Greg Savage

I initially trained at Monash in the '80s with a PhD in experimental psycholinguistics, and I developed an interest in neuropsychology while on an MRC postdoctoral fellowship at Birkbeck College, University of London. I subsequently studied for my MSc in clinical neuropsychology at The University of Melbourne and I have since combined clinical practice in psychiatric and neuroscience settings with neuropsychological research, mainly on memory and language.

I took up a CORE position at the Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science (MACCS) in 2007, with responsibility for developing a clinical neuropsychology service at Macquarie University Hospital (see http://www.muh.org.au/). From 2012-2016 I was Director of Clinical Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychology, responsible for the postgraduate training courses in neuropsychology. I am also a Chief Investigator with the Memory Program of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders (CCD).

My research interests are broad in scope, but many projects have a unifying theme in terms of developing theoretically-informed tests of memory. Another theme focuses on early detection of Alzheimer's disease (mainly through my role as Co-Leader of the Clinical and Cognitive Stream in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers & Lifestyle [AIBL] Study of Ageing). Recently I have focused on understanding the impact of hearing loss on cognition, and particularly, how hearing loss relates to risk of developing dementia. I am also engaged in studies with neurosurgical colleagues which seek to characterise cognition following surgical treatments.

I teach mainly on the Master of Clinical Neuropsychology program, convening the Advanced Neuropsychological Assessment, Research Proposal, and Dissertation units. I contribute to individual-level teaching as a clinical supervisor for the Supervised Practical Placement units. I also convene a third year undergraduate unit: Neuropsychology in Clinical Practice.

I supervise combined degree (MClinNeuro/PhD), Masters (MClinNeuro), and Honours students, with a focus on memory processing and dementia. Other current projects encompass epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, cerebral lateralisation, mindfulness, and mental flexibility.