Dr Eithne Heffernan is a Lecturer in Psychology in Loughborough University. She led a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership in Co-existing Dementia and Hearing Conditions. She was awarded funding from the NIHR Clinical Research Network East Midlands to examine barriers and facilitators to including under-served communities in research about dementia and hearing conditions. In addition, she received a career development award from the NIHR Three Schools Dementia Research Programme.

She sits on the INTERDEM Academy Management Board, which supports the training and development of early career dementia researchers in Europe. She is a member of the 'Dementia: Understand Together Campaign' working group in Ireland.

She previously conducted doctoral and postdoctoral research examining social isolation in adults living with hearing loss. She was awarded an NIHR School for Primary Care Research Postdoctoral Fellowship to examine access to UK primary care services for adults living with hearing loss. She has also conducted research about Irish and international community first response schemes.