Professor Ashley Craig
People_

Professor Ashley Craig

Professor of Rehabilitation Studies (Psychosocial health)
John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research
School of Health Sciences
Phone
+61 2 9808 0525
Fax
+61 2 9809 9037
Websites
Professor Ashley Craig

Professor Craig was the Professor of Behavioural Sciences in the Department of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) from 1999 to 2007. He also held the position of Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Science, UTS from 2001 to 2005, and was founding chair of the UTS Human Research Ethics Committee from 1993 to 2001. He was Alternate Dean, University Graduate School, UTS from 2002-2005, and was acting Dean of Science for various times between 2001-2004. Professor Craig was invited to take up a visiting Professorship in South-West University (SWU), Bulgaria 2002, and was granted an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) in 2002 for his contribution to neurological research by SWU.

In mid 2007, Professor Craig left his UTS Professorship in order to join colleagues at the Rehabilitation Studies Unit, as an Honorary Professor. In addition to working as a Senior Clinical Psychologist in the READ Clinic where he treats psychological injury (eg. depression, PTSD) arising from physical injury such as spinal cord injury, head injury, musculoskeletal injuries, and problems of chronic pain, he is devoting his time to research in the area of neurological disorders, specifically in the field of psychological injury arising from physical injury (eg. spinal cord injury). For instance, his team was the first to mount, in Australia and overseas, a prospective study of psychological adjustment and treatment from admission to 6 years after a spinal cord injury. He established the efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for improving adjustment to SCI, and he showed that brain wave activity (EEG) is substantially altered as a result of suffering a SCI. He has also found links between neuropathic pain and brain wave activity in SCI people, and has studied the association between chronic fatigue, quality of life, feelings of helplessness (self efficacy) and pain in people with SCI. He also developed and co-invented "hands-free" control technology known as the Mind Switch. The Mind Switch uses conscious control of brain wave activity and allows a severely disabled persons such as someone with tetraplegia to manipulate devices such as their TV, PC, room lights and so on. The Mind Switch to date is the only novel brain computer interface hands-free control technology that has undergone a clinical trial (Craig et al., 2002) and shown to be effective.

In October 2013 Professor Craig was named as a Professor of Rehabilitation Studies (Psychosocial Health). This position continues his involvement in researching injury and recovery. This professorial position is funded by the Motor Accident Authority, and the major emphasis is on investigating psychological injury and health determinants associated with motor vehicle crashes.

Professor Craig has been an Editor-in-Chief for an international Elsevier Journal (2007-2011). He has written invited papers on neurological disorder in journals such as Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, and Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, a commissioned paper for the College of Psychiatry, UK. He has published over 180 refereed journal papers, book chapters, and refereed conference papers. He has won over $6 million from the Australian Research Council in the past 15 years and graduated over 20 Post Graduate students. He has also had significant funding from the NSW State Government for SCI research with colleagues, attaining a $1 million grant as a Chief Investigator and a $2 million grant as a co-investigator in 2005-2009. He has also received over $1 million in grant funding from the MAA and LTCSA from 1997 to 2012 for his injury related research.

Project titleResearch student
Heart rate variability in adults with spinal cord injuryJacob SCHOFFL

Publications

Books

  • Craig, A., Nicholson Perry, K. (2014). Guide for Health Professionals on the Psychosocial Care of Adults with Spinal Cord Injury. Chatswood: ACI State Spinal Cord Injury Service.

Edited Books

  • Craig, A., Guest, R. (2019). Adversity after the Crash: The Physical, Psychological and Social Burden of Motor Vehicle Crashes. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Book Chapters

  • Pozzato, I., Gopinath, B., Craig, A. (2019). Biomarkers of the risk of psychosocial adversity following a motor vehicle crash. In A. Craig, R. Guest (Eds.), Adversity after the Crash: The Physical, Psychological and Social Burden of Motor Vehicle Crashes, (pp. 339-366). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Guest, R., Tran, Y., Craig, A. (2019). Efficacy of brief psychological interventions delivered early after the injury. In A. Craig, R. Guest (Eds.), Adversity after the Crash: The Physical, Psychological and Social Burden of Motor Vehicle Crashes, (pp. 267-306). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Craig, A., Guest, R., Tran, Y., Middleton, J. (2019). Mental health outcomes associated with severe injuries following motor vehicle crashes. In A. Craig, R. Guest (Eds.), Adversity after the Crash: The Physical, Psychological and Social Burden of Motor Vehicle Crashes, (pp. 225-243). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Journals

