The COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping through our nations with devastating effects on health that are escalating daily.  The impacts are severe and widespread - financially, vocationally, socially and personally, causing major disruption to everyday activities and people’s well-being.

ASSBI, like many other organisations, has had to cancel the annual conference for the first time in 43 years of the Society.  At the same time, BRAINSPaN has sprung into action, providing a vital conduit for communication and sharing of resources.  These include fact sheets from the World Health Organization, Australian Department of Health, National Disability Insurance Scheme, and the Australian Psychological Society tips for mental health, together with ASSBI Resources for telehealth delivery (Making the Most of Your Memory; TBIconneCT) and the Aphasia Centre for Research Excellence healthcare communication supports.

During these difficult and uncertain times, the ASSBI Executive will be continuing its activities.  We send our heartfelt wishes to members, colleagues, people with brain impairment and their families and hope that you stay well and remain safe.

Robyn Tate

President

 As I write my President’s report for this first issue of the Newsletter for the year, I reflect upon the ravages that have torn Australasia apart during 2019.  The toll from natural disasters alone was horrendous. 

After years of drought, Australia was a tinderbox waiting to explode.  It started in the spring of September 2019, when 50 fires were reported to be burning in the state of Queensland.  Later that month more fires ignited in far-flung areas across the country.  Come November, every state and territory in Australia was on fire.  By December, smoke and ash had drifted across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, and even across the Pacific Ocean to South America.  The scale of the megafires, which raged for five months, was unprecedented, releasing 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  More than 12 million hectares of land was scorched - larger than the land-mass of Portugal, and an estimated 1.25 billion animals were burned alive – kangaroos and koalas, kookaburras and cockatoos.  People were stranded on beaches and rescued by navy ships.   More than 2,000 homes were destroyed. Many people lost their livelihoods; 33 lost their lives.

New Zealand also experienced wildfires during 2019.  The Pigeon Valley wildfire in Waimea Valley burned for three weeks over an area of 2,000 hectares and saw 2,500 people evacuated from their homes.  But it is New Zealand’s central position in the Pacific Basin “Ring of Fire” that makes it so prone to volcano and earthquake activity.  New Zealand has some 14,000 earthquakes each year, although only a fraction of them are strong enough to be felt.  We all remember the devastating earthquake of 2011 that almost ruined the city of Christchurch, including its beautiful Gothic revival cathedral; some 11,000 homes and buildings were destroyed, the death toll was 185, with thousands more people injured.  The volcanic eruption on White Island last year affected all 47 people present on the island at the time, mainly tourists, with 21 deaths and the remaining 26 survivors being critically injured predominantly by severe burns, rocks hurtled from the crater, and inhalation of toxic gases.

What is the role of natural disasters as a cause of acquired brain injury?  Impairment occurs not only in cognitive, neurobehavioural and motor-sensory function, but also secondary emotional consequences with anxiety, fear, stress, grief, depression.  Hypoxic brain injury and its characteristic features of compromised memory, vision, speech and motor function can occur after snow avalanches, near drownings in floods and tsunami, and inhalation of smoke and toxic fumes from wildfires, together with severe burns that may cause neuroinflammation.  Traumatic brain injury is a common consequence of falling debris in earthquakes, volcano eruptions, hurricanes and tornados.  Lightning strikes, the bolt from the blue, can have both transient and permanent effects on neurocognitive and motor function.   In our clinical practice, we should be aware that natural disasters can have potentially devastating effects not only emotionally, but also on cognition, behaviour, and motor-sensory function. 

On a final note, in the December 2019 edition of the Newsletter, I heralded that ASSBI is to undertake an external review – its first in 43 years of operation.  The ASSBI Executive is moving forward on planning for this event.  At the annual conference to be held in Perth in May, we will be conducting a survey of the membership.  The more responses we receive, the better we will be able to plan the review.  Do please respond!

