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About me

Dr Sara Lucas is a highly experienced Clinical Neuropsychologist who offers neuropsychological services in Adelaide, Sydney and Darwin.

Where I have worked

Clinically, Dr Lucas initially worked for many years at Westmead Hospital, in the areas of geriatric medicine, brain injury, psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery, and drug and alcohol. This involved provision of neuropsychological assessment services to inpatient wards including geriatric medicine, psychiatry, neurology, neurosurgery, rehabilitation, and general medical wards, as well as provision of similar services to outpatients from the area. She also worked at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney providing outpatients services and consulting to the spinal ward and neurology ward. Since moving to Adelaide, she has continued to consult to various hospitals around the city including Flinders Medical Centre (rehabilitation and geriatrics), Glenside Health Services and Royal Adelaide Hospital (mental health ward).

 

Dr Lucas has worked in the medicolegal arena since 2006. This has largely involved assessment of claimants (on behalf of both plaintiff and defendant solicitors, or insurers) for CTP and worker’s compensation insurance claims, and more recently in relation to other insurance issues such as total and permanent disablement for superannuation and life insurers. Dr Lucas has also completed assessments for Victim’s compensation claims, as well as capacity assessments for the NSW Nurses’ Board and CASA (airline pilots). She consults to several medicolegal organisations including MLCOA and MSBC.

 

Dr Lucas also has expertise in forensic assessments such as fitness to stand trial, and fitness to plead, as well as performing assessments for sentencing purposes, all from a neuropsychological perspective.

 

She has also completed many reports on post-humous testamentary capacity with review of medical and other records to determine capacity at the time of making a Will or signing other important paperwork of people who are now deceased.

 

Dr Lucas has been involved in the teaching programs for Clinical Neuropsychology, Clinical Psychology and Forensic Psychology of four Universities around Sydney. This has involved teaching of in the use of psychometric tools such as intelligence tests and various other neuropsychological tests. She has also lectured in the areas of memory and traumatic brain injury. She also ran the Adult Psychological Assessment course at University of South Australia for the Master of Clinical Psychology program for four years. Presently, she lectures for Brain and Mind Institute at University of Sydney.

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Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science (Honours Psychology), University of Adelaide, 1997​

  • Master of Clinical Neuropsychology, Macquarie University, 2000​

  • Doctorate of Clinical Neuropsychology, Macquarie University, 2009​

  • Graduate Diploma of Health Law, University of Sydney, 2016

Professional Memberships

  • Full registration with the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA),
    endorsement in clinical neuropsychology​​

  • Full member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)​​

  • Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (CCN)​​

  • Full member of National Academy of Neuropsychologists (NAN)

APS_Fellow-Logo.jpg

Publications

Terpening, Z., Cordato, N.J., Hepner, I.J., Lucas, S.K. & Lindley, R.I. (2011). Utility of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination – Revised for the diagnosis of dementia syndromes. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 30(3), 113-118.

 

Lucas, S.K., Redoblado-Hodge, M.A., Shores, E.A., Brennan, J. & Harris, A.W.F. (2009). Factors associated with functional psychosocial status in first episode psychosis. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 3, 35-43.

 

Lucas, S.K. , Redoblado-Hodge, M.A., Shores, E.A., Brennan, J. & Harris, A.W.F. (2008). Predictors of outcome three years after diagnosis of first episode psychosis. Psychiatry Research, 161, 11-18.

 

Zipparo, L., Whitford, T.J., Redoblado-Hodge, M.A., Lucas, S.K., Farrow, T.F.D., Brennan, J., Gomes, L., Williams, L.M. & Harris, A.W.F. (2008). Investigating the neuropsychological and neuroanatomical changes that occur over the first 2-3 years of illness in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 32, 531-538.

 

Wegener, S., Redoblado-Hodge, M.A., Lucas, S.K., Fitzgerald, D., Harris, A. & Brennan, J. (2005). The relative contribution of psychiatric symptoms and neuropsychological functioning to quality of life in first episode psychosis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 39(6), 487-492.

 

Harris, A., Brennan, J., Anderson, J., Taylor, A., Sanbrook, M., Fitzgerald, D., Lucas, S.K., Redoblado-Hodge, A., Gomes, L. & Gordon, E. (2005). Clinical profiles and general findings of the Western Sydney First Episode Psychosis Project. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 39, 36-43.

 

Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2004). WMS-III findings in litigants following moderate to extremely severe brain trauma. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology,27, 576-590.

 

Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2004). Evaluation of Two Methods for Estimating Premorbid Intelligence on the WAIS-III in a Clinical Sample. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 18 (3), 423-432.

 

Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2004). Validation of the Rarely Missed Index (RMI) from the Wechsler Memory Scale – Third Edition (WMS-III) as a method of detecting memory malingering in mild head injury litigants. Journal of Forensic Neuropsychology, 4(1), 49-64.

 

Lucas, S.K., Fitzgerald, D., Redoblado-Hodge, M.A., Anderson, J., Sanbrook, M., Harris, A. & Brennan, J. (2004). Neuropsychological correlates of symptom profiles in first episode schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 71, 323-330.

 

Fitzgerald, D., Lucas, S.K., Redoblado, M.A., Winter, V., Brennan, J., Anderson, J. & Harris, A. (2004). Cognitive functioning in young people with first episode psychosis: relationship to diagnosis and clinical characteristics. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38, 501-510.

 

Lucas, S.K., Carstairs, J. & Shores, E.A. (2003). A comparison of methods to estimate premorbid intelligence in an Australian sample: Data from the Macquarie University Neuropsychological Normative Study (MUNNS). Australian Psychologist, 38(3), 227-237.

 

Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2003). Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Third Edition findings in relation to severity of brain injury in litigants. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 17(2), 273-284.

 

Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2003). Quantitative measures of memory malingering on the Wechsler Memory Scale – Third Edition in mild head injury litigants. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 18, 181-197.

 

Lucas, S.K. & Wade, T.  (2001). An examination of the power of the voices in predicting the mental state of people experiencing psychosis. Behaviour Change, 18, 51-57. 

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