Rate My Professor Claire Surr

Professor Claire Surr is Professor of Dementia Studies and Director of the Centre for Dementia Research in the School of Health at Leeds Beckett University. She earned her PhD in Dementia Studies from the University of Bradford in 2004, along with a BA (Hons) and Postgraduate Diploma. Her research addresses care and support for people living with dementia and those who care for them, with a focus on social care, workforce education and training, and interventions in care homes to promote person-centred care. She also leads work on improving healthcare for people with dementia and comorbid conditions such as cancer. Internationally recognised for her academic leadership in dementia education and training, Claire led a national study on effective training design, delivery, and implementation. The findings are embedded in UK and international governmental and practice guidance and implemented globally by health and social care providers.

Claire developed her academic career at the University of Bradford before joining Leeds Beckett University, where she supervises doctoral students and teaches dementia studies and research methods. She received a National Teaching Fellowship in 2014 and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy for her innovative teaching approaches. Appointed Chair of the NIHR Research Programme for Social Care funding committee in 2023, she was named an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2025. Key publications include 'Effective dementia education and training for the health and social care workforce: a systematic review of the literature' (2017, 407 citations), 'The experience of living with dementia in residential care: An interpretative phenomenological analysis' (2008, 269 citations), 'Preservation of self in people with dementia living in residential care: A socio-biographical approach' (2006, 217 citations), and 'Impact of a person-centred dementia care training programme on hospital staff attitudes, role efficacy and perceptions of caring for people with dementia: A repeated measures study' (2016, 210 citations). Her contributions have advanced dementia care practices, policy, and workforce development worldwide.