16 December 2025
Brad Barker-Jones joined us on a Dementia Internship earlier in 2025. Here he blogs about how it went and what he learned from the experience.
When I joined ARC West as a Dementia Intern, funded by the NIHR Dementia Capacity Building Programme, I didn’t expect to lead workshops with neurodivergent young people or help design an app for personalising dementia care.
Having recently completed an MSc in Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis at the University of Bristol, and with a personal connection to dementia through my family, I knew this role would allow me to make a real difference. NIHR ARC West is known for its high-quality applied research, and I was excited to contribute my skills while learning from experts.
I was surprised by how approachable everyone was at NIHR ARC West. From day one, I felt supported and encouraged to step outside my comfort zone.
I contributed to the LEAP Loneliness project, which aims to co-design technology to reduce loneliness among three at-risk groups:
My role included qualitative framework analyses of co-design workshops and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of software developers, behavioural scientists and researchers.
One of the most rewarding moments was leading one of the workshops with neurodivergent young people. It was a privilege that deepened my understanding of inclusive research.
I also supported an event at the Bristol Digital Futures Institute as part of the Festival of Social Science, speaking with external researchers and charities. Currently, I’m drafting a publication on the neurodivergent young people strand of the project.
I worked on the Personalised Domiciliary Dementia Care project, which aims to design an app that matches the preferences of people living with dementia and their supporters to create tailored care schedules.
I analysed carers’ interview transcripts, turning insights into user stories to guide app development. Joining discussions on app design allowed me to see how research translates into practice. Looking ahead, I plan to explore the potential impact.
I led a systematic review titled “Thresholds and Decision Rules for Proxy Completion of Preference-Based Measures in Studies Including People with Neurological Disorders”.
This review explored how researchers justify proxy use. Are these always formal, quantitative cut-off values based on clinical measures, or are they more subjective in nature?
Leading this review was a valuable experience. I made key decisions about how to extract rich information on a complex research question within time and resource constraints. I’m now drafting a paper based on this work for publication.
The internship wasn’t just about research. I joined NIHR ARC West’s health economics group, sharing progress and organising health economics events hosted by ARC West.
I helped organise a Festival of Dementia Research event in Weston-super-Mare, coordinating speakers and interactive activities for people living with dementia. This was a great opportunity to engage with the community.
I also attended ‘Dem-Comm’ meetings, learning about projects such as the Parkinson’s Treatment Hub and the adaptation of the LivDem intervention.
Finally, I contributed to two posters presented at the Alzheimer’s Europe 2025 conference:
These experiences strengthened my skills in qualitative analysis, public engagement and collaborative working, while deepening my understanding of health economics methods.
Looking back, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. This internship reinforced my commitment to dementia research and showed me the value of pushing myself and building connections.
Future interns: don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. You’ll learn so much and meet incredible people along the way.
I’m grateful for the guidance and support I received from the NIHR ARC West team. This experience has been a stepping stone toward a career dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by dementia and those around them.
I’m now working as a Research Associate in Health Economics and Health Policy at Bristol Medical School. My work includes projects such as Fastball, which focuses on earlier dementia diagnosis. I’m also looking forward to having one of my papers discussed at the Health Economists’ Study Group (HESG) meeting in York 2026. Looking ahead, I plan to apply for an NIHR Predoctoral Award to further my research in this area.
Brad was the recipient of a Dementia Internship from the NIHR ARC West. This internship was part of an initiative funded by the NIHR and Alzheimer’s Society to support capacity building in applied dementia research. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Alzheimer’s Society, NIHR, or the Department of Health and Social Care.