ASSBI Student Ambassadors

ASSBI would like to thank ALL the students who have volunteered as Student Leaders and Ambassadors for 2018. We hope that you have enjoyed your time with ASSBI and hope that you will stay with us as student members when your Ambassadorship finishes in January 2019. Membership is still only $80 ($144 for 2 years).

We have both undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of universities and disciplines, Speech Pathology, Clinical Psychology, Neuropsychology, OT, Physiotherapy to name a few.

Student roles with ASSBI include a National Student Co-ordinator, Regional Team Leaders and Student Ambassadors.  

The National Student Co-ordinator is responsible for supporting ASSBI's student team leaders and ambassadors across Australia and NZ. The student Co-ordinator is supported by the student liaison officer and liases with the executive committee regarding student events and provides updates to students about opportunities for students.

Team Leaders & student ambassadors are responsible for coordinating and organising events to promote ASSBI in their region throughout the year.

All student representatives receive free ASSBI membership for one year, while Team Leaders and the National Student Co-ordinator also receive a complementary ASSBI conference registration during their tenure.

DR DANA WONG
Student Liaison Officer

JONATHAN REYES

National Student Co-ordinator 2018-2020

Contact: student@exemail.com.au
Jonathan is a candidate of the Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) at Monash University. His doctoral research project is exploring ways of improving the detection and management of sports-related concussion in elite and amateur Australian football players, with the supervision of Dr. Catherine Willmott, Dr. Biswadev Mitra and Dr. Andrew McIntosh. Jonathan has previously worked as a research assistant on the Take CARe child concussion project at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI); and on the Youth Headgear Study at the Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience (MICCN). Jonathan completed the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology at the University of Melbourne and the Bachelor of Science at Swinburne University with a major in Psychology and a co-major in Psychophysiology

 TEAM ADELAIDE

ASHLYN TOM

Team Leader 2019-21
Occupational Therapy, Flinders University

Ashlyn is currently completing her Masters of Occupational Therapy at Flinders University after completing a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education in Canada. She has developed a strong interest in the complexity of brain injuries through her work with children living with a disability as well as with aged care patients living with Alzheimer’s/Dementia and Parkinson’s. This year she will complete placements in rehabilitation and paediatrics in a rural setting, working with Aboriginal peoples of the Northern Territory. Ashlyn is particularly passionate about working with children and looks forward to expanding her skills and knowledge through her role as a student ambassador for ASSBI.

joel smith

Joel is commencing his third year of a Bachelor of Psychological Science at the University of Adelaide. He is interested in the psychology of psychical illnesses such as brain impairment and their management, especially with regard to addiction. Joel is currently a volunteer drug and alcohol addiction counsellor and plans to complete Honours and Postgraduate studies with a goal of becoming a clinical health psychologist.

EMBAR KAUR

Student Ambassador 2019
Physchology, University of Adelaide

Embar is a third year Psychology undergraduate student at the University of Adelaide. She has a particular interest in the neuroscience and psychology regarding addiction and criminal behaviour. In the future, she hopes to work with young offenders with a particular emphasis on rehabilitation and prevention of re-offending. Currently, Embar works with the Disability Services at the university and also plays social soccer.

Tayla BLecky

Student Ambassador 2019
Psychology, Flinders University

Tayla is currently completing her Masters of Occupational Therapy at Flinders University. She has developed a strong interest in brain injury after completing a placement on an acute stroke ward. She has a passion to learn about brain injury rehabilitation strategies and has volunteered for Car Free Me, a program designed to help those who have experienced brain injury access transport independently. She hopes to further her knowledge in this area through her final placement in rehabilitation.

charlotte mai hood

Team Leader 2018-2019
Speech Pathology, The University of Queensland

Charlotte is currently completing her fourth year of the Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) program at The University of Queensland. Her honours research project investigates the treatment efficacy and satisfaction of an intervention for Cognitive Communication Disorders following Acquired Brain Injuries. She has been a part of the Australian Aphasia Association conference committee and has assisted on a systematic review of Aphasia Quality of Life Measures. She has undertaken volunteering in the North of Vietnam with children who have a range of neurological conditions including Corpus Callosum Agnesis, Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephaly and Autism. Charlotte has also undertaken placement at the Neurosurgery ward at the Royal Brisbane Hospital. She will be travelling to central Vietnam later this year as a part of an inter-disciplinary team to provide early intervention to children with a range of neurological conditions. Charlotte’s passions lie in paediatric neuro-rehabilitation and furthering research in this area.