  • Hesam-Shariati, N., Moseley, G., Newton-John, T., Restrepo, S., Skinner, I., Zahara, P., Gustin, S., Alexander, L., Chen, K., Craig, A., Glare, P., Middleton, J., et al (2024). A home-based self-directed EEG neurofeedback intervention for people with chronic neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury (the StoPain Trial): description of the intervention. Spinal Cord. [More Information]
  • Nguyen, K., Tran, Y., Craig, A., Nguyen, H., Chai, R. (2024). Clustering for mitigating subject variability in driving fatigue classification using electroencephalography source-space functional connectivity features. Journal of Neural Engineering, 21(6), 066002. [More Information]
  • Li, Y., Hu, Y., Pozzato, I., Arora, M., Schoffl, J., McBain, C., Middleton, J., Craig, A. (2024). Efficacy of Interventions to Improve Cognitive Function in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review. Journal of Neurotrauma. [More Information]

Conferences

  • Chai, R., Tran, Y., Ling, S., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2019). Combining ICA Clustering and Power Spectral Density for Feature Extraction of Mental Fatigue of Spinal Cord Injury Patients. 41st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2019), : Springer Verlag. [More Information]
  • Chai, R., Naik, G., Ling, S., Tran, Y., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2017). Channels selection using independent component analysis and scalp map projection for EEG-based driver fatigue classification. 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), Piscataway: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]
  • Chai, R., Tran, Y., Naik, G., Nguyen, T., Ling, S., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2016). Classification of EEG based-Mental Fatigue using Principal Component Analysis and Bayesian Neural Network. 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2016), Orlando: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]

2024

  • Hesam-Shariati, N., Moseley, G., Newton-John, T., Restrepo, S., Skinner, I., Zahara, P., Gustin, S., Alexander, L., Chen, K., Craig, A., Glare, P., Middleton, J., et al (2024). A home-based self-directed EEG neurofeedback intervention for people with chronic neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury (the StoPain Trial): description of the intervention. Spinal Cord. [More Information]
  • Nguyen, K., Tran, Y., Craig, A., Nguyen, H., Chai, R. (2024). Clustering for mitigating subject variability in driving fatigue classification using electroencephalography source-space functional connectivity features. Journal of Neural Engineering, 21(6), 066002. [More Information]
  • Li, Y., Hu, Y., Pozzato, I., Arora, M., Schoffl, J., McBain, C., Middleton, J., Craig, A. (2024). Efficacy of Interventions to Improve Cognitive Function in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review. Journal of Neurotrauma. [More Information]

2023

  • Middleton, J., Arora, M., Kifley, A., Geraghty, T., Borg, S., Marshall, R., Clark, J., Nunn, A., Ferrante, A., Fekete, C., Gopinath, B., Craig, A., Cameron, I., et al (2023). Australian arm of the International Spinal Cord Injury (Aus-InSCI) community survey: 1. population-based design, methodology and cohort profile. Spinal Cord, 61(3), 194-203. [More Information]
  • Kifley, A., Arora, M., Nunn, A., Marshall, R., Geraghty, T., Weber, G., Urquhart, S., Craig, A., Cameron, I., Middleton, J. (2023). Australian arm of the International Spinal Cord Injury (Aus-InSCI) Community Survey: 3. Drivers of quality of life in people with spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord, 61(3), 185-193. [More Information]
  • Pozzato, I., Arora, M., McBain, C., Wijesuriya, N., Tran, Y., Middleton, J., Craig, A. (2023). Cognitive Failure in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury: A Valuable Adjunct Measure for Enhancing Cognitive Assessment and Rehabilitation Outcomes. Neurology International, 15(4), 1371-1382. [More Information]

