Dementia scientists are leaving the field in droves – we need to keep them

Dementia is now a government priority but 70% of researchers leave four years after their PhD. We need to improve the career path before its too late

Dementia is in the public and political spotlight like never before, as society wakes up to the fact that it poses one of the greatest threats to the health and wealth of our country.

The numbers are stark: 850,000 people in the UK are currently living with dementia, at an estimated cost of more than 26bn a year. By 2021, one million people will have the condition.