Nadeeka Dissanayaka

Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka is a UQ Amplify Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research. She founded and directs the Dementia & Neuro Mental Health Research Unit and the UQ Dementia Friendly University Initiative. Her research spans multidisciplinary themes in aging, mental health, and neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Parkinson's disease (PD), integrating basic science (pharmacology, genetics, cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging) with clinical science (psychology, psychiatry, neurology, clinical trials, implementation science).

• Key research themes: Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Dementia (BPSD), mental health benchmarking tools for aged care, psychotherapeutic interventions (AI, VR, telehealth), neuropsychiatric manifestations in PD, neurobiological underpinnings of cognitive/emotional impairment, and drug repurposing.
• Recent publications focus on anxiety/depression in dementia and PD, telehealth interventions, cognitive decline biomarkers, clinical tools for delirium/dementia diagnosis, and systematic reviews of neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies.

Her work emphasizes technology-assisted psychotherapy, early detection of cognitive decline, and improving mental health outcomes in long-term care. Collaborations span institutions like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, with 105 journal articles, 183 conference papers, and 2 book chapters to her credit.