Workshop: New Insights Into Paediatric SCI Pain
Pleased to be presenting with
Prof Kathy Zebracki, Shriner’s Children’s Hospital, USA
Kirsten Hart, National Spinal Injuries Centre, UK
Julian Taylor, Hospital Nacional de Parapleijos, Spain
Judy Peters, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, UK
Dr Alexander Rouse
MBBS, BSc (Hons), MRCP, DCH (RCPCH)
Founding Chair
PaedSCI
Consultant Physician & Paediatrics Lead
National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Clinical Director
London Spinal Cord Injury Network
Dr Rouse is a Consultant Physician in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at the National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC) at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. He also serves as the Clinical Director of the London Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Network, where he oversees regional coordination of specialist services and drives system‑wide improvements in SCI pathways for both children and adults.
He leads the paediatric SCI programme at NSIC, providing comprehensive care for children with traumatic and non‑traumatic spinal cord dysfunction. His clinical practice is grounded in the belief that meaningful recovery is best achieved through early, intensive, and interdisciplinary rehabilitation, with a strong emphasis on functional restoration, long‑term health, and quality of life.
His research focuses on improving outcomes for individuals with SCI across the lifespan, with particular interests in paediatric SCI, prevention of secondary complications, and the development of evidence‑based rehabilitation strategies. He is the Founding Chair of PaedSCI, the international meeting for paediatric spinal cord injury specialists. He also contributes actively to national and international collaborations aimed at advancing SCI care, service design, and translational clinical practice.
A committed educator and mentor, Dr. Rouse teaches undergraduate and graduate-entry medicine for the University of Oxford, in the areas of general and spinal medicine during clinical placements. He leads the spinal medicine residential programme for Oxford medical students. He is deeply invested in developing the next generation of clinicians, and is a strong advocate for equitable, lifelong care for people living with spinal cord injury. His work reflects a passion for clinical excellence, innovation, and the empowerment of individuals with disabilities.