Dr. Karren Towgood

Name: Karren Towgood

Title: Dr

Languages spoken: English

Areas of Expertise (conditions):

I am a consultant neuropsychologist and my specialist field is adult clinical neuropsychology. This includes working with traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, MS, encephalitis, meningitis, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, epilepsy, long-covid, and other neurological conditions that present with cognitive, behavior, or mood symptoms.

Education:

Dr. Towgood was awarded her BPsych (1st Class Honours) from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia before completing her Ph.D. and Clinical Psychology Training at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She is an experienced researcher having completed post-doctoral posts with world-leading experts at the ICN, University College London, and the IOP, Kings College London. Dr Towgood’s research interests include individual case study approaches to profiling neuropsychological conditions and assessment of memory using fMRI in neurological conditions. She has presented her work at several international conferences and in journal articles and has received awards for her research contributions.

UK conversion course to recognise New Zealand Clinical Psychology Qualifications.

Postgraduate Diploma of Clinical Psychology – University of Auckland, New Zealand (Feb 2000 – March 2004)

New Zealand Clinical Psychology Training.

PhD – University of Auckland, New Zealand (January 2000 – March 2003)

“The Neurological, Neuropsychological, and Psychosocial Outcome of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment”. Supervisor: Associate Professor Jenni Ogden.

BA Psychology (Honours – First Class) – Macquarie University, Australia (1995-1998)

Honours Thesis Topic: 

 “Memory Blocking:  The Role of Attention and Controlled Processes in the Word Fragment Completion Task”. Supervisor: Dr Sachiko Kinoshita.

Career History:

Lead Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist – Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre, Princes Royal Hospital (August 2012-Present).

Job share position leading the neuropsychology department and Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust, conducting neuropsychological assessments and providing brief interventions for clients with a range of cognitive difficulties including dementia, stroke, and head injury. 

Clinical Psychologist – Re:Cognition Health (Sept 2011-Present).

Part-time, private consultancy work conducting neuropsychological assessments, clinical trials assessment, rehabilitation, and therapy with clients with a range of cognitive difficulties including dementia, stroke, and head injury. 

Clinical Psychologist – Virgin Care Surrey (December 2013-January 2015). 

Part-time work conducting psychological assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and psychological interventions with older adults presenting to inpatient stroke wards, inpatient complex older adults wards, and outpatient clinics.

Clinical Psychologist – Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (February 2013-November 2013).

Part-time work conducting psychological assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and psychological interventions with clients suffering from severe brain injury and their families.

Postdoctoral Research Worker – Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London (May 2009-Sept 2011).

 Co-ordinating and conducting a project investigating the validity and reproducibility of methods of assessing memory with fMRI, in patients with epilepsy. 

Locum Psychologist – Neuro-rehabilitation Team, Lambeth Community Health (Oct 2010-Dec 2010). 

Part-time locum position. Psychological assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and brief psychological interventions with clients within a neuro-rehabilitation team. 

Postdoctoral Research Worker – Institute of Psychiatry, King College London (May 2007-May 2009).

Coordinating and conducting a project investigating the cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and structural brain changes associated with aging in people with HIV and age-matched non-HIV volunteers. This post also involved regular attendance and participation at the St Thomas’s Memory Disorders Clinic.

Postdoctoral Research Worker – Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, (June 2006-May 2007)

Conducted a project investigating the cognitive profile of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Also involved in a project investigating the neural basis of attention processing in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Private Contractor – Concussion Specialists, (January 2006-May 2006)

Conducted cognitive assessments and prepared assessment reports for clients of a mild traumatic brain injury concussion clinic. 

Private Contractor – Neuron Pharmaceutical, (November 2005-May-2006)

Consulted on the development of research protocols with specific reference to aspects of experimental design and neuropsychological assessment in clinical trials.

Clinical Neuropsychologist, Mental Health Services for Older People – Middlemore Hospital (2.5 days per week, March 2004-May-2006)

Psychological assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and treatment of clients from the Mental Health Services for Older People Unit, inpatient and outpatient services.  

Clinical Neuropsychologist, Assessment, Treatment and Rehabilitation – Middlemore Hospital (2.5 days per week March 2004-May-2006)

Psychological assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and treatment of clients from the Assessment, Treatment, and Rehabilitation ward, inpatient and outpatient services.  

Neuropsychology Locum, Auckland Hospital, Neurology Department (3 days per week, August-December 2002 – Part Time)

She conducted pre-surgery and post-surgery neuropsychological assessments for the epilepsy surgery program.  Regular attendance at the weekly epilepsy surgery multi-disciplinary planning team meeting and weekly neurology case review meeting. 

Associations:

I am an HCPC registered chartered clinical psychologist (Registration Number PYL26378), a Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society (Membership Number 146236), a member of the British Psychological Society Division of Neuropsychology, and I am listed on the BPS Specialist Registrar for Clinical Neuropsychologists. In addition to my work with Re:Cognition Health I also currently work at Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre, Brighton, and Sussex University NHS Trust, where I am a lead consultant neuropsychologist.