2022

  • Sandalic, D., Middleton, J., Arora, M., Craig, A., Pozzato, I., Simpson, G. (2022). A Narrative Review of Research on Adjustment to Spinal Cord Injury and Mental Health: Gaps, Future Directions, and Practice Recommendations. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 15, 1997-2010. [More Information]
  • Tran, Y., Austin, P., Lo, C., Craig, A., Middleton, J., Wrigley, P., Siddall, P. (2022). An Exploratory EEG Analysis on the Effects of Virtual Reality in People with Neuropathic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury. Sensors, 22(7), 2629. [More Information]
  • Sandalic, D., Craig, A., Tran, Y., Arora, M., Pozzato, I., McBain, C., Tonkin, H., Simpson, G., Gopinath, B., Kaur, J., Middleton, J., et al (2022). Cognitive Impairment in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: Findings of a Systematic Review With Robust Variance and Network Meta-analyses. Neurology, 99(16), E1779-E1790. [More Information]

2021

  • Craig, A., Pozzato, I., Arora, M., Middleton, J., Rodrigues, D., McBain, C., Tran, Y., Davis, G., Gopinath, B., Kifley, A., Schoffl, J., Cameron, I., et al (2021). A neuro-cardiac self-regulation therapy to improve autonomic and neural function after SCI: a randomized controlled trial protocol. BMC Neurology, 21(1), 329. [More Information]
  • Sharwood, L., Kifley, A., Craig, A., Gopinath, B., Jagnoor, J., Cameron, I. (2021). Comparison of physical and psychological health outcomes for motorcyclists and other road users after land transport crashes: an inception cohort study. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1983. [More Information]
  • Jin, I., Tang, D., Gengaroli, J., Nicholson Perry, K., Burlutsky, G., Craig, A., Liew, G., Mitchell, P., Gopinath, B. (2021). Cross-sectional study evaluating burden and depressive symptoms in family carers of persons with age-related macular degeneration in Australia. BMJ Open, 11(9), e048658. [More Information]

2020

  • Sandalic, D., Craig, A., Arora, M., Pozzato, I., Simpson, G., Gopinath, B., Kaur, J., Shetty, S., Weber, G., Cameron, I., Middleton, J., et al (2020). A prospective cohort study investigating contributors to mild cognitive impairment in adults with spinal cord injury: study protocol. BMC Neurology, 20(1), 341. [More Information]
  • Pozzato, I., Meares, S., Kifley, A., Craig, A., Gillett, M., Vu, K., Liang, A., Cameron, I., Gopinath, B. (2020). Challenges in the acute identification of mild traumatic brain injuries: results from an emergency department surveillance study. BMJ Open, 10(2), e034494. [More Information]
  • van Diemen, T., Craig, A., van Nes, I., Stolwijk-Swuste, J., Geertzen, J., Middleton, J., Post, M. (2020). Enhancing our conceptual understanding of state and trait self-efficacy by correlational analysis of four self-efficacy scales in people with spinal cord injury. BMC Psychology, 8(1), 1-9. [More Information]

2019

  • Craig, A., Guest, R. (2019). Adversity after the Crash: The Physical, Psychological and Social Burden of Motor Vehicle Crashes. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Pozzato, I., Craig, A., Gopinath, B., Tran, Y., Dinh, M., Gillett, M., Cameron, I. (2019). Biomarkers of autonomic regulation for predicting psychological distress and functional recovery following road traffic injuries: protocol for a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open, 9(4), 1-11. [More Information]
  • Pozzato, I., Gopinath, B., Craig, A. (2019). Biomarkers of the risk of psychosocial adversity following a motor vehicle crash. In A. Craig, R. Guest (Eds.), Adversity after the Crash: The Physical, Psychological and Social Burden of Motor Vehicle Crashes, (pp. 339-366). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

2018

  • Gopinath, B., Liew, G., Craig, A., Pozzato, I., Meares, S., Burlutsky, G., Cameron, I., Mitchell, P. (2018). Association between head injury and concussion with retinal vessel caliber. PloS One, 13(7), 1-9. [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Guest, R., Middleton, J. (2018). Cognitive Impairment and Its Impact of Adjustment Following Spinal Cord Injury. In Darrell Freeman and Robin Colon (Eds.), Quadriplegia: Causes, Complications and Treatments, (pp. 53-86). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Craig, A., Rodrigues, D., Tran, Y., Guest, R., Middleton, J. (2018). Daytime sleepiness and its relationships to fatigue and autonomic dysfunction in adults with spinal cord injury. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 112, 90-98. [More Information]