VIKKI bERARDI

Student Ambassador 2019
Nursing, University of Queensland

Vikki has studied a Bachelor of Arts/Social Science and is currently studying a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Queensland. She has worked as a journalist, magazine editor & as a media advisor for health facilities for over 25 years. In 2011, Vikki's partner was diagnosed with a benign but invasive meningioma. He passed away unexpectedly during surgery 11 days following diagnosis. This life event inspired a desire to help people suffering brain impairments and their families. In 2018 Vikki received a Dean's Commendation for Academic Excellence and is looking forward to applying the same level of commitment to her role as a Student Ambassador for the ASSBI. 

laura effeney

Student Ambassador 2019
Occupational Therapy, University of Queensland

Lauren is currently completing her fourth year of Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) at the University of Queensland. Her honours research project is focusing on developing a framework for occupational therapists working with patients who experience mask anxiety whilst undergoing radiotherapy. Since completing a geriatric placement at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, her interests currently lie in adult neuro-rehabilitation and furthering occupational therapy research in this area. Lauren’s next two placements are paediatric caseloads in Ipswich and Timor Leste where she is looking forward to providing early intervention to children from diverse backgrounds who have a range of neurological conditions.

 TEAM PERTH

RACHAEL MUMME

Team Leader 2019-21
Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Western Australia

Rachael Mumme is currently completing a combined masters/doctorate program in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Western Australia. Along with a supervisory team of Dr Michael Weinborn, Dr Stephanie Rainey-Smith and Dr Romola Bucks, her doctoral research begins to investigate how cognitive variability within an individual is related to Alzheimer's disease. Rachael has practical experience with individuals with both acquired brain injury and dementia from a number of hands on volunteering roles.

DANIELLE FYNN

Student Ambassador 2019
Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Western Australia

Danielle is completing her combined masters/doctorate in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Western Australia. Her thesis explores the relation of alexithymia and metacognition as predictors of functional outcomes in acquired brain injury; under the supervisory team of Dr Michael Weinborn, Assoc. Prof Carmela Pestell, Dr Rodrigo Becerra and Dr Gilles Gignac. Danielle is a support worker in the community and has practical experience in dementia, mental health and disability. Inspired by the role neuropsychology plays in brain injury rehabilitation, Danielle hopes to increase functioning, decrease disability and re-establish quality of life in people living with brain impairment in the future.

KELSEY SEWELL

Student Ambassador 2019
Psychology, Murdoch University

Kelsey is currently in her third year of her Bachelor of Science, majoring in Psychology, at Murdoch University. Her major interest is in neuroscience, and she is currently working towards her first publication, which is a systematic review investigating the relationship between multilingualism and Alzheimer’s Disease. Kelsey plans to go on to complete Honours and Postgraduate studies in the hope of becoming a clinician, researcher or academic.

 TEAM SYDNEY

AN TRUONG

Team Leader 2018-2019

An is a PhD candidate at the Regenerative Neuroscience Group (Brain Mind Centre, University of Sydney). Her research interests focus on stem cell biology and brain regeneration in neurodegenerative disorders, in particular Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. An’s research aims to generate a novel source of stem cell for cell-based therapy in patients with brain disorders and injuries. An was awared a Travel Scholarship to present her work at the 2016 International Society of Stem Cell Research Meeting in San Francisco, USA. An is also the 2017 recipient of the Leslie Rich Scholarship for Dementia Research and the 2018 NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship. Outside her academic interests, An is passionate about promoting neuroscience to the wider community through her engagement with the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment and the Scientists in Schools Program by the CSIRO. An is also an avid sport player and competes in various ultra-endurance challenges as part of the Sydney University Triathlon Club.

michaela filipcikova

Student Ambassador 2019
Psychology, University of NSW

Michaela Filipčíková is a Scientia PhD candidate (Psychology) at University of New South Wales and works under the supervision of Professor Skye McDonald. Her doctoral research aims to investigate impairments in goal directed decision making in people with traumatic brain injuries. In addition, Michaela is a part of the PsycBITE team working on a database of studies on cognitive, behavioural and other treatments of psychological problems and issues which occur as a consequence of acquired brain impairment. She is interested in conducting research that benefits both brain injured people and their families.

