Queens University Belfast

The focus of Dr Joanna McHugh's research as part of the CARDI Leadership Programme is the social determinants of cognitive decline among older adults in Ireland, North and South. It will examine the causal links between loneliness, social isolation and cognitive decline, and aims to reveal the mechanisms behind these links studying and comparing longitudinal Irish population studies, TILDA and NICOLA.

For the CARDI Leadership Programme Dr Joanne Feeney will explore the impact of stress on the neurocognitive and cardiovascular health of older adults in the North and South of Ireland, using data from NICOLA and TILDA. The experience of severe or persistent psychological stress can alter immune mediators, trigger inflammatory processes and increase oxidative stress, damaging brain and cardiovascular health.

Mark O'Doherty's research as a CARDI Fellow will explore differences in trends in work related disability and in the way people report disability between nations and across different national health and welfare service contexts. The aim of this research is to develop expertise in the evaluation and assessment of work-related disability among older adults through the use of disability vignettes which will supplement self-reported disability.