About Dr Ettie Ben-Shabat

I remember her really clearly, and I saw her a couple of years after completing my PhD.

It was a Tuesday after a long weekend, and I was filling in on the ward for one of the physios.

The Greek lady was in her early 80’s and was admitted to hospital on Friday with a stroke. As the long weekend was approaching she was only seen briefly, and on Tuesday my role was to fully assess her (aka work my way through the lengthy assessment form). My hand-over notes said that she was not walking and that her command of the English language was limited.

I opened her scan and was surprised to see that despite suffering MCA stroke (as specified in the radiology report) her motor systems were completely intact. Which meant:

• She should be able to walk without significant issues
• I didn’t need to rely heavily on her/my limited communication
• She had been off her feet for 4 days and therefore at risk of becoming immobile – an very important consideration. Older people admitted to hospital often loose their physical abilities quickly
• I was concerned that her immobility may be mistaken as being caused by the stroke.

What I saw in the brain images changed everything I did that day.

All of a sudden it was not as important to conduct a full neurological assessment (following a lengthy form). I needed to conduct a short neurological assessment because the main aim was to get her up on her feet again AND as quickly as possible.

• Instead of having one long treatment with her, I decided to break it up to three short treatments.
• The aim was to give her few more opportunities to walk during that day.
• Mindful of this knowledge, I chose to conduct a very basic assessment in order to spend my time getting her to walk. I also trained the Allied Health Assistant to walk with her. By the end of the day she was walking supervised with the Allied Health Assistant. Needless to say, she was delighted with her progress.

When the news travelled as to what happened, physios got really interested and wanted to understand how brain imaging can help them better address their patients’ needs.

From my perspective I learnt some important lessons that day:

• It’s essential to look at the brain images of every single person before seeing them
• Clinicians seem to be satisfied with the radiology report – which in this case didn’t provide sufficient details for rehab.
• Every clinician should be able to use brain imaging to optimise their patients’ recovery.
• I needed to start helping more patients on their recovery journey by teaching clinicians how to use brain imaging for rehabilitation purpose.

I started talking about brain images … alot … to various clinicians in various forums. I also started developing my brain imaging in rehab training program.

Fast forward to now, and I have trained hundreds of clinicians from many disciplines. Clinicians find the training both enjoyable and transformational. Read some of their reviews here.

I am the Founder Brain Rehab ACademy (BRAC) and I hold a Senior Clinician and Researcher position at Caulfield Hospital (Alfred Health, Melbourne Australia).

In my efforts to educate rehabilitation clinicians in using brain imaging for clinical purposes (i.e. Clinical Radiology) I have given talks, seminars, workshops and courses at various health services, and professional organisations across Australia and internationally.

I am also a contributor on the largest online radiology platform Radiopaedia.

• Assessing Lesion Location, Visual Midline Perception and Proprioception May Assist Outcome Predictions for People Affected by Lateropulsion (2022)
• Illusory limb movements activate different brain networks than imposed limb movements: an ALE meta-analysis (2017)
• A functional MRI study of proprioception and its hemispheric dominance in healthy and stroke-affected individuals (2015)
• Intra- and interrater reliability of the Modified Tardieu Scale for the assessment of lower limb spasticity in adults with neurologic injuries (2013)

• Post ischaemic stroke – spasticity vs dystonia (2022)
• Stroke progression (2021)
• Cerebellopontine angle meningioma (2021)
• Traumatic brain injury (2020) This case study has also been used in Dynamed an EBSCO Clinical Decisions resource.
• Stroke (2019)

• Behind the Image: A Rehab Conversation with a Radiologist (2025)
• When Clinical Signs Mislead: A Case Study in Clinical Reasoning and Brain Imaging (2025)
• Dementia Risk Factors, Brain Health and the Role of Brain Imaging (2025)
• The Future of Concussion: A Seminar on Advanced Brain Imaging (2024)
• Brain Bleeds and How to Treat Them (2024)
• The Science Behind Lateropulsion and Treatment (2023)
• Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) Through the Lens of Brain Imaging (2023)
• Apraxia for Rehabilitation Clinicians (2023)

• Speech Pathologists in Adult Rehabilitation (SPAR) and Dysphagia Interest Group (DIG) – Nationwide, online: “A Complex Case Study: Dysphagia, Clinical Assessment and Brain Imaging” (12 November 2025)
• Core Pilates – Victoria : “Neurological Rehabilitation Workshop – MS, Brain Imaging and Patient Demonstration” (5 June 2024)
• HealthCare Australia – Nationwide, online – 2 workshops: “A practical Guide for Assessing, Treating, and Managing Muscle Tone and Contracture in Aged Care Facilities” (22 + 29 August 2023)
• Neuro Rehab Group – Private Clinic: “Dystonia Theory, Practice, Brain Imaging and Case Studies” (22 February 2022)
• Speech Pathologists in Adult Rehabilitation (SPAR) – Nationwide, online: “Brain imaging workshop: the rehab information you won’t find in the radiology report and a Case Study” (28 October 2020)
• Alfred Health – Speech Pathology Department – Victoria: “Brain Imaging for Speech Pathologists and a Case Study” (12 August 2020)

• Australian Physiotherapy Association – QLD branch: ” What Physiotherapists Need to Know About Dementia” (27 Oct 2025)
• Active Health Clinic – Victoria: “Invisible Illnesses and Brain Imaging” (27 May 2025)
• Stroke Clinical Management Team – The Prince Charles Hospital – Queensland: “Brain Imaging for Enhanced Neuro Rehab – A Case Study” (21 August 2024)
• Stroke Week Forum – Peter James Centre – Eastern Heath – Victoria:  “Using Brain Imaging for Better Stroke Care” (6 August 2024)
• Physiotherapy Department – Royal Melbourne Hospital – Victoria: “How to Use Brain Imaging in Physiotherapy (16 April 2024)
• Current Trends in Neurodevelopment: Assessment Diagnosis and Support – Paediatric Neruopsychology Conference – Monash University – Melbourne: “What Clinicians and Researchers Need to Know About Brain Imaging and a Case Study” (16 October 2023)
• Occupational Therapy Department – Royal Melbourne Hospital – Victoria: “Brain Imaging for Occupational Therapists” (6 June 2023)
• Mind Plasticity – Private Clinic – Mental Health professionals – New South Wales: “How Can Brain Imaging Help Your Clinical Practice and a Case Study” (23 November 2022)
• Brain Injury SA – South Australia: “Brain Imaging for Traumatic Brain Injuries” (16 March 2021)
• Speech Pathology Subacute Seminar – St Vincent’s Hospital – Melbourne: “Brain Imaging for Speech Pathologists and a Case Study ” (21 June 2019)
• Austin Health, St Georges Hospital, Cabrini Malvern, Monash Medical Centre, Peninsula Health, Brunswick Private, Western Health, Royal Melbourne Hospital – City Campus, Royal Melbourne Hospital – Royal Park Campus, Alfred Health, Independent Rehabilitation Services – Victoria: “The Importance of Brain Imaging in Neuro Rehab” (11 talks given at various health services between April and November 2019)
• Australia Physiotherapy Association – Retired Physiotherapists interest group – Victoria: “Advances in Neuroscience and Their Relevance to Physiotherapy” (11 February 2019)
• Australian Physiotherapy Association – Functional Brain Imaging – Victoria: “Functional Brain Imaging – New Perspectives for Clinical Practice” (28 June 2017)