Jessica Amos
RESEARCHER PROFILE
PhD Candidate, School of Psychology, UNSW
Trial Manager – SHAPE Project
02 9399 1853
Jess completed a BSc in Applied Psychology (Hons 1) at the University of Kent (UK) in 2016. Prior to coming to Australia, she worked clinically with individuals and family carers affected by dementia.
She joined NeuRA in March 2019, working as Trial Manager for a large international research trial (SHAPE) aiming to support people with dementia and their caring network to manage and adapt to the diagnosis.
In 2021, Jess began her PhD at the University of New South Wales and NeuRA. Her research project aims to explore mechanisms that could promote or hinder behaviour change in the context of cognitive ageing and dementia risk reduction interventions. Her project will focus on the influence of motivational processes and self-perceptions for knowledge acquisition, goal setting and the effectiveness of a novel risk reduction intervention.
Projects Jessica Amos is currently involved with
CURRENT PROJECTS
MyCOACH: Connected Advice for Cognitive Health
Researchers at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and University of New South Wales (UNSW) are inviting people who have noticed changes in their memory or thinking, or have a diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), to participate in a voluntary research trial investigating dementia risk reduction.
What is the MyCoach Trial about?
This research aims to test the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle intervention designed to support healthy brain ageing and reduce dementia risk. The course is tailored for people experiencing changes or concerns in thinking, memory or cognition. The intervention will run for 12 weeks, and the study will also involve a 13-week, 6-month and 1-year follow-up interview (more information below).
What is involved in this research trial?
Interested volunteers will complete an eligibility screening to confirm this study is a good match. Next, volunteers will be randomised into one of two groups: MyCoach Intervention or Email information. To ensure the research is fair and unbiased, the group is chosen randomly – like pulling names from a hat.
- MyCoach Intervention (12 weeks): Participants will have access to a 12-week online course, consisting of six chapters about cognitive health and dementia risk factors, and they will receive a telephone booster session 3-months later. During the 12-week period, participants will be offered two consultations sessions with a dietician and an exercise physiologist, as well as access to a brain-training app.
- Email information (12 weeks): Participants will receive six email bulletins about cognitive health and risk factors for dementia over a 12-week period. At the end of the study, access to the full MyCoach online course will be provided.
- All participants will take part in four telephone interviews, which will involve answering a number of questionnaires about cognitive function, lifestyle and mental health. These interviews will take place before the intervention period, straight after the intervention and again 6-months and 1 year later.
You may be eligible to participate in the MyCoach Trial if you:
- Have concerns about changes in your memory or thinking OR diagnosed with ‘Mild Cognitive Impairment’
- Are 65 years of age or older
- Have no other current diagnosed psychiatric or neurological disorders
- Are able to read, write and communicate in English to a comfortable level
- Are willing to complete an online course and interviews over telephone/video call
Expressions of interest
If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please register below or contact us directly on 02 9399 1853 or mycoach@neura.edu.au.
