I am a Neurologist with a strong interest in cognitive disorders and the normal neural processes that underlie these deficits. I completed my undergraduate medical studies at the University of Otago, and subsequently undertook Neurology advanced training in Melbourne, Australia and a Fellowship in Oxford, UK. I was fortunate to be awarded a Christopher Welch Scholarship in Biological Sciences, and a University of Oxford Clarendon Scholarship, which allowed me to undertake a DPhil in Cognitive Neuroscience, which I am just completing, and sub-specialist training in Cognitive Neurology.

My current research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that underlie apathy – a disorder of motivation with often debilitating consequences – in conditions including Parkinson’s disease, cerebral small vessel disease and Huntington’s disease. My work is heavily influenced by basic neuroscience developments, which I aim to translate to the clinical context. In turn, by studying patients with disorders of cognition I also aim to improve understanding of these underlying normal processes.

I have now returned to New Zealand where I work as a Neurologist specialising in Cognitive and Movement disorders. My ongoing research is centred on understanding neurobehavioural disorders and the complex neural interplay between cortical and subcortical regions that leads to the generation (or not) of actions.

Affiliations:

• New Zealand Brain Research Institute
• Cognitive Neurology Research Group, Nuffield Dept of Clinical Neurosciences University of Oxford, UK