 

Kate Ferguson - Clinical Studies Officer

Kate has been a registered Mental Health Nurse since 2015. She is doing a part-time Masters Degree in Mental Health Research at Abertay University. She worked in a dementia specialist inpatient ward for two years prior to taking up this current post with the Network.