--

Professor Edith Playford graduated from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square with a specialty in neurology. Her career has been dedicated to neurological rehabilitation, holding various consultant posts over the years in both district and regional units. Early on, she worked extensively with patients suffering from progressive neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis; more recently her focus has shifted to those afflicted by severe brain injuries and their families.

Professor Playford was interested in increasing the evidence base and keeping up with the latest advances, so she pursued an academic career. She worked at the University of Nottingham, UCL Institute of Neurology, and the University of Warwick where she held a chair in neurological rehabilitation.

Professor Playford also fulfilled the role of Director of Research at the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability. Her primary areas of research include goal setting, vocational rehabilitation, and profound brain injury. She has been fortunate enough to obtain, along with colleagues, over £4.5 million in research funding and has published 120 peer-reviewed papers as well as more than 10 book chapters.

She has been involved in developing national standards through guideline development, including chairing the NICE Clinical Guideline on Stroke Rehabilitation, Vice Chair for the Royal College of Physicians Prolonged Disorder of Consciousness guidance, and three for the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine where she was lead author for vocational rehabilitation guidance.

She was the President of the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine from 2016 to 2018 and Chair of the Joint Speciality Committee, the Royal College of Physicians & British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine from 2012 to 2014.