Founder of Community Head Injuries Service honoured by British Psychological Society
Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr Andy Tyerman, has won the British Psychological Society M B Shapiro Award. The award is given to clinical psychologists who have achieved eminence in the profession.
Dr Tyerman set up and developed the Community Head Injury Service (CHIS), which is located in Aylesbury and is part of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. Throughout his career he has helped people who have suffered a head injury to ensure they receive the appropriate support to adapt to their injury and live a fulfilling life. Although he officially retired from the Trust in 2021, he continues his work with the Community Head Injury Service undertaking specific service-related research and teaching in an honorary capacity.
Chief Medical Officer at the Trust, Andrew McLaren, said: “The Trust is incredibly proud of Dr Tyerman and how much he has done for the people in Buckinghamshire with acquired head and brain injuries. They benefit immensely from his care and expertise, and the whole team at CHIS. Winning the M B Shapiro Award is an enormous achievement and worthy recognition of Dr Tyerman’s stellar career.”
Paul Bootle was a patient of Dr Tyerman. They first met in 1998 when Paul was injured in a road traffic accident. CHIS helped him back to work through voluntary schemes and then into college to learn to teach adults computer skills, all the while attending group sessions and treatment. He now also volunteers to help run the Friends of Community Head Injury Service using skills he learned through CHIS.
He said: “This service taught me, my wife and my children what was happening to me. It retrained me as a person, prepared me for work and helped me understand how a head injury affects life – my memory, attention span and even personality – forever more. 29 years later I still have a Head Injury, but I have been lucky enough to have been taught well by Dr Tyerman and all his team. This award is so well deserved.”
The M B Shapiro Award recognises those with an outstanding and widely recognised contribution to the development of clinical psychology, making an impact on the knowledge, policy and practice of clinical psychology and showing significant leadership and influence with professional bodies, governmental bodies, service delivery organisations and higher education institutions.