Jo Stevens

Jo has been a stroke nurse almost all of her career. Originally from the Yorkshire Dales, she did her training in Portsmouth and started her first job in 2001 on the newly opened ASU in Southampton. 
A move to Manchester led to a brief foray into HDU, but her heart was definitely still in stroke and she moved to the Salford stroke rehabilitation unit in 2003.
Research was always a strong interest and getting involved in recruiting patients to studies meant she jumped at the opportunity to work for the newly formed NIHR Stroke Research Network in 2006. She became the Patient. Carer and Public Involvement Lead across the North West, and this ignited a passion for patient involvement in all she did from then on, and continues to influence her practice today.
She missed clinical practice after some time, so when the chance to lead a new Early Supported Discharge Team in the community arose, she decided that was the challenge for her. She is still there, though the team is now a Comprehensive Community Stroke team. Currently undertaking her Advanced Clinical Practice training, she is still absolutely passionate about stroke and stroke care, and particularly rehabilitation.
She has a specialist interest in sex and intimacy after stroke, continence and issues related to women after stroke.