Dr Rowena Mobbs
MBBS, BMedSci (Hons 1), PhD, FRACP (Neurology)
Professional Overview
Dr Rowena Mobbs is one of Australia's leading clinicians in dementia, concussion, and cognitive disorders. She is the founder, Principal Neurologist, and Director of Harbour Neurology in North Sydney, is a Visiting Medical Officer at Mater Hospital Sydney, and holds an appointment as an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute.
Known for her compassionate, patient-centred approach, Dr Mobbs is highly committed to the integration of multidisciplinary chronic care and translating cutting-edge research into everyday clinical practice. She is a prominent community advocate for individuals living with traumatic brain injuries and dementia, frequently speaking at national conferences, industry events, and across major national media.
Clinical Expertise & Services
Dr Mobbs specialises in cognitive and behavioural neurology, offering comprehensive diagnostic and management services for a wide range of neurological conditions. Her clinical focus includes:
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Cognitive Disorders & Dementia: Diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disease, Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia, alcohol-related dementia, and normopressure hydrocephalus.
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Advanced Alzheimer's Therapies: Serving as the Director of the practice's infusion service, providing access to emerging anti-amyloid therapies such as Donanemab.
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Sports Neurology & Brain Injury: Expert care for acute concussion, post-concussion syndrome, Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES), and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
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General Neurology & Therapeutics: Treatment of chronic migraines, post-traumatic headaches, and hyperhidrosis, utilizing specialized Botox therapy and EEG diagnostics.
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Occupational & Medico-Legal Care: Providing expert consultations for Workers' Compensation, Motor Vehicle Accidents (CTP), and formal medico-legal reporting.
Leadership & Advocacy: ConneCTErs Australia & National Policy
A dedicated clinician-researcher, Dr Mobbs has been at the forefront of concussion and CTE awareness in Australia, championing evidence-informed care and driving national policy changes:
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ConneCTErs Australia & Support Programs: Dr Mobbs is a founder of ConneCTErs Australia, a pioneering organisation dedicated to providing clinical support for individuals living with suspected or probable CTE. Through this initiative, she established the Circle CTE group therapy program. ConneCTErs Australia has partnered with Dementia Australia to deliver the federally funded National CTE Support Group Program, offering specialised care and community support across 11 sites and online.
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Senate Inquiry Expert Testimony (2023): Dr Mobbs was a key medical witness for the Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs inquiry into Concussions and Repeated Head Trauma in Contact Sports. She authored Submission 1, which included explicit MRI brain series data highlighting TES. During her testimony at the Sydney public hearing in January 2023, she championed a "patient-first" health approach, advocating for a mandatory Code of Conduct for sporting organisations, a National Sports Injury Database, independent neurological assessments, and specialised CTE clinics.
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Research Leadership: She founded the Australian CTE Biobank and served as the Clinical Lead of the Concussion and Repetitive Head Trauma research group at Macquarie University from 2019 to 2024. She also created the Concussion Big 5 online education program to help the public detect neurological signs of concussion and safely remove athletes from play.
Education & Training
Dr Mobbs completed her medical degree (MBBS) and a Bachelor of Medical Science with First Class Honours at the University of Adelaide. She was awarded a PhD in neuropathology for her research into compressive myelopathy, work for which she twice received the Spine Society of Australia’s award for spinal research.
Following advanced neurology training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre, she completed a highly specialised fellowship in cognitive neurology, neurodegeneration, and sleep disorders at the Brain and Mind Centre under Professor Simon Lewis. She was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in 2015.
Sporting Background & Holistic Brain Health
Dr Mobbs’ deep interest in sports neurology is driven by her own elite athletic background. She was awarded a University Blue in fencing and represented Australia at the World Championships in both fencing and the modern pentathlon. She also represented her state in junior triathlon and cross-country running, and remains active in competitive hockey today.
Beyond clinical medicine, Dr Mobbs is a strong proponent of lifestyle interventions to protect long-term brain health. She advocates for regular exercise, prioritising sleep to allow the brain to maintain its neural pathways, and adhering to a Mediterranean diet. She also emphasises the cognitive benefits of spending time in nature—such as gardening or visiting green spaces—to reduce stress and improve overall cognitive function.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rowena-mobbs-531b9957/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rowena-mobbs-531b9957/
Media
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ABC Listen (Radio Interview): You can listen to her interview with Sarah Macdonald on the ABC radio program, Meet the doctor treating brain injuries in NRL legends, where she discusses her work treating professional athletes and the reality of living with CTE.
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Nine.com.au (The Today Show): Watch her television appearance on The Today Show alongside rugby league legend James Graham in the video segment, "New book highlights the dangers of concussion in sport."
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The Sydney Morning Herald (Opinion Pieces): Read her written advocacy and commentary by visiting her author profile on The Sydney Morning Herald, which archives pieces like her discussion on why concussion conversations belong between patients and doctors.
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The Australian (Video Commentary): Review her short-form expert commentary in the video piece titled, "If you think dementia won't affect you, think again."