My very best wishes to you all and looking forward to seeing you in Perth for the annual conference,

Robyn Tate, President

The Summer Foundation recently engaged people with disability in the development of our research program. Over two workshops, people with neurological disability and complex needs provided their wisdom and insights over a number of topics. A fantastic addition to these workshops was a Visual Storyteller, Paul Telling. We were introduced to Paul’s fabulous work at the ASSBI/NZRA Inaugural Trans-Tasman Conference in Wellington in 2019.

 Paul was engaged to summarize the content generated in the workshops in real time. There was terrific value in providing workshop participants with a live visual summary which utilised pictures and words to capture key points and make abstract concepts tangible. Paul produced accessible and inclusive summaries of the content from workshop activities, as well as visual representations of the links between topics that were discussed. The visual story-board also captured the emotion and energy of discussions through the use of captivating images. Importantly, the story-board created opportunities for people to provide feedback and input beyond the activities, therefore enhancing the accuracy of the insights gained from the workshops. Overall, the use of a visual storyteller enhanced collaboration, and allowed for real-time reflection and interpretation of workshop output. Click here for more information on Visual Storytellers.Click here for more information about the Summer Foundation research program. 

Wednesday 6^th May 2020. 10.30am to 4pm

This public forum will be held at Technology Park, 2 Brodie-Hall Dr, Bentley, WA

Everyone is welcome to attend part of, or the whole of the day which is being sponsored by Brightwater Care Group. If staying for the whole day please note that lunch will NOT be provided.

Please register your interest by

• ticking the box on the registration form or, if not attending the conference,
• by emailing Barby Singer at b.singer@ecu.edu.au

Two recent publications have reported data supporting the efficacy of the TBIconneCT program. A publication in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research reports that this program improved the conversations between people with TBI and their communication partners (https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-19-00076). Another publication in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation reports that this program improved participants’ self-reported communication skills (https://doi.org/10.1097/HTR.0000000000000554).

The TBIconneCT program is available for purchase HERE

The WFNR Presidium is calling for people who are willing to join the WFNR Nominating Committee.  The task of this Committee is to nominate candidates for positions as officers of the WFNR.  All interested parties should send a letter of interest and short CV to traceymole@wfnr.co.uk by 17 April 2020.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS 
The Nomination Committee of the World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation (WFNR) invites nominations for the positions of President Elect, Secretary-General and two Members at Large.  The positions will all become vacant in October 2020 when the current incumbents reach the end of their term of office.  WFNR is a multidisciplinary organisation and welcomes nominations from any member of the multidisciplinary team. 
General criteria for all nominees:

• Active member in good standing of WFNR
• Knowledgeable about WFNR’s mission and objectives
• Ability to demonstrate a special commitment to WFNR through tenure of membership and participation in the organisation
• Ability to accomplish tasks on schedule and to work effectively with other people
• Understanding and agreement to the necessary commitment of time and Presidium activities
  

As 2019 draws to a close, this affords the opportunity to reflect upon the year and plan ahead.  Since taking on the Presidency of ASSBI at the AGM in May 2019, I have appreciated with new eyes what a multi-faceted and vibrant multi-disciplinary Society we are.  With the Society concluding its 42^nd year since it was formed in 1978, it seems that a review of our activities is timely – indeed, well overdue.  Accordingly, we plan to conduct an external review of the Society (date to be announced).  In planning the review, I am working closely with the ASSBI Executive Committee, and in particular Jacinta Douglas, past President and Olivier Piguet, President-elect.  As part of the review, we welcome submissions from the membership.  Here is a snap-shot of who ASSBI is and what ASSBI does.

