About Hi, I'm Dr. Amelia Hicks
What makes me tick ?
It's a blend of compassion, ambition, and a drive for progress that drives my research. I want to contribute to the collective understanding of brain injury and its long term outcomes, explore what happens in the brain many years after brain injury, and develop interventions that promote healthy aging and longevity.
How I Got Here
I completed my PhD in neuropsychology with the School of Psychology at Monash University in 2022 (Melbourne, Australia). My doctoral dissertation examined long-term outcomes after brain injury with a focus on cognitive decline, brain age using MRI and evidence of Alzheimer's disease using PET imaging. I submitted my doctoral dissertation four months before the official submission date and was awarded the prestigious achievement of pass with no amendments. I completed my clinical training at the University of Melbourne in 2014 - Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology). Prior to this I completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) majoring in Psychology and Criminology at the University of Melbourne.
My Skills & Aspirations
Long-term career goal
My long-term career goal is to advance understanding of long-term outcomes after brain injury - with particular focus on cognitive, functional and motor decline as well as psychiatric conditions - and the proteomic, epigenetic and genetic factors that shape these outcomes. Ultimately, I hope to leverage this evidence to promote longevity after TBI through person-, community-, and systems-level prevention and treatment that includes psychosocial, behavioural, and pharmacological interventions.
Employment
I am currently working as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai (NYC, USA). I also hold an adjunct Research Associate position at the Monash-Epworth Rehabilitation Research Center (Melbourne, Australia), where I was previously employed as a Research Fellow for 8 years.
Professional skills
Project management, clinical trials (non-pharmacological), neuropsychological assessment, psychological assessment (including assessment of suicidality and self-harm), quantitative analysis (R, SPSS), qualitative analysis (NVivo, Dedoose), co-design, systematic review methodology, academic writing, student supervision and mentoring.
Areas of Specialisation
Clinical Neuropsychology • Traumatic Brain Injury • Neurodegenerative Disease • Clinical Research • Project Management
Why Work With Me
Thank-you for considering working with me. I am a passionate and dedicated researcher with high level clinical, academic, quantitative, qualitative research skill sets. I have broad expertise in brain injury - including both clinical symptoms and pathological signatures. I am a curious and inquisitive in my work, highly committed to advancing and broadening my knowledge, and enjoy collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
I am driven to help individuals with TBI live and age well.