We have reached the end of another year, and yet another year that feels as though it has flown by.  December often feels like a race to the finish line, filled with events, deadlines, and trying to finalise all those small tasks you’ve been trying to complete for months. For me, December is also a wonderful opportunity to pause, reflect, acknowledge, and appreciate what we’ve achieved as a community and start to look ahead to the exciting things 2026 has in store for us.

This year has been one of continued growth, connection, and collaboration for ASSBI. A particular highlight has been the ongoing work of our Lived Experience Subcommittee, which continues to expand its membership and influence. We are excited to welcome more voices into our conversations and are grateful to our lived experience members. Their insights and perspectives are invaluable in continuing to shape ASSBI’s initiatives, ensuring our work reflects the voices of those most impacted by brain impairment.

We also introduced free membership for students, a significant step in making ASSBI more accessible to the next generation of professionals. Our student program continues to go from strength to strength, and it’s been wonderful to see students actively engaging with our network. Our heartfelt thanks go to Nicole Feest, who has served so capably as National Student Coordinator over the past few years. We also want to thank our dedicated Team Leaders and Student Ambassadors across the country.

ASSBI has also continued our Low- and Middle-Income Country (LMIC) initiative and are currently building a partnership with colleagues in India to explore various ways we might be able to support their efforts to advance knowledge and practice in brain impairment.  As part of this initiative, Past President, Professor Dana Wong, recently travelled to Bangalore to deliver a workshop alongside our Indian colleagues. Jennie Ponsford and her team also extended an invitation for them to join a workshop focused on managing fatigue and sleep disturbance. We thank Professor Narinder Kapur for initiating this partnership and for his and his team’s shared commitment to improving the lives of people with brain impairment.

We have much to look forward to beginning with our annual conference, which will be held 7–9 May 2026 in Christchurch, New Zealand. This will be the first time we have partnered with the New Zealand Special Interest Group in Neuropsychology (NZSIGN) and we are pleased to be working so closely with the team there in organising the conference.  Abstract submissions have now closed, and the conference committee is hard at work shaping what promises to a dynamic and engaging program. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

ASSBI remains committed to celebrating excellence in our field. Our upcoming conference will feature several awards that recognise our members’ contributions to advancing knowledge, practice, and advocacy in brain impairment. We also want to highlight our Career Awards which acknowledge contributions from Early Career, Mid-Career and Lifetime members. Nominations for these awards are due March 15. We encourage you to review the award categories and criteria and considering nominating yourself or a deserving colleague.

Finally, as we reach the end of 2025, I would like to thank ASSBI committee for their ongoing commitment to the ASSBI community. I feel so privileged to work alongside you! I would also like to thank our members as whole. Your collective contributions to research, clinical practice, advocacy, and/or education is making ongoing impact to our field and to the lives of people with brain impairment.

I hope everyone is able to take some well-deserved time over the coming weeks to rest, recharge, and connect with those who matter most.

Barbra Zupan, President, ASSBI