Staff profile

Professor Simon F Crowe

Professor

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Psychological Science
Department of Psychology

George Singer Building, Room 261, Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Qualifications

BBSc Hons, BSc., MSc, PhD L TU, Grad Dip Bus.

Membership of professional associations

FAICD, FAPS, FNAN, ANZAPPL, ASSBI, IBNS, INS, SFN

Area of study

Psychology

Brief profile

I was appointed to the School of Psychology in February, 1991 as a joint appointment to the areas of Clinical Neuropsychology and Biological Psychology. I was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1994 and to Associate Professor in 2000. Before I joined La Trobe I worked as a Clinical Neuropsychologist, firstly at the Brain Trauma Unit at Mont Park and then as the State wide Consultant Neuropsychologist at the Neuropsychiatric Unit at Mont Park. During 1989 I was the Clinical Psychologist in the Forensic Psychiatry Unit.

Simon Crowe is Professor of Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. He is currently the Chair of the Academic Board of La Trobe University (2012-2014) and was Vice President of the Board for 2010-2011.From 2000 to 2007 he was the Head of the School of Psychological Science at La Trobe University, and in 2005 he was the Chair of the Heads of Departments and Schools of Psychology in Australia. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology (USA), the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Australian Psychological Society (APS). He is a College member (APS) and endorsed specialist (Psychologist Board of Australia: PsyBA) in Clinical Neuropsychology, Forensic Psychology and Clinical Psychology. He is a member of the APS, the National Academy of Neuropsychology, the International Neuropsychological Society, the Society for Neuroscience, the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, the Australian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment and the Australian and New Zealand Association for the study of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. He was President (2010-2012) of the Australian Psychological Society, and was Vice President and Director of the APS from 2006-2009. He was also president of the Alcohol Related Brain Injury Assessment and Support Service (ARBIAS) from 1995-1999 and was Vice President from 1993-1994. He was awarded life membership of ARBIAS for his contribution in 2000. He was the recipient of the Award of Distinction of the APS College of Clinical Neuropsychologists in 2008 in recognition of “the importance and significance” of his contribution to his specialist field and was awarded the David Myers medal by La Trobe University in 1984 as the top honours graduate. He was the Chief Examiner for the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority for Year 12 Psychology 2002-2005.

Research activities

  • Biological basis of memory formation: The focus of this research since has been to study the biological and psychological processes involved in memory consolidation and reconsolidation, mostly using the day-old chick as subject.
  • Neuropsychiatric Disorders: These studies centre on the theme of the compromise in language and other neuropsychological functions as a result of neuropsychiatric disorder.

Postgraduate Research Supervision

Crowe takes his role as a research supervisor very seriously and considers this a crucial aspect of his role as a researcher. He has successfully supervised 10 PhDs, 27 DPsychs, 21 Masters degrees (both coursework and research) and 36 Honours projects. He has been the Editor of the Journal Australian Psychologist (2000-2005), and was an Associate editor of the Journal from 1994-2000. He was Associate Editor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law from 1994-2008. He has been a member of the panel determining the recipient of the Menzies Allied Health Sciences Scholarship for the last 4 four years.  

Holding Positions in Professional Organisations

  • President, Australian Psychological Society, 2010-2012
  • Vice President and Director, Australian Psychological Society, 2006-2007; 2008-2009.
  • Member of Australian Psychology Accreditation Council, 2006-2007; 2009-2010; 2012-2013.
  • Chair, Science, Academia and Research Advisory Group, Australian Psychological Society, 2008-2010.
  • Member Education and Training Reference Group (ETRG) APS, 2008-2009; 2011-2012.
  • Co-chair Science and Research Advisory Group, Australian Psychological Society, 2007.
  • Director of Science, Australian Psychological Society Board of Directors, 2006.
  • Chair, Heads of Department and Schools of Psychology Australia (HODSPA), 2005.
  • Membership Secretary: National College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (APS), 1997-2000
  • Chair: College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (APS: Victorian Section), 1989-1994
  • Chair: College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (APS: Victorian Section), 1998-2000
  • Executive member, College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (APS: Victorian Section), 1995.
  • Representative of the Board of Clinical Neuropsychologists: Executive of the Victorian Branch of the APS: 1989-1994
  • Committee Member: Workshops sub-committee of the Education and Training sub-committee of the National Executive of the APS: 1992-1994
  • Convenor: Education and Training Committee of the Victorian Branch of the APS: 1993
  • Committee Member: Brain Behaviour Research Institute, 1992-1994.

