Dr Monika Rybacka-Brooke is Associate Head of School (Health & Care) at Bournemouth University, a senior academic leader and registered mental health nurse with an established track record in dementia care, research, and workforce development.

She provides strategic leadership across education, research, and professional practice, with a strong focus on driving innovation in curriculum design, interprofessional education, and student experience. Her leadership has contributed to large-scale programme development and transformation, aligning academic provision with the evolving needs of health and care systems.

Dr Rybacka-Brooke has a proven record of securing and leading commissioned projects, including significant funded initiatives in dementia education and workforce development. She has successfully managed complex budgets, led multi-stakeholder collaborations, and delivered impactful programmes across regional and national contexts, demonstrating her ability to translate strategy into measurable outcomes...

Her research programme is internationally recognised and focuses on dementia care across acute, community, and specialist settings. Key areas include meaningful activity, nursing workforce development, and educational leadership. She has an established publication record spanning qualitative research, systematic reviews, and practice-based innovation, with a growing profile in securing research outputs and impact.

A distinctive strand of her work explores the needs of underserved populations, including older adults in prison settings, positioning her research at the forefront of inclusive and socially responsive dementia care.

Dr Rybacka-Brooke is an experienced doctoral supervisor and is actively seeking to supervise PhD students in areas aligned to her expertise, particularly dementia care, nursing education, workforce development, and health inequalities in marginalised populations.

Alongside her academic role, she contributes to national research governance as a member of a Health Research Authority Ethics Committee and is actively engaged in international collaborations, policy influence, and professional networks.

Her work is defined by a clear commitment to excellence, impact, and leadership: shaping the future of dementia care through research, education, and system-level change.