Brain Talk
Brain Talk is a regular series of podcast interviews with renowned individuals from the world of neuroscience, discussing their major influences, career-defining moments and greatest challenges
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NEW EPISODE: Brain Talk with Ciaran Bolger
Adrian Wills interviews Professor Ciaran Bolger, Consultant Neurosurgeon. Before completing his training in Neurosurgery Professor Bolger was accepted onto the astronaut programme by the European Space Agency. He talks about his life and varied career.
Brain Talk with Henry Marsh
Adrian Wills interviews Consultant Neurosurgeon, Henry Marsh. Mr Marsh studied PPE at Oxford followed by a spell working as a Hospital Porter. He then studied medicine at the Royal Free Hospital in London and was appointed Consultant Neurosurgeon at Atkinson Morley's Hospital in 1987. He has been the subject of two documentary films, Your Life in Their Hands, which won the Royal Television Society Gold Medal, and The English Surgeon, which won an Emmy, and is the author of the bestselling memoirs Do No Harm and Admissions. He was made a CBE in 2010.
Brain Talk with Eelco Wijdicks
Adrian Wills interviews Consultant Neuro-Intensivist Eelco Wijdicks. Eelco Wijdicks is an internationally renowned neurointensivist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota (USA). He is the author and editor of 20 books on topics in acute neurology and neurocritical care, including ‘The Comatose Patient’ and 'Brain Death'. He is also the author of “Neurocinema: When Film Meets Neurology”.
Brain Talk with Helen Cross
Adrian Wills interviews Helen Cross. Helen was educated in Bristol and subsequently attended medical school at Birmingham University. She is The Prince of Wales’ Chair of Childhood Epilepsy and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Neurology at University College London (UCL) Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, GOSH, and Young Epilepsy, Lingfield. She has been a Consultant since 1990 and became a Professor in 2007. She was recognised for her services to childhood epilepsy with an OBE in 2015. She was recently elected President of the ILAE.
Brain Talk with Andrew Lees
Adrian Wills interviews Professor Andrew Lees. Andrew studied medicine at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel where he was awarded the Jonathan Hutchinson Prize for Clinical Medicine, and then trained as a Neurologist at the Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, University College London Hospital and at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, where he was appointed consultant at the age of 33. He was director of the Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies, an institution dedicated to research into neurodegenerative diseases. He co-founded the Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders (QSBB). He was predominantly responsible for the introduction of Apomorphine to treat complications of advanced Parkinson's disease. He is the author of a number of books including Ray of Hope (a biography of the footballer Ray Kennedy), Mentored by a Madman - The William Burroughs Experiment and Brainspotting.
Brain Talk with Baroness Greenfield
Adrian Wills interviews Baroness Susan Greenfield. Susan is a neuroscientist, writer and broadcaster who has published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Susan studied for her undergraduate and doctoral degrees at Oxford University, and then held research fellowships at the College de France in Paris, NYU Medical Center in New York and at Melbourne University. She has written many books on the brain and mind, including the best-selling ‘The Human Brain: A Guided Tour’ (1997), ‘The Private Life of the Brain’ (2000) and ‘A Day in the Life of the Brain: Consciousness from Dawn ‘til Dusk’ (2016). She was made a CBE in 2000 and is a member of the House Of Lords.
Brain Talk with Simon Shorvon
Adrian Wills interviews Simon Shorvon. Simon is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Neurology at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Hon. Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, where he has worked as a clinical academic specialising in epilepsy for many years. He was Vice President of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), Harveian Librarian at the Royal College of Physicians, co-Editor-in-Chief of Epilepsia, and Chair of Neurology at University College London. He was also a founder of e-brain.
Patient stories: Ian Flatt
Ian Flatt is 56 years old. He was a Surveyor. He is married with two daughters. He was always very sporty and particularly passionate about rugby. In 2019 he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and soon after required a wheelchair and the use of NIV. In spite of his illness he completed a succession of his various favourite walks to raise money for the Rob Burrow foundation and the MNDA. In this interview with Adrian Wills he talks about his life history, his diagnosis and the effect MND has had on him and his family.
Patient stories: Matt Eagles
Matt Eagles is 53 years old. He works for a healthcare communication company. He is married. Matt developed Parkinson’s disease in childhood. He subsequently underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS), amongst other treatments. The DBS made an immediate difference to his quality of life. Matt has appeared on national TV, set up the parkylife website, been an accredited photographer at the London Olympics and is a passionate advocate for the patient voice. In this interview with Adrian Wills he talks about his life history, diagnosis and his experience of the NHS.
Patient stories: Murray Goulder
Murray Goulder is 42 years old. He works in HR and is married to Karen. He developed epilepsy at the age of 16. He is an enthusiastic supporter of and contributor to Epilepsy Action. In this interview with Adrian Wills he talks about his seizures, the impact these have had and his interactions with the NHS and other organisations, including the DWP!