While You Were Sleeping

I am a second year PhD Student within the Strathclyde Centre for Sleep Health at the University of Strathclyde. My research interests include adolescent sleep and mental health. I am also interested in finding ways that we can help teens to sleep better which will improve mental health and wellbeing.

Traumatic brain injury is a known modifiable risk factor for dementia. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease linked to traumatic brain injury, and has been documented in athletes from a range of contact sport. Recent findings show increased risk of dementia in football and rugby players, leading to a variety of rule changes within sport. Although widely welcomed, are these restrictions justified by current evidence and, if so, do they go far enough? This session will explore the background of CTE, what we’ve learned from sport, and the future of this research.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, yet treatment options for stroke patients remain limited. I'll talk to you about the many reasons why this is the case, and we'll consider how we as stroke researchers can improve our experimental design to aid translation from 'bench to bedside'. You can also expect to hear a few stories about rats with high blood pressure, and my granny Betty's love of salt!