ASSBI is a multidisciplinary society dedicated to improving the quality of life of people with brain impairment and their families. ASSBI’s mission is to:

• enable all disciplines who work with people with brain impairment to meet, learn and discuss the latest clinical research initiatives in a scholarly environment
• provide high quality continuing education
• publish scholarly research via our journal Brain Impairment
• promote scientific rigour and evidence-based practice in the field of brain impairment
• encourage students to present, share and publish their work
• provide high quality assessment and treatment resources via ASSBI Resources

ASSBI Executive Committee activities include the following:

• a 16-member Executive Committee (chaired by Robyn Tate) with representation from all Australian states.  The Committee meets every two months by teleconference and oversees the day-to-day running and other activities of the Society. 
• a Publications Committee (chaired by Jan Ewing) which oversees the running of the official journal of the ASSBI, Brain Impairment (co-edited by Jenny Fleming and Grahame Simpson, with Petrea Cornwall and Cynthia Honan as associate editors).  The journal is published quarterly and has a 26-member Editorial Board.
• a Professional Development group (coordinated by ASSBI’s Executive Officer, Margaret Eagers, and MERS Events, with consultation from Barbara Zupan and Skye McDonald from the Executive Committee) that oversees the planning of a variety of continuing education activities, including:
• the annual 3-day conference, with invited international keynote speakers
• workshops (full- and half-day), incorporating face-to-face presentation and live streaming via Zoom, as well as available for purchase as MP4 to view later
• webinars (60 or 90 mins) streamed live via Zoom, also available for purchase as MP4 to view later
• a Student Ambassador programme which aims to recruit students from all Australian states.  As part of the programme there is a Student Coordinator (Jonathan Reyes) and Student Liaison Officer (Dana Wong).
• a Marketing arm, which includes:
• social media, with Twitter, Facebook (managed by Lizzie Beadle and Travis Wearne), and Linkedin (managed by MERS Events)
• the ASSBI Newsletter (coordinated by Margaret Eagers) produced quarterly
• the ASSBI website (managed by MERS Events)
• ASSBI Resources (managed by Skye McDonald and Margaret Eagers), contains assessment tools to download and/or purchase, treatment manuals to download and/or purchase, past workshops/webinars to download
• In addition, ASSBI has working parties that consider time-bound issues, such as consumer involvement (Michelle Kelly, Janet Wagland and Claire Ramsden)
• It also hosts BRAINSPaN, a community of practice network, curated by Dana Wong, Emmah Doig and Joanne Steele

• ASSBI fosters the next generation of clinicians and researchers and acknowledges outstanding achievement with a range of prizes, which are awarded at the annual conference:
• The Douglas and Tate Prize for the best research article published in Brain Impairment for the year
• Early Career Clinical Innovation Award for innovation in the field of brain impairment consistent with ASSBI’s mission (see above)
• Student Awards:
•           o   The Kevin Walsh Encouragement Award for the best Honours/Masters student presentation at the annual conference
•           o   The Luria Award for the best PhD presentation at the annual conference
•           o   The Travel Award for the best conference abstract

Again, I welcome your thoughts, ideas comments and submissions regarding the external review. I will keep the ASSBI membership updated about the external review via this newsletter. May I take this opportunity to send you season’s greetings and well wishes for an excellent year ahead.  And do enjoy reading this bumper Christmas issue of ASSBI’s Newsletter.

Robyn Tate, President  

University of Melbourne Clinical Neuropsychology Reunion 2020

It is with great delight that we invite you to the inaugural Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) Reunion.

The Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) at the University of Melbourne enjoys an excellent reputation as one of the premier clinical neuropsychology programs in the country and produces graduates with a detailed understanding of the affective, behavioural and cognitive manifestations of diseases of the central nervous system, particularly those affecting the brain, in adults and children.

It is with great delight that we invite all cohorts of the Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) to the inaugural Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) Reunion for all University of Melbourne cohorts. Please join us as we reconnect with friends, make new friends and meet our current cohort of students.

The reunion will be held on the evening of Friday 14 February 2020 at University House at the University of Melbourne. We hope you will help us to spread this invitation as widely as possible through your networks so that nobody misses out.

In order to express your interest in attending, and to be added to the mailing list, please register your interest here: http://alumni.online.unimelb.edu.au/neuropsychalumni

Many thanks
Amy Bugeja | Project Manager (Advancement and Engagement)
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences

We are happy to announce that Jamie Shine has had a beautiful baby girl, both Jamie and bubba are doing well

Our wonderful Social Media Officer Dr Lizzie Beadle has got married – congratulations Lizzie and Mark