Hannah Bass

Under the supervision of Dr Ivan Koychev, Hannah is a Research Assistant in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford and works on a study titled “The Impact of Semaglutide in Amyloid Positivity”. This study is investigating a drug called Semaglutide and its potential preventative and/or delaying effects on the development of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Hannah is the central coordinator for the trial, which has sites in Oxford, Bristol, Exeter and two in London; her responsibilities include managing participant recruitment for each of the study sites, scheduling study visits and scans, and ensuring the smooth running of the study. To gain more clinical experience, Hannah has also begun helping at the Brain Health Clinic, which assesses patient’s brain health through cognitive assessments, family interviews and neuroimaging.

Prior to this post, Hannah completed a BSc in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham. During her degree, Hannah completed a year in industry working within an academic neurology research department at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham. As well as fulfilling responsibilities as a research practitioner, Hannah volunteered as a lunchtime assistant on an elderly person’s ward, worked shifts as a healthcare assistant on a neuro and spinal ward, and observed several surgical procedures – including the removal of a large brain tumour. Hannah has also previously worked as a social support worker for disadvantaged young people – many of whom had fled their home country due to war and conflict. These jobs have created a curious and caring mindset, that Hannah enjoys applying to her role at the University of Oxford