Board of Management

Dr Andrew Bateman, Chair

Dr Andrew Bateman is currently Director of Research at the University of Essex. His interests include outcome measurement, executive functioning, assistive technology, social media in rehabilitation, dyspraxia and Rasch Analysis. From 2002 - 2019 Andrew led the Oliver Zangwill Centre for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation in Cambridge Community Services NHS Trust. He is also an Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge; a member of the East of England Clinical Senate Council and the steering group for the NIHR MIC for Brain Injury.

Andrew is a Chartered Physiotherapist. He completed a PhD at the University of Birmingham in 1997 entitled "A Cognitive Neuropsychological Approach to Assessment of Patients with Brain Injury"

Andrew is also President of the Society for Research in Rehabilitation. In having a role in both UKABIF and SRR, one of his objectives is to ensure as close as possible links between the research community and our members.

He keeps a lively social media presence on twitter @drAndrewBateman

Amanda Swain, Vice Chair

Amanda is Director of NAABIC Services and works with providers and standards agencies to develop ABI and Neurorehabilitation services of quality with a focus on person centred, individually goal oriented rehabilitation and care.

Amanda likes to keep up to date clinically and continues to practice part time as a Clinical Specialist; she has been practicing at Consultant AHP level for 20 years. Amanda is a Master of Health Laws and undertook the Institute of Public Health Foundation course in intelligence for commissioning at Cambridge University PHI; this combination has seen her work with the legislative interpretation of service compliance and delivery in England and informs UKABIF’s responses to the NHSE Consultations.

Amanda’s interests have led her to contribute to the formation of National Standards in New Zealand, and the valuation of outcomes measures. In the UK she has written national training courses for care in the community specialising on the skills in managing behaviours that disable. She has held senior positions in Health and Social sectors in the statutory, private and voluntary sectors of the UK and New Zealand and joined UKABIF in 2004 when she was National ABI Adviser; she became a Trustee in 2006. She has also been a Trustee of the Neurological Alliance and continues to link UKABIF and the NA through the National Policy Group.

Since 2012 Amanda has been a regular attendee at the Westminster Health Forum, a member of the Specialised Health Care Alliance and National Voices, a stakeholder and reviewer for NHSE clinical and commissioning guidelines, and attends department advisory meetings at Whitehall.

Peter Freeman, Treasurer

Peter Freeman's daughter Nicola crashed her car in May 2010 one month before her 18th birthday, breaking her pelvis, both femurs and sustaining a diffuse axonal TBI. She was taken from the ITU in her local District General Hospital to Surgical ITU at Queen Square, leaving ITU on the day of her 18th Birthday. Thanks to the support of Nicola's nursing and therapy team, her parents fought and got Nicola onto a programme of intensive Neuro-rehabilitation at Northwick Park and the Queen Elizabeth Foundation’s Brain Injury centre. Nicola then studied for 3 years at the National Star College in Cheltenham continuing her recovery. While there she was featured in the BBC Documentary "The Unbreakables – Life and love on disability campus". Peter is a powerful advocate for post ABI rehabilitation, making the argument from personal experience "I have had the phone call that every parent dreads, where the policeman asks you "how far away from the hospital are you?".

Peter has spoken in public to raise awareness of ABI and raised funds for the National Brain Appeal, Queen Elizabeth Foundation and National Star. "My daughter has received the support and rehabilitation that every ABI sufferer should get, we fought for it because we were not going to settle for anything less. As a result my daughter is moving ever closer to my long term goal for her of becoming a tax-payer. The improvements she has made after a month in ITU, a decompressive craniectomy, and no purposeful movement for nearly six weeks after her accident show what can be achieved. However, it is simply wrong that Nicki's care should be exceptional not the standard". Peter has been interviewed for the show reel, and speaks about the family's perspective, as well as continuing to work with QEF and other charities."

Peter now works full-time combining a number of roles including as Compliance Officer of a financial services firm, roles as a Non-executive director of three public companies which gives him the flexibility to support Nicola and to continue his support of disability charities in both ABI and beyond. He is also a member of the Upper Tier Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber) which hears appeals on Financial Services cases and also the First Tier (General Regulatory) and (Social Entitlement Chambers) The latter hearing appeals on PIP and DLA decisions. Peter has been a member of the fundraising sub-committee of QEF which reports to the Trustees of QEF, a member of the Appeals Council of DebRA. He serves as Treasurer of UKABIF and in any spare time is a keen fan of Wheelchair Rugby, his part of the 2012 legacy

Michael J.Grey, PhD

Michael J Grey is a Reader in Rehabilitation Neuroscience. He obtained a BSc (Physics) at the University of British Columbia, Canada and an MSc (Biomechanics) at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He was awarded his PhD in 2002 from Aalborg University, Denmark where he studied Biomedical Science and Engineering.

