Dr Catherine Willmott - Researcher Profile

B&W

Address

Monash Psychology Centre
Building 1/270 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, Vic 3168

Contact Details

Tel: +61 3 9902 4480

Email: Catherine.Willmott@monash.edu


Biography

Dr. Willmott is the Deputy Director of the Monash Psychology Centre, Coordinator of the Neuropsychology Clinic and a Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences at Monash University. She is also an Honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Monash-Epworth Rehabilitation Research Centre (MERRC), investigating the rehabilitation of cognitive difficulties following traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the largest causes of disability in young people and results in significant lifetime care burden. Resultant attentional deficits prohibit patients from returning to previous life roles. Dr. Willmott’s aim has been to develop and conduct cutting edge translational research that will improve scientific understanding of impaired cognition in these patients and rehabilitation treatments that facilitate their return to work, study, driving or other activities. She has established an international and interdisciplinary network of high profile rehabilitation researchers to investigate genetic, neuropathological, and pharmacological determinants of neurological recovery following TBI.

 

 

Over the past 18 years, Dr. Willmott has conducted research into the rehabilitation of adult and paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) populations. In the 1990s she was involved, along with Professor Jennie Ponsford, in studies identifying the contribution of factors to ongoing symptoms following mild TBI in adults and children. This involved developing and evaluating  information booklets for mild TBI patients, subsequently requested by over 100 different clinical and research bodies worldwide, and translated into 5 languages, and validating a revised version of the Westmead PTA Scale for screening mild  TBI patients in the Emergency Department. Dr. Willmott has also conducted research into cognitive problems associated with moderate-severe TBI in adult and paediatric populations.

Findings from the largest ever successful trial of drug therapy to reduce attentional problems, conducted in collaboration with Professor Jennie Ponsford, are underpinning ground-breaking imaging studies to examine the brain pathways that mediate effective treatments, in collaboration with the Monash Biomedical Imaging platform. She is also investigating genetic biomarkers for recovery and response to pharmacological treatments. This research has been funded by the Victorian Ministerial Implementation Committee on Head Injury, the Victorian Neurotrauma Initiative and the Epworth Research Institute.

Dr. Willmott is a registered Psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and an active member of the following: Australian Psychological Society – College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (APS-CCN); The International Neuropsychological Society (INS); and the Australian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI).  Since 2005 she has served as an external reviewer for the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society and is on the Editorial Board for the journal ISRN Rehabilitation. She has served an external reviewer for NH&MRC.

Qualifications

PHILOSOPHY
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 2009
SCIENCE
Institution: University of Melbourne
Year awarded: 1996
SCIENCE (HON)
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 1992

Publications

Book Chapters

Ponsford, J.L., Willmott, C.J., 2004, Rehabilitation of nonspatial attention, in Cognitive and Behavioral Rehabilitation. From Neurobiology to Clinical Practice, eds Jenny Ponsford, The Guilford Press, New York USA, pp. 59-99.

Journal Articles

Williams, G., Willmott, C.J., 2012, Higher levels of mobility are associated with greater societal participation and better quality-of-life, Brain Injury [P], vol 26, issue 9, Informa Healthcare, United Kingdom, pp. 1065-1071.

Willmott, C.J., Ponsford, J.L., 2009, Efficacy of methylphenidate in the rehabilitation of attention following traumatic brain injury: a randomised, crossover, double blind, placebo controlled inpatient trial, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, vol 80, BMJ Group, UK, pp. 552-557.

Willmott, C.J., Ponsford, J.L., Hocking, C.A., Schonberger, M., 2009, Factors contributing to attentional impairments after traumatic brain injury, Neuropsychology [P], vol 23, issue 4, American Psychological Association, USA, pp. 424-432.

Willmott, C.J., Ponsford, J.L., Olver, J., Ponsford, M., 2009, Safety of methylphenidate following traumatic brain injury: Impact on vital signs and side-effects during inpatient rehabilitation, Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine [P], vol 41, issue 7, Stiftelsen Rehabiliteringsinformation, Sweden, pp. 585-587.

Ponsford, J.L., Cameron, P., Willmott, C.J., Rothwell, A., Kelly, A., Nelms, R., Ng, K.T., 2004, Use of the Westmead PTA scale to monitor recovery of memory after mild head injury, Brain Injury, vol 18, issue 6, Taylor & Francis Ltd, UK, pp. 603-614.

Ponsford, J., Willmott, C., Rothwell, A., Cameron, P.A., Kelly, A., 2002, Impact of early intervention on outcome following mild head injury in adults, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, vol 73, issue 3, BMJ Publishing Group, London UK, pp. 330-332.

Port, A., Willmott, C., Charlton, J., 2002, Self-awareness following traumatic brain injury and implications for rehabilitation, Brain Injury, vol 16, issue 4, Taylor and Francis Ltd, London UK, pp. 277-289.

Ponsford, J., Willmott, C., Rothwell, A., Cameron, P.A., Ayton, G., Nelms, R., Curran, C., Ng, K.T., 2001, Impact of early intervention on outcome after mild traumatic brain injury in children, Pediatrics, vol 108, issue 6, American Academy of Pediatrics, USA, pp. 1297-1303.

Ponsford, J., Willmott, C., Rothwell, A., Cameron, P.A., Kelly, A., Nelms, R., Curran, C., Ng, K.T., 2000, Factors influencing outcome following mild traumatic brain injury in adults, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, vol 6, Cambridge University Press, New York NY USA, pp. 568-579.

Ponsford, J., Willmott, C., Rothwell, A., Cameron, P.A., Aryton, G., Nelms, R., Curran, C., Ng, K.T., 1999, Cognitive and behavioral outcome following mild traumatic head injury in children, Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, vol 14, 4, Aspen Publishers Inc, Frederick MD USA, pp. 360-372.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Alleviating attentional disturbances following traumatic brain injury..
Supervisors:
Ponsford, J (Joint-co), Willmott, C (Joint).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Analysis of white matter connectivity in adolescents with emerging psychiatric disorders.
Supervisors:
Ponsford, J (Joint), Willmott, C (Joint-co).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Understanding the brain basis of language impairment.
Supervisors:
Willmott, C (Main).