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The Brain Foundation (Expert Q&A): Read her detailed written responses regarding traumatic brain injury and patient care guidelines in the Brain Foundation Concussion Expert Interviews.
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The Sydney Morning Herald: You can read the feature piece, It's at the stage of mild dementia ... and he's only 40 years old, where she highlights the alarming impact of repeated head trauma on contact-sport athletes. Additionally, you can find her collected opinion columns and contributions directly on The Sydney Morning Herald Contributor Profile for Rowena Mobbs.
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The Australian: Her analysis regarding safety protocols can be read in the sports coverage piece, 'Four weeks' out for concussion: top neurologist, where she calls for stricter mandatory rest periods after head injuries. Dr Rowena Mobbs discusses how she manages her own cognitive health and includes her recommendations on nature, sleep, and the Mediterranean diet.
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ABC News: Her medical commentary is featured in the comprehensive health profile, Most concussions don't happen on the sports field. Brain injury is a community issue, which explores the broader social and long-term consequences of post-concussion syndrome.
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Adelaide Now / The Advertiser: You can follow her clinical work with retired athletes in the regional report, Former AFL players to be tested for brain damage in Adelaide, mapping her involvement in player health litigations and baseline screenings.
Publications
Sleep disorders and respiratory function in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
RM Ahmed, REA Newcombe, AJ Piper, SJ Lewis, BJ Yee, MC Kiernan, ...
Sleep medicine reviews 26, 33-42, 2016 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2015.05.007
AJ Pearce, J Sy, M Lee, A Harding, R Mobbs, J Batchelor, CM Suter, ...
Acta neuropathologica communications 8 (1), 23, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-020-0895-z
Visual effects of concussion: a review
CL Fraser, R Mobbs
Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology 50 (1), 104-109, 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/ceo.13987
Chronic neurophysiological effects of repeated head trauma in retired Australian male sport athletes
AJ Pearce, DJ Kidgell, MA Tommerdahl, AK Frazer, B Rist, R Mobbs, ...
Frontiers in neurology 12, 633320, 2021 https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.633320
Clinical gait characteristics in the early post-concussion phase: A systematic review
J Reidy, R Mobbs, J Kim, E Brown, R Mobbs
Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 107, 184-191, 2023
RN Martins, KJ Anstey, LD Baker, E Barin, CB Dias, BM Brown, ...
Alzheimer's & Dementia 16, e046955, 2020
Apoptosis in human compressive myelopathy due to metastatic neoplasia
REA Newcombe, JW Finnie, AV Leonard, J Manavis, PL Reilly, R Vink, ...
Spine 40 (8), E450-E457, 2015
JL Ponsford, AJ Hicks, MK Bagg, R Phyland, S Carrier, AC James, ...
Neurotrauma Reports 5 (1), neur. 2023.0127, 2024
E Erskine, J Batchelor, M Maddren, E Brown, R Lystad, R Mobbs
medRxiv, 2022.07. 07.22277393, 2022
Cerebral microvascular dysfunction and clinical considerations of systemic arterial hypertension
J Kim, R Mobbs, A Di Ieva
Hypertension Journal 6 (3), 117-124, 2020
REA Newcombe, PC Blumbergs, G Sarvestani, J Manavis, NR Jones
Orthopaedic Proceedings 86 (SUPP_IV), 462-462, 2004
A human study of apoptosis in acute and chronic compressive myelopathy
REA Newcombe, PC Blumbergs, J Manavis, NR Jones
Orthopaedic Proceedings 85 (SUPP_III), 283-283, 2003
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)–An Update and Overview
R Mobbs
ACNR, Advances in Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, 2023
M See, C Gillies, M Bendersky, C Hodge, A Schulz, F Nasrallah, R Mobbs, ...
BMJ Neurology Open 7 (Suppl 1), 2025
R Mobbs, S Tomlinson, F Nasrallah, P Goadsby, V Newcombe, B Jenkins, ...
BMJ Neurology Open 7 (Suppl 1), 2025
Retinal nerve fibre layer thinning in probable traumatic encephalopathy syndrome
MW See, R Mobbs, A Schulz, C Hodge, J Batchelor, C Fraser
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGY 53, 2025
R Mobbs, F Nasrallah, XV To, J Magnussen, J Batchelor, E Hsiao, ...
arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.04334, 2024
R Mobbs, E Brown, J Batchelor, R Stevenson, A Pearce, C Fraser, ...
BMJ Neurology Open 4 (Suppl 1), 2024
A Greenhow, R Mobbs
Sports Law and Governance Journal 1 (1), 2023
REA Mobbs, J Batchelor, AK Teunisse, E Erskine, E Brown, J Hood, ...
medRxiv, 2021.04. 20.21255372, 2021
L Rigney, L Chen, A Selby, T Patel, YT Hwang, AED Mobbs, REA Mobbs
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 90 (e7), A37-A37, 2019
L Rigney, A Selby, L Chen, T Patel, YT Hwang, AED Mobbs, REA Mobbs
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 90 (e7), A38-A38, 2019
Cellular pathology and apoptosis in experimental and human acute and chronic compressive myelopathy
REA Newcombe