An expert in stroke rehabilitation from Keele University has been chosen to co-lead a global project to accelerate the development of new practices and treatments to help stroke patients.  

Dr Ali Aries, Senior Lecturer from the School of Allied Health and Pharmacy, has been selected to lead the worldwide project supporting the progress and development of stroke recovery and rehabilitation, working with Professor Leeanne Carey from La Trobe University in Australia.  

Over the next 18 months, Dr Aries will work with Professor Carey on one of four International Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Alliance (ISRRA) Roundtables, with support from Keele Emeritus Reader Dr Sue Hunter.  

Dr Aries and Professor Leeanne Carey will co-chair a group of 16 experts and emerging researchers from around the world, including Canada, South Africa and Sweden, to review evidence supporting somatosensory assessment and rehabilitation post-stroke to inform clinical guidelines, establish recommendations in the field, and work with stakeholders to plan future research.  

The previous Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtables convened by ISRRA were major international collaborative efforts that set the scene for new directions in stroke recovery research, and it is hoped that this project will have the same impact.  

Dr Aries said: “I am extremely proud to have been selected to chair this ISRRA Roundtable, working with Professor Leeanne Carey in Australia and Dr Sue Hunter, my colleague and mentor at Keele University.  

“This is an area of stroke rehabilitation we are passionate about. We believe our work over the next couple of years could influence stroke rehabilitation strategies in the future, benefitting people post-stroke.”

---