The Exercise of Professional Skill

  • Private practice in clinical neuropsychology focussing on medico-legal aspects of acquired brain injury and the neuropsychology of psychiatric disorders, 1990-2013.
  • Consultant Neuropsychologist, Western Hospitals, Footscray and Sunshine, 1991-1997
  • Independent Assessor (Section 112) Victorian Work Cover Authority, 1994-2013.  

 The exercies of professional skill in a way that contributes to community life

  • Member, Committee convened to undertake a review of the Neuropsychological Service at the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, 2002-2004.
  • Chief examiner, VCE Psychology: 2003-2004;
  • Panel member VCE Psychology Examination, 2005.
  • Vetter, VCE Psychology Examinations, 2002.
  • Member of expert Panel to review the VCE Psychology Curriculum, 2002-2003. ·
  • President: Alcohol Related Brain Injury Assessment and Support Service (ARBIAS): 1994-1999.
  • Vice-President: ARBIAS: 1993-1994.
  • Committee Member: ARBIAS: 1992-1994.  

Other awards and recogntion

  • Fellow, National Academy of Neuropsychology (USA), 2011.
  • Fellow, Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), 2010.
  • Award of Distinction, Australian Psychological Society, College of Clinical Neuropsychologists, 2008.
  • Fellow, Australian Psychological Society, 2003.
  • Life member, Alcohol Related Brain Injury Assessment and Support Service (ARBIAS), 2000.
  • Winner D.M. Myers Medal (recognition as top Honours graduate): 1984.
  • Winner Australian Psychological Society Prize: 1984. 
  • Registered as a psychologist under the Victorian Psychologists Registration Act (Number 2006): 1987-2010.
  • Registered as a psychologist under the Psychologists Board of Australia: 2011-2013 (Number PSY00011186861): Endorsed areas of Practice; Clinical Neuropsychology, Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology.
  • Registered as a psychologist by the NSW Psychologists Registration Board (Number PS0055210): 1999-2010.
  • Member of the Australian Psychological Society: 1986-2013.
  • Member APS College of Clinical Neuropsychologists: 1987-2013.
  • Member APS College of Forensic Psychologists: 1998-2013.
  • Member APS College of Clinical Psychologists: 2008-2013.
  • Member Society for Neuroscience (USA) 2004-2013.
  • Member International Neuropsychological Society: 1991-2013.
  • Member National Academy of Neuropsychology (USA) 1999-2013.
  • Member International Behavioral Neuroscience Society: 1993-2013.
  • Member Australian and New Zealand Association for the Study of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law: 1991-2013.
  •  Member Australian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment: 1987-2013.  

Editorial and other Research-Related Activities

  • Editor: Australian Psychologist: 2001-2005.
  • Associate Editor: Australian Psychologist: 1994-2000.
  • Editorial Consultant: Psychiatry, Psychology and Law: 1994-2007.
  • Occasional Reviewer: Australian and NZ Journal of Psychiatry, Australian Journal of Psychology, Australian Psychologist, Behavioural Pharmacology, Brain Impairment, Brain Research Bulletin, Cortex, European Journal of Psychopharmacology, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, Neuropsychology, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Personality and Individual Differences.
  • External examiner of PhD, Doctor of Psychology or Masters theses from: Flinders University, James Cook University, La Trobe University, Macquarie University, Monash University, Murdoch University, University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, University of Southern Queensland, University of Western Australia and Victoria University.
  • Member NH&MRC Review Panel, 5j Psychiatry and Psychology, 2006.
  • Member: Expert Medical Reference Panel, Centre of Excellence in Depression and Related Disorders; beyondblue: The national depression initiative, 2002-2013.
  • External Grant Reviewer: ARC; NH&MRC; Smoking and Health Research Foundation of Australia; Neurological Foundation (New Zealand).
  • Honorary Research Fellow Department of Psychology, Monash University, 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2000.
  • Member Animal Ethics Committee, Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering, 1998-2001.

Teaching units

Professor Crowe takes his role as a teacher very seriously. He has attended many sessions provided by the Academic Development Unit at La Trobe on various aspects of lecturing, assessing and supervising as well as having read extensively on these topics.

During all of his time at La Trobe Professor Crowe has presented lectures, seminars, design and supervision of practical classes and tutorials and administrative responsibility for teaching including input at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Masters and Doctor of Psychology levels  on topics in the areas of his research strength.

Consulting

Professor Crowe also undertakes clinical neuropsychology assessments in his private consultancy. This work involves undertaking cognitive and emotional assessment of clients with workplace injuries.

