Course Directors

Mrs. Brechany

Curriculum Vitae

Personal Qualifications:
1982- 1985: Registered General Nurse Training – St James Hospital Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
1985: Certificate in Science for Nurses
2007: Extended and Supplementary Prescribing for Nurses – Northumbria University
2008: Clinical Skills and History Taking – Northumbria University
2009: DBS Masterclass for Specialist Nurses
2013: Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – Northumbria University
2014: Updated ICH/GCP certificate.

Professional Experience:
2001- present: Senior Movement Disorder DBS Nurse Specialist and Parkinson’s Nurse Specialist. Royal Victoria Hospital, Newcastle UK
1999-2001: Parkinson’s Disease Research Nurse- Royal Victoria Hospital, Newcastle UK.
1993-1999: Senior Neuro-theatre Sister – Royal Victoria Hospital. (First DBS cases in Newcastle in 1998)
1990-1992: Sales Representative Ethicon Ltd UK – Laparoscopic devices. Ireland.
1989-1990: Scrub Nurse General Theatres. St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, Australia.
1987-1988: Scrub Nurse General Theatres. St John of God’s Hospital Perth Western Australia.
1985-1987: Theatre Nurse – Trauma and General surgery theatres. St James’s Hospital Dublin, Ireland.

Other Experience with training:
2003: Medtronic PD Nurse Training for Activa Deep Brain Stimulation Course.
2009: DBS Masterclass for Nurse Specialists
2014: Master Class in Apomorphine and Advanced therapies for Parkinson’s disease.
2016: Non Oral therapies Road shows for Parkinson’s UK
2017: Training programme in Kolkarta, India for DBS
2009-present: Numerous presentations/ educational forums Nationally and Internationally on DBS.

Affiliated Associations:
2014 – Current time: Vice Chair of National DBS Nurse Association.
A member of the DBS National UK Forum – supported by Parkinson’s UK.
National DBS Registry.
Parkinson’s Excellence National Network.

Publications:
Subthalamic deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease has no significant effect on perceptual timing in the hundreds of milliseconds range. Neuropsychologia 57(2014)29-37. T.E Cope, M Grube, F. Cooper, U Brechany et al.
Making a difference in Parkinson’s disease: An audit of patient perspectives. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, Nov 2009. Vol 5. N0 11. 497-501.
A Multicentre longtitudinal observational study of changes in self reported health status in people with Parkinson’s disease left untreated at diagnosis. Journal of neurology,neurosurgery and psychiatry 78(5):465-9 June 2007 DOI:10.1136/JNNP.2006098327. Donald Grosset, L Taurah, David Burn, R Chaudhuri, U Brechany et al.

AUDIT:
The long term outcomes of Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s disease in Newcastle General Hospital.
Parkinson’s disease National audit within the Newcastle Upon Tyne hospital trust – 3 yearly 

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Deep Brain Stimulation Rehabilitation Project

Heather Hunter¹, Una Brechany¹, Nicola Pavese², Lynn Rochester²

1: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust   2: Institute of Neurology, Newcastle University (2018-2020)