The demographic of populations worldwide is changing. People are living longer but with more years with affected by disability in the last two decades of life. The societal and economic consequences of this change are not being well managed. There is a lag in the development of health interventions and a need for rapid learning for future health and infrastructure planning. Typically, people in poorer economic situations are disproportionately affected by disability in later life.
Hearing loss and dementia: I lead multidisciplinary research focussed on hearing loss, the use of cochlear implants to restore hearing in otherwise deaf people and the interaction between hearing loss and dementia.
My focus is understanding cellular mechanisms in these conditions and also how the learning and methodologies used to investigate this can be applied across discipline boundaries. I am driving the implementation of data science methodologies for improved management of people who hear with cochlear implants and for the identification of early indicators of cognitive decline. I am championing the engagement of patients in research and as ambassadors to increase awareness of healthcare interventions amongst hard to reach and marginalised communities.
Vicky Hosegood’s current research studies focus on the demography and health of families in sub-Saharan Africa. With a special interest in South Africa her work:
investigates family and household factors and processes that promote health and wellbeing across the life courseimproves the measurement, collection and analysis of family demographic and health data in resource-poor settings informs the design and evaluation of family-based interventions
She is a member of several research groups within the University of Southampton including Family Demography in particular that of Families in southern Africa, the ESRC-funded Centre for Population Change.