Recent publications

Recent Papers:

Crowe, S.F., & Crowe, L.M. (in press). Does the presence of post-traumatic anosmia mean that you will be disinhibited? Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, (Accepted 25/01/13).

Fitzpatrick, L., & Crowe, S.F. (in press). Cognitive and emotional deficits in chronic alcoholics: a role for the cerebellum? Cerebellum. (Accepted 08/02/13).

Dridan, B., Ong, B., Lloyd, S., Evans, L., & Crowe, S.F. (in press). The Simple Copy Task: Detecting higher order visual processing deficits in schizophrenia, dementia, and movement disorder groups. Australian Psychologist, (Accepted 8/02/12).

Fitzpatrick, L., Jackson, M.R., & Crowe, S.F. (2012). Characterisation of cerebellar ataxia in chronic alcoholics using the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS). Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 36(11), 1942-1951.

Samartgis, J.R., Schachte, L., Hazi, A., & Crowe, S.F. (2012). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor facilitates memory consolidation and reconsolidation of a weak training stimulus in the day-old chick. Neuroscience Letters, 516, 119– 123.

Samartgis, J.R., Schachte, L., Hazi, A., & Crowe, S.F. (2012). Memantine facilitates memory consolidation and reconsolidation in the day-old chick. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 97(4), 380-385.

Samartgis, J.R., Schachte, L., Hazi, A., & Crowe, S.F. (2012). Piracetam, an AMPAkine drug, facilitates memory consolidation in the day-old chick Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior,103(2), 353–358.

Wilson, D.L., Barnes, M., Ellett, L., Permezel, M., Jackson, M., & Crowe, S.F. (in press). Compromised verbal episodic memory with intact visual and procedural memory during pregnancy. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. (accepted for publication of 20 December, 2010).

Wilson, D.L., Barnes, M., Ellett, L., Permezel, M., Jackson, M., & Crowe, S.F. (in press) Decreased sleep efficiency, increased wake after sleep onset and increased cortical arousals in late pregnancy. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (accepted for publication of 15 September, 2010).

Crowe, S. F., Barot, J., Caldow, S., D’Aspromonte, J., Dell’Orso, J., Di Clemente, A., Hanson, K., Kellett, M., Makhlota, S., McIvor., B, McKenzie, L., Norman, R., Thiru, A., Twyerould, M. & Sapega, S.  (2011). The effect of caffeine and stress on auditory hallucinations in a non-clinical sample. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 626-630.

Panayiotou, A., Jackson, M., & Crowe, S.F. (2010). A meta-analytic review of the emotional symptoms associated with mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 32 (5), 463–473.

Sherry, J.M., Milsome, S.L., & Crowe, S.F. (2010). The roles of RNA synthesis and protein translation during reconsolidation of passive-avoidance learning in the day-old chick. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 94, 438–446.

Kokavec, A., Lindner, A.J., Ryan, J.E., & Crowe, S.F. (2009). Ingesting alcohol prior to food can alter the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 93, 170–176.

Brophy, L., Jackson, M., & Crowe, S.F. (2009). Interference effects on commonly used memory tasks. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 24, 105-112.

Crowe, S.F.,Neath, J., & Hale, M.W. (2009). The type 4 phosphodiesterase inhibitors rolipram and YM976 facilitate recall of the weak version of the passive avoidance task in the day-old chick. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 92, 224–230.

Sherry, J.M., Hazi, A., Hale, M.W., Milsome, S.L., & Crowe, S.F. (2009). Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) disruption of passive avoidance learning in the day-old chick appears to be due to its effect on GABAB not gamma-hydroxybutric acid (GHB) receptors. Behavioural Brain Research, 197, 347–355.

Walkenhorst, E., & Crowe, S.F. (2009).The effect of state worry and trait anxiety on aspects of working memory performance in a normal sample. Anxiety, Stress and Coping, 22(2), 167-187.

Recent Books:

Crowe, S.F (2010). Evidence of absence: A guide to cognitive assessment in Australia. Brisbane: Australian Academic Press.

Crowe, S.F. (2008). The behavioural and emotional complications of traumatic brain injury. New York: Psychology Press. 

Recent Book Chapters:  

Crowe, S.F. (2010). Chapter 68. Forensic neuropsychology. In I. Freckelton and H. Selby (Eds). Expert evidence (p. 68:1051-68:13072). Sydney, NSW: Thomson Reuters.

Crowe, S.F. (2009). Commentary: Watching the brain work. In Burton, L. Westen. D., & Kowalski, R. (Eds). Psychology: 2nd Australian and New Zealand Edition. (pp. 112-113). Queensland, Australia: John Wiley.