Tihana is an expert on commissioning and provision of care services for older people, with a focus on motivations, incentives, and the relationships between commissioners and care providers. Her expertise further include clinical research in Alzheimer’s dementia and the effects of lifestyle on cognition and brain health. Tihana’s recent work, funded by the Health Foundation, focused on examining cognitive health in place. In this study geostatistical modelling techniques developed from brain imaging was used to explore relationships between neighbourhoods and cognition. The study involved interviews and group discussions with members of the public and policy-makers explored people’s conceptions of cognitive health in terms of their association with neighbourhood factors.

Tihana’s other work, commissioned by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, explored the effectiveness of interventions for improving mental health and wellbeing of older people. She also worked on identifying community-engagement strategies aimed at reducing health inequalities. Tihana has published peer-reviewed articles, reports, discussion papers, and monographs. She has acted as an advisor to a range of national and international organisations, including the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the European Commission, the King’s Fund. Tihana holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Westminster as well as an MSc in Social Psychology and a PhD in Social Policy both from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She recently completed a postgraduate course on the neuroscience of dementia at the Institute of Neurology (University College London).