As Deputy Director and Director of Research at the Tokyo Center for Dementia Care Research and Practices, Kumiko Nagata conducts research on creating support system for people with dementia to communicate in their own way and continue to participate in society, and on developing human resources and teams for dementia care and community support Based on the results of this research, she continues to support local governments throughout Japan in their efforts to promote sustainable dementia community symbiosis, while making use of the unique culture and resources of each region. In parallel, the project is also engaged in research to create a system to prevent people with dementia from going missing so that they can go out with peace of mind.

From 2017 to 2023, she is the chairman of the selection committee for the NHK Health and Welfare Organization's "Living with Dementia Grand Prize".

Prior to her appointment at the Center, she worked at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (now Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology) from August 1990 to August 2000, where she was engaged in research on dementia care and human resource development activities.

She completed her graduate studies at Chiba University Graduate School of Nursing.