With an increasingly aged population, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are major health and economic issues, with no cure currently available.
Dr Rainey-Smith aims to understand the impact of sleep, diet and physical activity on the ageing brain to guide the development of strategies aimed at preventing the onset of disease. Her research focuses on the identification of lifestyle factors which impact upon cognitive decline and neurodegenerative pathology through the use of neuroimaging, blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers.
Stephanie actively promotes her research in a number of ways, by engaging
with members of State and Commonwealth Governments, at Science Lands in
Parliament event, through regular media interviews, and participation in public
forums. Dr Rainey-Smith received her PhD from King’s College London in 2010, and is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Edith Cowan University.