Nick Hayward: Saving Brains

Dr Nick Hayward is a neuroscientist, anaesthetist and medical technologist. He aims to combine his research, clinical and technology expertise to create healthy brains.

Nick’s innovation and research career began with Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, UK, focusing on the cellular control of blood vessel development. His PhD in Kuopio, Finland, identified regional brain responses to injury through developing and implementing new medical imaging technologies (MRI). Nick then became a medical doctor at Imperial College London, UK, and now practises in anaesthesia, critical care and perioperative medicine.

Nick understands that saving the brain requires a multi-expert approach between scientists, medics, engineers and patients. His work focuses on translational research between academics and clinical teams, himself working as both a scientist and clinical doctor. He also supports clinical technology development through leading medtech research and building partnerships among hospitals, universities and industry.

His next adventure aims to further understand and develop the neuroscience and applications of immersive technologies (AR/VR) for psychological illness, physical illness and rehabilitation for patients.

Saving Brains

According to the WHO, brain injury and psychological illnesses are leading causes of disability, mortality and suicide worldwide. But the complexities of the brain necessitate a multi-faceted approach to save it. This includes intricate collaboration between scientists, engineers, medics and patients.

To this end, Dr Nick Hayward shares his journey in research, technology and clinical medicine towards saving brains. This talk details the neuronal and vascular responses to traumatic brain injury, stroke and epilepsy, uncovered through traditional neuroscience and multimodal medical imaging. The clinical correlates and technological implications will be discussed, along with the expectations of doctors and patients. The barriers to clinical implementation, the regulatory environment for medical devices, and the potential health benefits of immersive technologies will all be reviewed.