MOTIV-PD Lead: Professor Alison Yarnall
Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Honorary Consultant in Older People’s Medicine
Deputy Director Clinical Ageing Research Unit
Alison leads the Mobility & Ageing: Outcomes, Trials, InnoVation in Parkinson’s Disease & Dementia (MOTIV-PD) Team
Professor Alison Yarnall is a Professor of Geriatrics and an Honorary Consultant in Older People’s Medicine, with clinical and research expertise in Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative conditions. Her work focuses on key complications of ageing and neurodegeneration, particularly gait and mobility impairment, and related functional decline. She leads a major digital measures study embedded within a large disease-modification trial in Parkinson’s disease, advancing the development and validation of real-world mobility endpoints for clinical research and clinical care. Her broader programme aims to translate objective mobility assessment into meaningful clinical tools to improve outcomes for older adults living with Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
MOTIV-PD Team
Postdoctoral Research Associates
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Dr Hannah Blackburn
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Dr Ellen Lirani-Silva
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Dr Patrick Tait
PhD & MD Students
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Miss Florence Gerakios
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Miss Emma Packer
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Miss Jenny Wales
Associated Clinical Staff
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Dr Jahfer Hasoon
Clinical Research Associate
MOTIV-PD Studies
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Mobilise-D
Mobilise-D
Funder: EU-IMI & EPFIA
Principle Investigator: Prof Lynn Rochester
Co-Investigators: Prof Alison Yarnall, Dr Silvia Del Din
Team members: Phil Brown, Dr Lisa Alcock, Heather Hunter, Dr Cam Kirk
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Mobilise-D Extension
A Mobilise-D Extension study
Funder: Michael J Fox FoundationChief Investigator: Prof Alison Yarnall
Co-Investigators: Prof Lynn Rochester, Dr Silvia Del Din
Team members: Dr Hannah Blackburn, Dr Ellen Lirani-Silva, Dr Cameron Kirk, Dr Patrick Tait, Philip Brown, Heather Hunter, Isabel Neatrour
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EJS ACT-PD Digital Measures Study
The Edmond J. Safra Accelerating Clinical Trials for Parkinson’s Disease: Digital Measures Study
Funder: Michael J Fox Foundation
Cheif Investigator: Prof Camille Carroll
Co-Investigators: Prof Alison Yarnall, Dr Silvia Del Din, Dr Lisa Alcock
Team members: Dr Lou Sutcliffe, Dr Silvia Del-Din, Hugo Hiden, Dr Lisa Alcock, Dr Marie-Louise Zeissler, Dr Ellen Silva
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COBALT
COmBining memantine And cholinesterase inhibitors in Lewy body dementia Treatment trial
Funder: Health Technology Assessment Programme, National Health and Medical Research Council
Chief-Investigator: Prof John-Paul Taylor
Principal Investigator: Prof Alison Yarnall
Team members: Kathryn Walker
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CREED
The Cholinergic ResponsE in Early lewy body Disease
Funder: Lewy Body Society
Principle Investigator: Prof John-Paul Taylor
Co-Investigator: Prof Alison Yarnall
Team members: Dr Lisa Alcock, Dr Aron Syversen
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TORUS
Transforming the Objective Real-world measUrement of Symptoms
Funder: EPSRCDirectors: Professor Ian Craddock (Uni of Bristol), Professor Lynn Rochester
Co-Investigators: Dr Silvia Del Din, Professor Alison Yarnall
Team members: Dr Lisa Alcock, Dr Kirsty Scott, Dr Chloe Hinchliffe
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Ghrelin in Dementia
To determine if ghrelin can be used as a biomarker for dementia and neurodegenerative disease
Funder: Weston Brain InstitutePrincipal Investigator: Prof Alison Yarnall
Team members: Dr Ellen Lirani-Silva
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IDEA-FAST
IDEA-FAST
Funders: EU-IMI & EPFIA
Principle Investigator: Fai Ng
Co-Investigators: Prof Lynn Rochester, Prof Alison Yarnall, Dr Silvia Del Din
Team members: Phil Brown, Heather Hunter, Dr Ellen Silva, Dr Chloe Hinchliffe
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OACS-3
Obeticholic acid for the Amelioration of Cognitive Symptoms trial - 3
Funder: Intercept PharmaceuticalsPrincipal Investigator: Alison Yarnall
Team members: Kathryn Walker, Dr Lisa Alcock
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ICICLE-PD
Incidence of Cognitive Impairments in Cohorts with Longitudinal Evaluation in Parkinson’s disease
Funder: Parkinson’s UK
Chief Investigators: Prof David Burn
Principal Investigators: Prof Lynn Rochester, Prof Alison Yarnall
Data curator: Dr Rachael Lawson,
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ADVANSING-PD
Adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation for improving neural control of gait in Parkinson’s disease
Funder: Dunhill Medical Trust & Parkinson’s UKChief Investigator: Prof Alison Yarnall
Team members: Heather Hunter, Phil Brown

