Scientia Professor Kaarin Jane Anstey

My Expertise

cognitive ageing, dementia risk reduction, dementia epidemiology, older drivers, healthy ageing

Keywords

epidemiologic research design

wellbeing

Fields of Research (FoR)

Developmental Psychology and Ageing, Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified, Biological Psychology (Neuropsychology, Psychopharmacology, Physiological Psychology)

SEO tags

Mental Health

Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) not elsewhere classified

Injury Control

Biography

Scientia Professor Kaarin Anstey is an ARC Laureate Fellow and Director of the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute. She is also a conjoint Senior Principal Research Scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia. From 2017 to 2024 Anstey was Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. From 2010 to 2021 Anstey was Director of the Dementia Collaborative Research Centre. In 2017 she established the International Research Network on Dementia Prevention. Anstey’s research programs focus cognitive resilience, cognitive ageing, dementia epidemiology and dementia prevention. A second focus of her work is on older driver safety and in this field Anstey has also developed and validated risk assessment tools and interventions. Anstey has held advisory roles with the World Health Organisation since 2016 and is a member of the Guideline Development Group for the WHO dementia risk reduction Guidelines. She is also a member of the Guideline Development Group for the NHMRC Clinical Practice Guidelines on Dementia. Anstey is currently the Chair of the AIHW Expert Advisory Committee on the Burden of Neurological Diseases, and is an Expert Advisor on Dementia for AIHW. She a member of the World Dementia Council and is Vice Chair of the Global Council on Brain Health.

My Qualifications

BA (Hons) USyd, PhD (UQ), FAHMS, FASSA, FRNS, FAPS. Registered Psychologist PSY0001140672 (non-practising).

My Research Activities

Kaarin’s research programs focus on cognitive and mental health resilience, and the consequences and prevention of cognitive ageing and dementia. Her ARC Laureate project involves a large study of cognitive resilience called Resilient Minds (ReMind).

In the area of cognitive ageing and dementia risk reduction, Kaarin's program includes conduct and analysis of cohort studies, data synthesis, multidomain risk reduction trials and risk score development. Kaarin has been the Lead Chief investigator of the PATH Through Life Project since 2006 and a Chief Investigator on the project since 2001. PATH is a 20-year longitudinal study of mental health, wellbeing and cognitive function. Kaarin's team is also currently running the MyCoach trial which is evaluating a new memory support and lifestyle intervention for people with subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment. Another trial underway is the Australian arm of the SHAPE clinical trial of a group intervention to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia. Kaarin's team has also recently developed a new risk assessment tool called CogDrisk to enable individuals and researchers evaluated dementia risk based on the latest evidence. In the field if driving research, her team is running a randomised trial to improve older driver safety called 'Better drive', and exploring the relationships between cognitive ageing and ADAS.

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