From Psychology Student to Research Assistant: My Placement Year at MARC

I’m Isla Miller, a Psychology student at Kings College London. Between my second and third year at University, I completed a placement year at the Memory Assessment and Research Centre (MARC) where I took on the role of a Research Assistant.

Throughout the first years of my Psychology degree, it was stressed how important research is, and how it forms the basis of clinical development in the field. We’re taught to keep up with recent research, and how to analyse and interpret data, but it’s nothing like being immersed in the world of research.

MARC is an award-winning centre for memory research, running cutting-edge clinical trials to better understand memory disorders, and towards better treatments for dementia. Having never worked in research before, the idea of assisting on trials, especially for such large-scale commercial studies, was daunting. Though, the detailed training and consistent reassurance from the MARC team quickly put me at ease, allowing me to develop confidence in my new role.

There is always something new to learn in research, from learning all the new acronyms and basics of conducting research, to learning the protocol and workings of a new study. This originally meant a lot of leaning on the MARC team for support, to learn the tools I needed to problem-solve more independently, which I was able to implement further into my placement year.

During my time at MARC, I was able to see first-hand the different stages of a variety of studies, from recruitment, to screening, to enrolment, and end-of-trial visits, and see which processes were similar or different for observational studies versus drug trials. I assisted with a multitude of tasks including processing bloods, conducting caregiver assessments, helping to refine our recruitment database, and so on. I also learnt in depth about the different types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body dementia, their different presentations, and different drug treatments; both those used in clinical practice and versus the ones being trialled in studies.

Through observing the various components of the visits at MARC I’ve learnt a great deal, but forefront is ensuring participant satisfaction and well-being; the importance of making sure participants feel listened to, safe, and looked after while taking part in research with us. I’ve learned that by giving our participants the opportunity to provide honest feedback, we can better understand their experiences, give them a voice, and identify both our strengths and areas for improvement.

One way in which we receive feedback is through our Patient and Public Involvement Group, “Friends of MARC” group which I’ve had the chance to take part in during my placement year. Each member has lived experience of research at MARC but also brings their life, career and personal experience of memory problems or dementia. Listening to the group discuss and advise freely, reiterated for me the importance of the participants’ perspective in research. Little tweaks they’d suggest, such as the visuals in our newsletter or the rephrasing of words to make it more understandable, strengthens our communication with people affected by dementia.  

The knowledge and skills I have gained from MARC have been invaluable in both my personal and professional development.  Thanks to the incredible team at MARC, my perspective on research has shifted; I no longer see it as distant and intimidating, but instead a necessary, practical part of advancing clinical practice, particularly within Psychology and in dementia care. Having seen the impact of dementia on my own family, being part of a research team working to improve treatments and give people with memory problems and their loved one’s hope, and a voice, has been a privilege.