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Professor Emeritus in Psychology

MSc Clinical Psychology (UCT), PhD (Rhodes University)

Registered as a Neuropsychologist and Clinical Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)

Full Member: South African Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA); International Neuropsychology Society (INS); Concussion in Sport Group (CISG)

e-mail: a.edwards@ru.ac.za

Phone: +27(0)21 701 0203

Mobile: +27(0)82 779 0736

Ann Edwards

Ann Edwards, who publishes under the name Shuttleworth-Edwards, is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Rhodes University in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), South Africa. Though retired, she remains actively involved in research through a
continuing contract with the university, focusing on cross-cultural neuropsychology and concussive brain injury.

Now based in Cape Town, she offers expert assessments in cases of traumatic brain injury, drawing on decades of experience as both a clinical and neuropsychologist. She is co-director of Brain Evaluation Solutions and Testing (BEST), a company she co-founded 25 years ago with former doctoral student Dr Vicky Alexander. BEST integrates neuropsychological expertise into the medical management of concussive injuries, promoting safe returns to sport, work, and learning. The organization employs state-of-the-art mobile and computerized tools for neurocognitive screening across healthcare, sports, workplace, and research settings. (www.bestbrainsolutions.com)

A late student of psychology, Edwards obtained her MSc in Clinical Psychology cum laude from the University of Cape Town in 1984, having returned to study while raising young children. She went on to serve as a Clinical Psychologist and lecturer in the Department of Neurosurgery at Groote Schuur Hospital (1984–1989), before joining the Department of Psychology at Rhodes University as a Senior Lecturer. There, she was appointed Associate Professor in 1996, subsequently becoming a Full Professor in 2006, before retiring in 2009. During her tenure, she held key leadership roles, including Director of the Psychology Clinic and Head of the Clinical Masters training program.

In 1995, she undertook a research fellowship in traumatic brain injury at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), under the mentorship of renowned neuropsychologist Professor Paul Satz, who also supervised her PhD on cognitive aging.

A prolific author, Edwards serves on the editorial boards of the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology and the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. Her long-standing research and advocacy efforts have focused on two core areas: The neurocognitive effects of repeated concussion in contact sports; and The development of culturally appropriate normative data for cognitive testing in diverse populations. Her work has been widely recognized, and she has contributed to numerous national and international publications.

Since the early 1990s, she has been a regular presenter at the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) conferences, participating in programme development and scientific committee work. Highlights include: Chairing a pioneering symposium on rugby-related concussion at the 1999 INS conference in Durban to present the first of many presentations to follow on her research implicating deleterious neurocognitive consequences of participation in rugby union; Serving on the scientific review committees of the two INS conferences hosted in South Africa (Durban, 1999; Cape Town, 2017).

In a landmark 2016 article in The Clinical Neuropsychologist, Edwards challenged the universal application of population-based IQ test norms, citing cultural diversity in South Africa and globally. She co-authored the acclaimed book Cross-cultural Cognitive Test Norms: An Advanced Collation from Africa, deemed soon to become seminal in the assessment arena by Professor Laher, Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Psychological Assessment, and praised by Professor Jonathan Evans, Past President of INS, as a work that will “inspire clinicians and researchers to develop new ways to assess cognition,” fostering equity in healthcare delivery worldwide.

A long-standing contributor to the development of neuropsychology in South Africa, she has been involved with the South African Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA) since the 1980s, serving as an executive member and regularly participating in scientific review committees for its biennial conferences, including in leadership roles. Her work has supported academic growth, research, training, and credentialing within the field. She is also a full member of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) and the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG), reflecting her engagement with international initiatives. Now in the late stages of her career, Edwards continues to mentor, motivate and hopefully inspire the next generation of neuropsychologists in her two research areas of advocacy, building on nearly forty years of clinical and research experience.

To view Edwards’s Summary CV, click here.
To view a list of Edwards’s Research Outputs, click here.

Last Modified: Mon, 12 May 2025 11:48:18 SAST