2017

  • Pozzato, I., Cameron, I., Meares, S., Kifley, A., Vu, K., Liang, A., Gillett, M., Craig, A., Gopinath, B. (2017). A surveillance study to determine the accuracy of mild traumatic brain injury diagnosis in an emergency department: Protocol for a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open, 7(8), 1-5. [More Information]
  • Chai, R., Naik, G., Ling, S., Tran, Y., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2017). Channels selection using independent component analysis and scalp map projection for EEG-based driver fatigue classification. 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), Piscataway: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Guest, R., Tran, Y., Middleton, J. (2017). Cognitive impairment and mood states following spinal cord injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 34(6), 1156-1163. [More Information]

2016

  • Chai, R., Tran, Y., Naik, G., Nguyen, T., Ling, S., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2016). Classification of EEG based-Mental Fatigue using Principal Component Analysis and Bayesian Neural Network. 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2016), Orlando: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]
  • Gopinath, B., Jagnoor, J., Craig, A., Kifley, A., Dinh, M., Ivers, R., Boufous, S., Cameron, I. (2016). Describing and comparing the characteristics of injured bicyclists and other injured road users: A prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 1-10. [More Information]
  • San, P., Ling, S., Chai, R., Tran, Y., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2016). EEG-based Driver Fatigue Detection using Hybrid Deep Generic Model. 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2016), Orlando: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]

2015

  • Craig, A., Blumgart, E., Tran, Y. (2015). A model clarifying the role of mediators in the variability of mood states over time in people who stutter. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 44, 63-73. [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Nicholson-Perry, K., Guest, R., Tran, Y., Middleton, J. (2015). Adjustment following chronic spinal cord injury: Determining factors that contribute to social participation. British Journal of Health Psychology, 20(4), 807-823. [More Information]
  • Chai, R., Naik, G., Tran, Y., Ling, S., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2015). Classification of Driver Fatigue in an Electroencephalography-based Countermeasure System with Source Separation Module. 2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS 2015), Piscataway: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]

2014

  • Middleton, J., Nicholson Perry, K., Craig, A. (2014). A Clinical Perspective on the Need for Psychosocial Care Guidelines in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 2(5), 1-6. [More Information]
  • Guest, R., Perry, K., Tran, Y., Middleton, J., Craig, A. (2014). A Prospective Study of the Change in Quality of Life in Adults with a Newly Acquired Spinal Cord Injury. International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 2(5), 1-5. [More Information]
  • Tran, Y., Nguyen, H., Craig, A. (2014). Assistive Technologies Using Brain-Computer Interfaces: The Problem of Mental Fatigue. In Deborah Combs (Eds.), New Research on Assistive Technologies: Uses and Limitations, (pp. 85-96). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

2013

  • Lazzaro, I., Tran, Y., Wijesuriya, N., Craig, A. (2013). Central correlates of impaired information processing in people with spinal cord injury. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 30(1), 59-65. [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Tran, Y., Middleton, J., Cameron, I. (2013). Chronic Fatigue in People with Neurological Injuries and its Influence on Wellbeing. In Columbus, A.M. (Eds.), Advances in Psychology Research, (pp. 65-82). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Craig, A., Blumgart, E., Tran, Y. (2013). Coping with the Adversity of Chronic Disorder: The Development of Resilience. In Robert G. Bednarik (Eds.), The Psychology of Human Behaviour, (pp. 239-257). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

2012

  • Blumgart, E., Tran, Y., Yaruss, J., Craig, A. (2012). Australian normative data for the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 37(2), 83-90. [More Information]
  • Wijesuriya, N., Craig, A., Tran, Y., Middleton, J. (2012). Fatigue and anger in people with spinal cord injury. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 18(1), 60-65. [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Tran, Y., Wijesuriya, N., Middleton, J. (2012). Fatigue and tiredness in people with spinal cord injury. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 73(3), 205-210. [More Information]

2011

  • Tran, Y., Thuraisingham, R., Craig, A., Tomlinson, E., Davis, G., Middleton, J., Nguyen, H. (2011). Changes in Blood Volume Pulse During Exercise Recovery in Activity-Based Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury. 33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2011), Piscataway, USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Tran, Y., Wijesuriya, N. (2011). Psychophysiological Characteristics of Driver Fatigue. In Joris C Verster and Charles F P George (Eds.), Sleep, Sleepiness and Traffic Safety, (pp. 65-91). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Craig, A., Blumgart, E., Tran, Y. (2011). Resilience and stuttering: factors that protect people from the adversity of chronic stuttering. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 54(6), 1485-1496. [More Information]

