Dear Colleagues
At the risk of rolling out overused tropes, it really does feel hard to believe that it is December already. It’s tempting to believe that time itself is changing shape and pace, rather than just our perception of it. I will keep these ‘Notes from the President’ short and sweet given everyone is busily trying to get other things done (including me!)
This year has seen ASSBI make great progress on key initiatives, including establishment of a Lived Experience subcommittee; development of initiatives to provide free membership and access to our resources for clinicians and researchers from Low- and Middle-Income Countries; and development of new initiatives to attract and support early career members. Hot off the press - this latter initiative includes a new membership tier for early career clinicians/researchers, which we hope will make ASSBI membership more affordable. We are also currently reviewing our awards and look forward to announcing our refreshed award structure soon.
Our 2025 7th Pacific Rim conference in Brisbane from 2nd-5th July, for which ASSBI is partnering with INS and the APS College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (CCN), now has a theme: “Brain Health and Intersectionality”. It promises to be a thought-provoking, engaging and innovative program. The call for abstracts is open and the convenors are looking forward to your submissions for oral and poster presentations and how-to sessions.
Also, keep your eye out for the draft Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Psychosocial Difficulties for Adults with Moderate-to-severe Traumatic Brain Injury, which are out for public consultation (see link on the ASSBI website). These are the first guidelines of their type in Australia, and feedback and input from future users of the guidelines will be very important for ensuring they are clear, relevant and useful.
Before the year ends, I hope that you have some time to pause and reflect on your work during 2024. I have no doubt that everyone in our wonderful ASSBI community has had a meaningful impact on the lives of people with brain conditions. Cheers to that!
Dana Wong
President
