Dr Ross Balchin is a clinical neuropsychologist and a Clinical Research Fellow for the University of Cambridge's NIHR Global Health Research Group on Neurotrauma. He is based in the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, and is a member of the UCT Neuroscience Institute. He is also a Program Director at the Neuropsychoanalysis Foundation in New York where, amongst other things, he plays a central role in developing a web- and video-based interdisciplinary platform for educational programming in neuroscience. Dr Balchin has formerly held both the National Research Foundation (NRF) NPPD and the Claude Leon Foundation postdoctoral fellowships.

Dr Balchin is currently the Chairman of the Board of The Brain Injury Trust, a non-profit organization which is involved in the prevention of brain injury and which supports patients and their families from the acute stage of brain injury and on through the recovery process. Here he plays an active role in the provision of community-based infrastructure for brain-injury patients and their families. He regularly presents on various brain-injury related topics at community-based workshops, and is a cofounder of a successful support group for patients and their families and carers, which he also helps to run.

Links:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ross_Balchin

https://za.linkedin.com/in/ross-balchin-3a080398

http://www.routledge.com/authors/i16733-dr-ross-balchin

Dr Rudi Coetzer is a Consultant Neuropsychologist and Head of Service with the North Wales Brain Injury Service, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board National Health Service (NHS) North Wales, United Kingdom. He spends the majority of his time working with patients as an NHS clinician, and is on the British Psychological Society Division of Neuropsychology Specialist Register. He is also a part-time (one day per week) Clinical Academic in the School of Psychology, Bangor University, where he works with colleagues in the cognitive and clinical neurosciences. Dr Coetzer’s clinical, teaching and research interests include: neuropsychological rehabilitation and assessment, psychotherapy approaches in neurological populations, anxiety and mood disorders that occur following brain injury, obsessive-compulsive disorder, traumatic brain injury, outcomes following acquired brain injury, developing and delivering brain injury services in poorly resourced environments, and social isolation following brain injury. He has published more than 80 papers, articles, short communications, books and book chapters.

Links:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rudi_Coetzer2

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/861/page/51758

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15294145.2018.1478747

Dr Christian Salas is a Chilean clinical neuropsychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist. He has worked as a clinical neuropsychologist in both Chile and in the UK (Head Forward Centre, Manchester, UK). He is currently a Lecturer and Researcher at the Cognitive and Social Neuroscience Laboratory, which is part of the Faculty of Psychology at the Diego Portales University, Santiago, Chile. He is also the Director of the Diploma in Adult Neuropsychological Rehabilitation and coordinator of the Clinical Neuropsychology Unit. The Clinical Neuropsychology Unit is the only specialized unit in Chile that offers low cost neuropsychological assessment and long-term rehabilitation to people with acquired brain damage. The unit also offers a one-year internship program in clinical neuropsychology. Dr Salas’ main clinical and research interests are related to: (i) understanding emotional and personality changes following brain injury; (ii) the relationship between cognitive/emotional changes and social isolation; and (iii) the adaptation of psychoanalytic tools to facilitate socio-emotional adjustment and well-being in this population. Dr Salas has published over 30 articles and chapters related to these topics. He also supervises Doctorate and Master level students who are interested in neuropsychology and neuropsychological rehabilitation at the Diego Portales University.

Links:

http://neurociencia.udp.cl/unidad-de-neuropsicologia-clinica/

http://postgrados.udp.cl/programas/diplomado-en-rehabilitacion-neuropsicologica-del-adulto/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddzLO33UG5M

http://postgrados.udp.cl/programas/estadia-de-perfeccionamiento-en-neuropsicologia-clinica/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgijeK6f1Bo

Ms Jan Webster is an independent organizational development consultant in the international charity sector. She founded The ComaCARE Trust in 2005 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town and served as its director for ten years, during which time she initiated its HeadsUP! community brain injury rehabilitation programme. She has successfully promoted public brain awareness through cofounding an official World Design Capital 2014 project entitled Brainstorm the City. In 2007, Jan became an Ashoka Fellow in recognition of her social entrepreneurship.

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