In this episode of PanaCME Perspectives: Clinical conversations in Alzheimer’s disease, Dr Ishtar Govia joins Professor John Harrison to discuss what equitable dementia care really means in practice. Drawing on her work across the Caribbean, the UK, and global initiatives, Dr Govia explores:

• How inequities stack to create distance from the resources patients need
• Why early detection is core to good, holistic care
• The deep cultural and linguistic bias built into many cognitive tests, and what more inclusive assessment could look like
• How to engage with local communities, using faith spaces and local leaders as partners
• The importance of using culturally appropriate communication and signposting to culturally appropriate resources
• The promise and peril of digital tools for dementia, especially when the data isn’t representative
• Why fixing dementia care means investing in the care workforce and task shifting to move from crisis-driven hospital care to proactive, community-based support

Grounded in personal experiences and concrete successes from the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative project in Jamaica, this conversation offers practical steps for clinicians, policymakers, and innovators who want dementia pathways that genuinely work for everyone.

Guest: Dr Ishtar Govia

Dr Ishtar Govia is a psychologist, award-winning researcher, and the founder and CEO of Amagi Health, a company that builds coordination tools with the aim of fixing the fragmented dementia care pathway across the UK. Before founding Amagi Health, Dr Govia spent 15 years in dementia research across underserved populations (Jamaica, other Caribbean countries, and other Low- and Middle-Income Countries). She is also a former World Health Organisation consultant, a World Dementia Council-nominated member, and a Jamaica Principal Investigator on several key studies, including the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative flagship project on timely detection and STRiDE (Strengthening Responses to Dementia in Developing Countries). She has also authored over 70 publications.

Host: Dr John Harrison

Dr John Harrison is a chartered psychologist at Metis Cognition, where he advises drug developers and institutions on cognitive testing in therapeutic development programmes. He is an Associate Professor at the Alzheimer’s Center Amsterdam, where he validates new cognitive testing paradigms for use with individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease.

To watch the full video episode, and for more independent educational resources from PanaCME, visit: www.panacme.education.