Dr Grey has held research appointments at Aalborg University (Denmark), University of Jyvaskyla (Finland), University of Copenhagen (Denmark), University of Birmingham (UK) and University of East Anglia (UEA). He joined Loughborough University in 2023 as a Reader in Rehabilitation Neuroscience.

Dr Alyson Norman

Dr Aly Norman Aly is Associate Professor of Psychology and Associate head of School at the University of Plymouth. Aly has worked for nearly 20 years researching the impact of acquired brain injury on families and survivors, and also works clinically with her own private practice in the southwest.

As well as her work with UKABIF, Aly is a member of the British Association of Brain Injury Case Managers (Research sub-group), Trustee of Headway Somerset, and Deputy Chair of Anchor Point, a special interest group addressing the needs of families affected by brain injury.

James Piercy

James is Communication and Engagement officer at the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury’s Laboratory, and a freelance public engagement trainer and consultant. He is an honorary lecturer in science communication at the University of East Anglia. He has been involved in writing, producing and delivering; science shows, workshops and dialogue events for wide ranging audiences since 1995. James holds the LAMDA gold medal with distinction in public speaking, he has appeared on television and radio numerous times to present scientific ideas and demonstrations, notably on ‘The Investigators’ for Channel 4, which was nominated for a Children’s BAFTA and ‘My Head’ for BBC Radio 4 which won the Royal Society Radio award 2015.

James’ life changed dramatically in January 2011 when a serious road accident left him with a severe head injury. He was in hospital for nearly 2 months and whilst having made a remarkable recovery still lives with the effects of his injury. James is involved in a number of Patient Public Involvement programmes, acting as lay member on a research committee, as a public reviewer for NIHR and outreach lead for NIHR brain injury medtech cooperative

Dr Mike Dilley

Dr Mike Dilley has over 14 years’ experience leading clinical teams as a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, in care pathway development, service redesign and transformation, quality improvement and in delivering high quality, clinical services in collaboration with patients and carers. He is actively involved in research, training and service development specifically in acquired brain injury and neuropsychiatry.

Key projects that he has delivered include the design and successful commissioning of a neuropsychiatry care pathway for ABI (West Kent Neuropsychiatry Service, 2005); service transformation and redesign as the Lead Clinician for two large, acute and national specialised mental health inpatient units and pathway redesign and integration with mental health (Traumatic Brain Injury early rehabilitation pathway, St George’s, 2016) which demonstrated impacts on patient outcomes, flows and care costs in acute neuroscience and trauma services. He has achieved success in these projects through engaging and influencing a diverse group of stakeholders and motivating their adaptation to change and develop.

Mike has been an active contributor in providing clinical expertise and advice to the London Neurosciences Strategic Clinical Network (Quality & Safety Working Group, 2014); the NHS England (NHSE) Complex Rehabilitation Clinical Reference Group since 2012 and the NHSE Neurosciences Clinical Reference Group since 2016, with specific work delivering the specialised service specification for Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology; collaborating in the Neurosurgery and Neurology specialised service specifications, and in contributing to pathway redesign (2019).

Mike is an active member of the NHSE (London) Neurorehabilitation Collaborative with specific work on identifying opportunities for developing an operational delivery network for rehabilitation and the novel development of a neurobehavioural network minimising duplications of assessment and efficiencies in pathway access (2017). He is the Programme Board Chair and Clinical Director of the first neurosciences operational delivery network in the UK and have championed ABI rehabilitation as one of the key areas of focus in this work.

At a national level, he has acted as the Secretary and subsequently, an elected executive member and now the Chair-Elect of the Faculty of Neuropsychiatry, Royal College of Psychiatrists since 2008 with specific work on Basic Neurosciences Training, curriculum development, outcome measurement, credentialing, service specification, collaborative commissioning guidance and in developing policy as well as now chairing the Rehabilitation Working Group.

He is also a member of the National Expert Advisory Group for Neurosciences and of the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine and as such has a broad knowledge of both the local and national neurosciences/brain injury landscape from a range of perspectives. He has developed close working collaborations with neuroscience, neurorehabilitation and mental health experts across London, nationally and internationally and has worked extensively in London neuroscience, rehabilitation, trauma and mental health networks both as a clinician and senior leader.

Lisa Turan

Lisa has been Chief Executive Officer of the Child Brain Injury Trust since 2003 and has been instrumental in developing support services and improving provision for children, young people, their families and professionals affected by childhood acquired brain injury.

She is passionate about her work and making a positive difference within the voluntary sector. Lisa also works with smaller charities helping to develop their business strategies and fundraising capacity.

In her private life Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and village life in Buckinghamshire. She enjoys baking, swimming and studying for her Msc in Charity management. She has two daughters and two cocker spaniels - Bob and Bella.