2010

  • Blumgart, E., Tran, Y., Craig, A. (2010). An investigation into the personal financial costs associated with stuttering. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 35(3), 203-215. [More Information]
  • Boord, P., Craig, A., Tran, Y., Nguyen, H. (2010). Discrimination of left and right leg motor imagery for brain-computer interfaces. Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing, 48(4), 343-350. [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Tran, Y. (2010). Extraversion-Introversion and Its Association with Brain Activity in Frontal Cortical Regions. In Columbus, A.M. (Eds.), Advances in Psychology Research, Vol. 65, (pp. 191-210). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

2009

  • Tran, Y., Thuraisingham, R., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2009). Evaluating the efficacy of an automated procedure for EEG artifact removal. 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society EMBS 2009, Piscataway, New Jersey: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Tran, Y., Hermens, G., Williams, L., Kemp, A., Morris, C., Gordon, E. (2009). Psychological and neural correlates of emotional intelligence in a large sample of adult males and females. Personality and Individual Differences, 46(2), 111-115. [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Blumgart, E., Tran, Y. (2009). The impact of stuttering on the quality of life in adults who stutter. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 34(2), 61-71. [More Information]

2008

  • Wijesuriya, N., Tran, Y., Thuraisingham, R., Nguyen, H., Craig, A. (2008). Effects of mental fatigue on 8-13Hz brain activity in people with spinal cord injury. 30th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS 08), USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]
  • Vickland, V., Rogers, C., Craig, A., Tran, Y. (2008). Electrodermal activity as a possible physiological marker for acupuncture. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 14(2), 83-89. [More Information]
  • Tran, Y., Wijesuriya, N., Thuraisingham, R., Craig, A., Nguyen, H. (2008). Increase in regularity and decrease in variability seen in electroencephalography (EEG) signals from alert to fatigue during a driving simulated task. 30th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS 08), USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [More Information]

2007

  • Herbert, D., Tran, Y., Craig, A., Boord, P., Middleton, J., Siddall, P. (2007). Altered brain wave activity in persons with chronic spinal cord injury. International Journal of Neuroscience, 117, 1731-1746. [More Information]
  • Thuraisingham, R., Tran, Y., Boord, P., Craig, A. (2007). Analysis of eyes open, eye closed EEG signals using second-order difference plot. Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing, 45(12), 1243-1249. [More Information]
  • Middleton, J., Tran, Y., Craig, A. (2007). Relationship between quality of life and self-efficacy in persons with spinal cord injuries. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 88(12), 1643-1648. [More Information]

2006

  • Craig, A., Tran, Y., Wijesuriya, N., Boord, P. (2006). A controlled investigation into the psychological determinants of fatigue. Biological Psychology, 72(1), 78-87. [More Information]

2005

  • Craig, A., Tran, Y., Craig, D., Thuraisingham, R. (2005). Improving correct switching rates in a 'hands-free' environmental control system. Journal of Neural Engineering, 2(4), L9-L13. [More Information]
  • Craig, A., Tran, Y., Boord, P., Connell, K., Cooper, N., Gordon, E. (2005). Personality traits and its association with resting regional brain activity. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 60(3), 215-224. [More Information]
  • Lal, S., Craig, A. (2005). Reproducibility of the spectral components of the electroencephalogram during driver fatigue. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 55(2), 137-43. [More Information]

2004

  • Tran, Y., Craig, A., Bartrop, R., Nicholson, G. (2004). Time Course And Regional Distribution Of Cortical Changes During Acute Alcohol Ingestion. International Journal of Neuroscience, 114(7), 863-878. [More Information]

Selected Grants

2023

  • Rewarding Research 2024, Craig A, Faculty of Medicine and Health/FMH Rewarding Research Success
  • International Exploration of Rehabilitation Length of Stay Following Spinal Cord Injury, Craig A, Heinemann A, Arora M, National Institutes of Health (USA)/Research Grant

2020

  • A novel neuro-cardiac self-regulation therapy to improve autonomic and neural function after SCI: Clinical trials and translation to implementation, Craig A, Middleton J, Cameron I, Gopinath B, Davis G, NSW Health/Spinal Cord Injury Research Grant
  • Spinal Cord Injury Health Maintenance Tool - digitisation and development of an additional module in mental health, Middleton J, Arora M, Craig A, ICare/Research Grant