Dr Gary Crowfoot

Dr Gary Crowfoot
Research Program:
Research Topics:
Equipment Grant
2017 Equipment Grant

What are your research interests?

  • Stroke prevention: Stroke is a major cause of death and disability. However, many strokes can be prevented. I focus on exploring ways to enable people who are at risk of developing a stroke to prevent that stroke from occurring or recurring.
  • Qualitative research: I am fascinated by the people’s experiences and how these experiences can inform and shape our daily life as supporters, families, friends, individuals and health professionals. In particular, I have a passion for exploring the stories of stroke survivors and translating the lessons they provide into delivering improved care.
  • Stroke rehabilitation: Recovery from stroke is a long and arduous journey. I have recently moved into projects trying to help people have a better journey of recovery after their stroke.

Why did you get into research?

I have a deeply personal attachment to working in stroke research. My grandmother had four strokes in her lifetime. I wish I could have done more to help her prevent, or recover from her strokes. I now work on research to try and help others like my grandmother. My research is dedicated to these same goals – helping to prevent strokes from occurring in the first place, and helping people recover as much as possible after having a stroke. 

What would be the ultimate goal for your research?

The ultimate goal of my research is to provide people is to prevent strokes from happening. Currently, I hope to provide people with tools and skills to prevent strokes from occurring. In doing so, I would also be helping to build happier and healthier communities. 

Biography

Dr Gary Crowfoot is a registered nurse and an early career researcher working in stroke prevention and rehabilitation. He is currently a research fellow with the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Centre for Research Excellence in Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation and The University of Newcastle Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury.

His current research focuses on:

  • People’s experiences post transient ischaemic attack (TIA), minor stroke and stroke
  • The effect of interrupting prolonged sitting time on systolic blood pressure
  • Comparing physical activity levels of stroke survivors in Australia and India

Dr Crowfoot was awarded his PhD in Nursing in 2016. Since then, he has been heavily involved in two projects led by Associate Professor Coralie English looking at the effects of interrupting prolonged bouts of sitting on stroke risk factors. Currently, he is coordinating the BUST-BP-DOSE trial exploring the amount of breaks to prolonged sitting required to achieve improved blood pressure control after stroke. He has also been involved in several stroke prevention projects exploring exercise after stroke, lifestyle and activity modification after TIA, patient and carer experiences of sitting behaviours after stroke, and people’s expectations and experiences for risk-reduction education after TIA.

Dr Crowfoot has 3 published journal articles, 8 published abstracts, and has presented his work at national and international conferences. He has reviewed for high ranking journals including the Journal of Advanced Nursing and PLOS one. The work completed by Dr Crowfoot continues to promote stroke prevention. He hopes that his work can lead to beneficial and improved programs to enable timely, individualised, and effective community stroke prevention programs.

Specialised/Technical Skills 

  • Qualitative Research 
  • Narrative Inquiry
  • Qualitative Descriptive
  • TIA and minor stroke
  • Registered Nurse

Affiliations

Downloads

ABC Newcastle interview with Kia Handley - 29 October 2019

2017

Assessment for Stroke Recovery
Equipment Grant
Researchers:
Description:

Stroke patients often find it difficult to do basic thinking, recall memories and solve life’s daily problem. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) is a touchscreen based assessment to objectively measure cognitive function.

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