We are delighted to be hosting our first brain injury conference in Cardiff with an exceptional panel of speakers who will be presenting on a comprehensive approach to addressing the complexities of life after a brain injury. Navigating life after a brain injury can be complicated and traumatic not only for the brain injury survivor but also for their families as well.
Our panel of experts will be discussing what happens at the scene of a road traffic collision and what to expect from the initial Police investigation to emergency care at the roadside. Our medical experts will be presenting on how traumatic brain injuries are imaged and post an ABI, what are the next steps in an ABI survivor’s rehabilitation journey.
We will also delve into the world of case management and how the rehabilitation journey can be enhanced by meaningful activities by a systems informed approach and how neuropsychology assists when all of the tests do not reveal the full story!
Finally, our public law and human rights legal team will introduce the mental capacity act and deprivation of liberty. This will provide you with a holistic understanding of some of the legal aspects involved in brain injury cases.
This conference is suitable for all those working in the field of brain injury from consultants, allied healthcare professionals, rehabilitation specialists case managers and charities.
We look forward to welcoming you on the day and please do utilise the freeform box in the RSVP section to ask any questions you may want our expert panel to answer on the day to ensure we have an interactive conference. There will also be time during the programme to ask questions of our expert panel on the day.
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Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor, Clinical Lead for the Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Strategy, West Glamorgan Regional Partnership Board
Dr Zoe Fisher (BSc, PhD, DClinPsych, PGDip, CPsychol) is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor, currently seconded as Clinical Lead for the Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Strategy with the West Glamorgan Regional Partnership Board. Previously, she led the Community Neurorehabilitation Services at Swansea Bay University Health Board and holds a faculty role at Swansea University's Health and Wellbeing Academy.
Zoe has pioneered transdisciplinary frameworks to advance health and wellbeing, translating them into innovative clinical interventions. Her work has garnered recognition from Swansea Bay University Health Board, Health Care Research Wales, and the Welsh Government, securing major grants and expanding services.
She has received many awards for her working including an Advancing Healthcare Award and the British Psychological Society's Distinguished Contribution to Neuropsychology award. Zoe has published widely, including book chapters and articles, and conducted research spanning qualitative studies to multi-site RCTs.
In her talk, Zoe will explore a systems-informed approach to brain injury recovery, bridging gaps between healthcare, academia, and local communities.
Christopher Stephenson has established a first-rate claimant personal injury and clinical negligence practice over many years. A skilled and tough negotiator, he is well known as a thorough and persuasive advocate, capable of handling the most demanding and high value cases.
He has wide experience of every type of personal injury claim, including claims arising out of road traffic accidents, employer’s liability claims, accidents abroad and claims to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.
Christopher is often brought into a case right at the outset, so that he can gain the Claimant’s trust and confidence and ensure that the litigation is run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Dr Samantha Fisher-Hicks (BSc, PhD, DClinPsych, PGDip, CPsychol, AFBPsS) is a Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist and Team Lead for Community Neurorehabilitation Services at Swansea Bay University Health Board. She also works as an independent practitioner, preparing medico-legal reports at the Neuropsychology Clinic based at Swansea University.
Dr Fisher-Hicks has extensive experience supporting individuals with acquired brain injury and their families. She has previously worked in the Stroke Service and the Inpatient Neurorehabilitation Service at Cardiff and Vale UHB. Before completing her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, she completed a PhD in Psychology, focusing on sleep, including sleep following traumatic brain injury.
She is on the BPS Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists and the Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors. Dr Fisher-Hicks is also an Honorary Lecturer at Cardiff University and an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at Swansea University’s School of Medicine. Her academic work includes a range of peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.
The focus of her presentation today will be highlighting the difficulties in assessing executive dysfunction, emphasising the limitations of standardised tests and the need to incorporate broader observational and functional approaches for a more nuanced understanding.
Darren retired as a Roads Policing Sergeant from South-Wales Police in March 2024. Prior to his policing career he spent 10 years as a crash Firefighter with the Royal Air Force.
During his police service he has worked as a Roads policing officer throughout south and mid Wales, covering both rural and busy urban areas.
He is a qualified Roads Policing Lead Investigator for Serious and Fatal Collisions, an advanced driver, qualified TPAC (Tactical Pursuit and Containment), TPAC tactical advisor and National Protection Driver (High profile VIP’s and Royals).
