Christmas Fern – Polystichum acrostichoides

Ava Easton is a health scientist and researcher who specialises in encephalitis, acquired brain injury and narrative medicine, and is considered a world expert in her field of Encephalitis patient outcomes and quality of life.^[1][2][3][4] She is the current Chief Executive of The Encephalitis Society,^[5][3] a non-profit organisation which provides support and resources for those affected by the neurological disease of Encephalitis,^[6][7][8] and collaborates with various organisations on research into the disease.^{[9][10][8][11]}

Easton studied Applied Social Sciences at the Open University at the age of 33,^[1] and went on to complete a PhD with the University of York in 2014, on the role of narratives in encephalitis recovery.^[2][12][13]

Easton has been Chief Executive of the Encephalitis Society since 2011,^[2] having begun work with them in 2000,^[4] as Support Service Coordinator.^[3] She was made an Honorary Fellow in the Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Liverpool in 2014.^{[1][2][14][13]}

In 2014, Easton founded World Encephalitis Day,^[15][16] a global awareness day to raise awareness of the condition, and provide resources and support to those affected.^[3][17][18] In 2017, the charity won a Charity Times Award for Charity of the Year with an income of less than £1 million.^[19][20][21] Also in 2014, 2017, and in 2019, Easton was awarded a Social CEO award, supported by The Guardian newspaper, marking her as one of the top 30 charity leaders on social media.^[22][23] In 2019, World Encephalitis Day won a Third Sector Award for Communications Campaign of the Year,^[24] and Easton was given a Charity Comms Inspiring Communicator Award.^[3][25]

She is a member of the Global Forum on Neurology and COVID-19,^[14] and has been Chair of the Patient, Public and Community Engagement and Involvement Panel, on the taskforce for the COVID-19 NeuroResearch Coalition, since 2020.^[26][27] Additionally in 2020, Easton became a member of the Steering Committee for the National Surveillance Programme on Neurological Complications of COVID-19 (COVID-CNS).^[28] She also forms part of the associated group CoroNerve,^[29][30][31] and was also appointed as the Head of Patient and Public Involvement for the programme.^[28][32] Further, Easton is the Chair of the Patient and Public Involvement Panel for the Brain Infections Research Group of the Global Health Network.^[33] She is an Ambassador for the European Brain Council,^[34] and a member of many other not-for-profit organisations, including the Royal Society of Medicine, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, the American Academy of Neurology, and the European Academy of Neurology.^[35][36]

Easton also lectures at the University of Glasgow School of Medicine,^[37] and the University of Liverpool Brain Infections Group,^[32] as well as a consultant for media on encephalitis and brain injuries, most recently for the UK television program Hollyoaks on Channel 4.^[38][39]

Easton's research is primarily focused around the neurological disease of Encephalitis,^[40][41][42] but she also works within the broader realms of neurology,^[43][44] the non-profit sector,^[10][45][46] healthcare outcomes^[47][48] and patient engagement.^[49][50][45] She has contributed extensively into work on the epidemiology of Encephalitis,^[51][52] including its causes, clinical manifestation and disease management.^{[40][53][54][55]} Her work particularly concerns improving patient outcomes,^[48] looking at the recovery and rehabilitation process of those with acquired brain injuries.^[47] As well as researching the physical and cognitive effects of the condition,^[56] she also explores the social impacts on survivors^[47][50] and their relatives and caregivers,^[57][58][59] with a focus on improving research into the disease and enhancing patients' quality of care and support available.^[45][46]

Her specialist field of research concerns the role that personal experience-based accounts of acquired brain injuries can play in advancing knowledge of such conditions, a concept referred to as "neuro-narratives."^[41][60][61] Easton's first book, 'Life After Encephalitis' was published by Psychology Press in 2016.^[41] The book documents the journeys of affected people, and featuring accounts from survivors and memoirs from bereaved relatives.^[41][62][63] Easton explores the ways in which their accounts can aid professionals in deepening their understanding of the disease, and be used to inform care and support provided to those affected.^[41][63]

Recently, she has also been involved in research across the broader field of neurology, including studies into the neurological effects of COVID-19.^{[14][31][64][65]}

Her work has been published in The Lancet,^[10][58][66] The Journal of Neurology,^[67] BMJ,^[68] Nursing Standard,^[40][69] Clinical Medicine^[54] the British Journal of Hospital Medicine,^[42] the Journal of Infection,^[70][71] Social Science & Medicine^[50] and the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry.^[28][31]