People with a brain injury, family members, researchers, clinicians, allied health professionals, service providers and policymakers are invited to submit presentation proposals for the 8th National Brain Injury Conference to be held from July 20-22, 2021 at The University of Sydney.

Deadline for presentation submissions is February 26, 2021 and notification of acceptance is March 8, 2021.

Founded in 1986, Brain Injury Australia is the nation’s peak advocacy organisation representing over 700,000 Australians living with a brain injury. Brain Injury Australia’s annual conference has become one of the premier learning and development events on the disability calendar intended to drive improvements in services and supports for people living with a brain injury, their families and carers.

For the first time, this year’s conference will include concurrent sessions and three pre-conference workshops.  Workshops are on:

Positive Behaviour Support following brain injury, to be delivered by Dr Tim Feeney, chief knowledge officer, Belvedere Health Services,  New York State and Professor Jennie Ponsford, Monash University); Domestic and Family Violence and brain injury (by Rachel Ramirez, founder and director, The Center on Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury, a project of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, US); and concussion/ “mild” Traumatic Brain Injury(led by Professor Gary Browne, director, Kids Concussion Service, Westmead Hospital, Sydney).

As with all previous conferences, it will put the voice of people with lived experience of brain injury at the centre of the program, including the annual ‘Consumer Opening Address’. Presentation proposals by people with a brain injury are especially welcome.

The subject areas are:

  • The lived experience of brain injury – consumers, significant others, family members
  • Innovations in evidence-based approaches to the treatment, rehabilitation and overall care of people with a brain injury
  • The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
  • “Mild” traumatic brain injury/ post-concussion syndrome
  • Peer supports, mentoring of people with a brain injury
  • Brain injury in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities
  • Acute care of traumatic brain injury
  • Management of “challenging behaviours” following brain injury
  • Domestic and family violence and brain injury/ inflicted traumatic brain injury (“shaken baby syndrome”) in children
  • Alcohol and other drug-related brain injury
  • Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with a brain injury
  • Brain injury in the military
  • Brain injury and employment
  • Traumatic brain injury in older Australians; and
  • The prevention of brain injury.

The conference will have varied presentations including panels and single speaker sessions.

The proposal can be: an oral presentation; a ‘snapshot’ (a 10-15 minute overview of a under acknowledged topic, or a research finding, in brain injury); the ‘Consumer Opening Address’ or a topic for a panel discussion.

Each proposal will be assessed by the conference organising committee, comprising representatives of Brain Injury Australia.

(Presenters whose proposals have been accepted by the organisingcCommittee will not be required to pay conference registration.)

For enquiries regarding presentation submissions or the conference program email: admin@braininjuryaustralia.org.au

For all general enquiries about the conference contact: info@interpoint.com.au

(Submissions can only be made via the online portal below and cannot be accepted via email.)

SUBMIT HERE