Rate My Professor Grahame Simpson

Professor Grahame Simpson serves as Professor of Rehabilitation Research at the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. He is also Director of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Research Group at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research and holds a clinical position as Social Worker-Clinical Specialist at the Liverpool Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit. Possessing a PhD and dual professional qualifications as an accredited social worker and registered psychologist in counselling psychology, Simpson brings over 35 years of experience as a clinician and researcher in brain injury rehabilitation. He leads the traumatic brain injury research stream at the John Walsh Centre, focusing on psychosocial aspects of recovery.

Simpson's research specializations encompass traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, positive mental health, family resilience, vocational rehabilitation, assistive technology, suicidality, challenging behaviors, and sexual adjustment following acquired brain injury. He is recognized as the highest published social worker internationally in the traumatic brain injury field. Key publications include 'Suicidality after traumatic brain injury: demographic, injury and clinical correlates' (2002), 'Suicidality in people surviving a traumatic brain injury: prevalence, risk factors and implications for clinical management' (2007), 'Prevalence, comorbidities, and correlates of challenging behavior among community-dwelling adults with severe traumatic brain injury: a multicenter study' (2014), 'Cognitive and psychological flexibility after a traumatic brain injury and the implications for treatment in acceptance-based therapies: A conceptual review' (2017), and 'The Carers Way Ahead: a randomized controlled trial of an online psychoeducational programme for families managing challenging behaviours following traumatic brain injury' (2026). His contributions extend to editorial roles as co-editor of Brain Impairment and memberships on the editorial boards of Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation and Australian Social Work. Simpson received the 2022 NSW Health Allied Health Researcher of the Year award and an honorary doctorate from Örebro University in 2026. He is founding co-convenor of the International Network of Social Work in Acquired Brain Injury and maintains long-term international collaborations on psychosocial interventions.