AMANDA TAN

Student Ambassador 2019

Amanda is University of Queensland 2016 Bachelor of Science graduate and 2016 UQ Academic Board undergraduate representative. As ex-subcommittee executive and ex-Vice-President (Academic) of the UQ Premedical Society, she had the pleasure of collaborating with ASSBI on organising neuro seminars with neurosurgical, researcher and physician speakers. She worked part-time at the Social Skills Training Institute, part of the Autism Collaborative Research Centre (Autism CRC), and had school-leaver’s guaranteed entry into UQ Doctor of Medicine program. Despite making it to MD with relatively intact sanity, she became intrigued in mortality tables, life insurances and the like, and decided to study in in the actuarial field. She remains interested however in promoting ASSBI’s influence and communicable brain impairment research, particularly with ongoing public concern surrounding MMR vaccines and autism, as evidenced by the 2016 movie Vaxxed.

 NO Team for Far North Queensland for 2019

 Team Melbourne 

louisA selvadurai

Student Ambassador 2019
Clinical Neuropsychology, Monash University

Louisa Selvadurai is a Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) candidate at Monash University. Her doctoral research is investigating the cerebral effects of a rare neurodegenerative disorder, Friedreich ataxia, through the use of brain MRI. She is supervised by Professor Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, Dr Ian Harding, and Associate Professor Louise Corben. Louisa has undertaken clinical neuropsychology placements in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings, which has led to her interest in the contribution that neuropsychologists and other allied health professionals make in the rehabilitation of individuals following an acquired brain injury. 

TaYLOR JENKIN

Student Ambassador 2019
Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Melbourne

Taylor is in her second year of the Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology)/Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at The University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on goal setting in the context of paediatric acquired brain injury rehabilitation, under the supervision of Professor Vicki Anderson and Doctor Sarah Knight. She is particularly interested in paediatric acquired brain injury and neurorehabilitation. 

NICK SATHANANTHAN

Student Ambassador 2019
Clinical Neuropsychology, La Trobe University

Nick Sathananthan is a current combined Master of Clinical Neuropsychology and PhD candidate at La Trobe University. Nick has a keen interest neurorehabilitation and improving clinical translation.  His program of research is investigating the effectiveness of a new group intervention aiming to improve participation in meaningful life activities in survivors of acquired brain injuries under the supervision of Doctor Dana Wong.

SOPHIE O'KEEFE

Student Ambassador 2019
Occupational Therapy, La Trobe University

Sophie is an occupational therapist and PhD candidate at La Trobe University. Her doctoral research is exploring early return to work intervention approaches following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury under the supervision of Associate Professor Natasha Lannin and Associate Professor Mandy Stanley. She currently works as an academic at La Trobe University.

 Team Newcastle

WINIFRED ASARE-DOKU

Team Leader 2019-2020
Psychiatry, University of Newcastle

Winifred is a current Doctor of Philosophy (Psychiatry) candidate at The University of Newcastle. Her doctoral research is investigating mental health of the mining industry in Ghana and Australia under the supervision of Dr Jane Rich, A/Prof Carole James, Prof Brian Kelly and Dr Kwasi Amponsah-Tawiah. Winifred is a Clinical Psychologist by training and has experience working with individuals with mental health challenges including children and adults with brain impairments affecting their cognitive functions.

AVNI ARISHA KUMAR

KIMBERLEY WALLIS

Student Ambassador 2019
Psychology, University of Newcastle

Kimberley Wallis is a current Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology - Science) candidate at The University of Newcastle. Kimberley’s doctoral research is investigating the validity of a new measure of social skills for use in individuals with an acquired brain injury, under the supervision of Dr Michelle Kelly and Dr Linda Campbell. Kimberley’s interest in neurorehabilitation started following her father’s strokes and her continued experience working as a support worker for people with brain injuries.

lucy fry

Student Ambassador 2019
Speech Pathology, University of Newcastle

Lucy Fry is commencing her first year in a Bachelor of Speech Pathology at the University of Newcastle. She has a keen interest in Speech Therapy and the rehabilitation of patients with traumatic brain injury or stroke. Lucy is looking forward to her studies and developing her knowledge in brain impairments and their effects on language and speech.