Darren has been an FLO (Family Liaison Officer) for over 20 years, supporting families that have been affected by road death. Following his promotion he also took on the role of RPU FLO Co-Ordinator.
Darren has received a number of commendations for his work in policing and was fortunate enough to win a prestigious national FLO award from “Brake”, the road safety charity, having been nominated by one of the families that he supported.
Chris is a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. He is also a Consultant in Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine, working for the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) Cymru, alongside the Wales Air Ambulance charity. He is an Honorary Senior lecturer at Bangor University, involved with delivering the MSc in Advanced Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) course.
He has a recognised expertise in human factors and non-technical skills, understanding individual and team performance, with particular regard to medical and diagnostic error in high stakes environments. This interest developed whilst working with Sydney HEMS in 2007, later leading to accreditation as a human factors instructor. He has taught widely on the subject and shared his insights at both national and international forums. He is the author of the Human Factors chapter in the recently published Oxford Textbook of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Chris is the Critical Care Emergency Planning, Resilience and Response (EPRR) lead, as well as the Clinical Lead for the hospital, Patient at Risk Team (PaRT).
In his pre-hospital role, he is the EMRTS Blood Lead and is currently collaborating with the Welsh Blood Service on novel research work concerning the use of platelets in the pre-hospital arena.
Dr Jenny Thomas qualified from the University of Wales, College of Medicine in 1993 and has been a Rehabilitation Consultant in Cardiff for over twenty years. She is currently working within acute rehabilitation at the Major Trauma Centre at the University Hospital of Wales.
She has extensive experience of complex disability including transition, amputee rehabilitation, complex spinal pain and prolonged disorders of consciousness. She has held several leadership roles within the healthboard at Directorate, Clinical Board and within National Specialist Commissioning and is currently the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (BSPRM) Chair of the Special Interest Group for Major Trauma.
She has a keen interest in teaching and is the Training Programme Director for Rehabilitation Medicine for Wales. Jenny has a developing medicolegal practice and is particularly interested in complex physical and psychological trauma. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, singing with a local choir and spending time with her family.
Rhiannon is the visionary founder and Managing Director of Stokes Case Management, an award-winning company she established in 2015. With over 29 years of experience in the health and social care sector, Rhiannon is a qualified occupational therapist who has dedicated the last 16 years to case management. Her expertise spans various clinical fields, including orthopaedics, forensic mental health, learning disabilities, and brain injuries, with a strong background in management within the NHS.
As an Expert Witness, Rhiannon brings extensive experience in navigating the legal landscape related to healthcare and has received expert witness qualifications from Cardiff Law School and Bond Solon. She maintains a small clinical caseload, specializing in paediatric brain injuries, which allows her to stay attuned to the evolving needs of her clients and inform her team’s innovative services.
Rhiannon is deeply committed to enhancing the variety of services available for individuals with disabilities. She volunteers with Ski4Alll Wales; taking children with brain injuries and their families on adapted ski holidays. Rhiannon also founded an art group for adults with brain injuries in 2016 that now has three classes per week.
Passionate about education, Rhiannon regularly guest lectures at the Health Science School at Cardiff University and presents at conferences throughout Wales and the UK.
Dr Macdonald is a consultant diagnostic and interventional neuroradiologist based at the Wessex Neurological Centre in Southampton.
Dr Macdonald graduated from medical school at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals in 1997. After working in emergency medicine in Sydney, Australia and internal medicine training along the south coast of England led to passing the MRCP exam, Dr Macdonald commenced radiology training in Wessex in 2002. Dr Macdonald completed fellowship training in diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology in
Southampton, before going on to complete an additional interventional neuroradiology fellowship back in Sydney.
Dr Macdonald returned to the UK in 2009 to take up a consultant neuroradiologist post in Southampton. Dr Macdonald has been lead consultant for interventional
neuroradiology since 2014 and was lead consultant for both diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology 2014-2021.
Dr Macdonald’s diagnostic practice covers all aspects of adult brain and spine imaging and his interventional practice covers neurovascular cranial and spine procedures and spinal injections. Dr Macdonald has a special interest in acute stroke
imaging, mechanical thrombectomy, venous sinus stenting and imaging of cranial trauma.
Dr Macdonald first undertook expert neuroradiology medical legal work in 2011, with a big expansion in his medical legal practice from 2017.