Professor Richard Sylvester

Profile

Professor Richard Sylvester is a Consultant Neurologist specialising in neurological rehabilitation, brain injury and the neurological effects of sports related head impacts. He is widely recognised for his clinical expertise in concussion and brain health in sport.

His clinical practice focuses on neurological rehabilitation following brain injury and the management of young onset cognitive disorders. He leads a specialist brain injury rehabilitation service and runs a multidisciplinary complex concussion clinic supporting athletes and individuals experiencing persistent symptoms following head injury.

Professor Sylvester has particular expertise in the diagnosis and management of sports related concussion and the long term neurological effects of repetitive head impacts. He directs an advanced brain health programme focused on the assessment and management of former professional athletes with neurocognitive symptoms.

Alongside his clinical work, Professor Sylvester is actively involved in research exploring the long term neurological consequences of contact sport participation, including the role of biomarkers and advanced neuroimaging in understanding brain injury and neurodegeneration.

At the University of Leeds he contributes expertise in concussion, brain injury and neurological aspects of sport and exercise medicine, supporting teaching and research collaboration within the School of Biomedical Sciences.

Professional experience

Professor Sylvester is a Consultant Neurologist with extensive clinical experience in neurological rehabilitation and brain injury management.

He leads a specialist brain injury rehabilitation service and directs a complex concussion clinic supporting athletes and individuals with persistent neurological symptoms following concussion.

He also runs an advanced brain health clinic focused on the assessment and management of former professional athletes with neurocognitive concerns associated with repeated head impacts.

Professor Sylvester provides expert clinical advice to a number of national and international sporting organisations. He contributes to expert panels advising rugby union, rugby league and football on concussion and brain health and serves as an Independent Concussion Expert for World Rugby.

He is also a member of the Association of British Neurologists traumatic brain injury advisory group and the UK Head Injury Network, contributing to national clinical guidance and research initiatives related to concussion and brain injury.

Research interests

Professor Sylvester’s research focuses on concussion, traumatic brain injury and long term brain health in athletes.

His research interests include:

· Sports related concussion and mild traumatic brain injury

· Long term neurological effects of repetitive head impacts

· Brain health in former contact sport athletes

· Biomarkers and advanced neuroimaging in brain injury

· Neurocognitive disorders associated with sports participation

· Neurological rehabilitation following brain injury

He leads and collaborates on research programmes investigating neurological outcomes and biomarkers in retired contact sport athletes.

Qualifications

• BSc Physiological Sciences
• BM BCh Medicine and Surgery – University of Oxford
• PhD Neurological Sciences
• GMC Specialist Registration in Neurology
• Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London)

Student education

Professor Sylvester is actively involved in postgraduate medical education and specialist training in neurology and brain injury.

He serves as an Educational Supervisor for neurology specialist trainees and contributes to teaching in clinical neuroscience and brain injury rehabilitation.

At the University of Leeds he contributes teaching on concussion, neurological injury and brain health in sport within postgraduate sport and exercise medicine education.