Rate My Professor Jennie Ponsford

Professor Jennie Ponsford is Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University, Director of Clinical Programs, and Theme Lead of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation theme in the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health. She is also Director of the Monash-Epworth Rehabilitation Research Centre, established in 2000 to advance research aimed at reducing long-term disability following trauma. Ponsford holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Melbourne, an MA in Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Melbourne, and a PhD from La Trobe University focused on the assessment and rehabilitation of attentional deficits following closed head injury. Her research centers on traumatic brain injury outcomes, including psychosocial functioning, employment, cognition, psychiatric health, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and sexuality, as well as the development and evaluation of rehabilitation interventions such as cognitive behavioural approaches delivered via telehealth or in group formats. She coordinates one of the world’s largest longitudinal head injury outcome studies tracking more than 3000 patients and has published over 400 journal articles and book chapters along with two books on the management of traumatic brain injury. Ponsford has held leadership positions including past president of the International Neuropsychological Society and serves on multiple editorial boards. Her contributions have been recognised with awards including the Robert L. Moody Prize for Distinguished Initiatives in Brain Injury Research and Rehabilitation in 2013, appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017 for distinguished service to neuropsychology and advances in traumatic brain injury diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, the International Neuropsychological Society Paul Satz Career Mentoring Award in 2015, and selection by The Australian as the leading Australian scientist in rehabilitation therapy citations in recent years. She convenes the doctoral training program in clinical neuropsychology at Monash University and has supervised numerous higher degree students.