AVERT
An introduction to AVERT
AVERT (A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial) is a clinical trial that tests whether starting rehabilitation within 24 hours of stroke onset helps patients make a better recovery. The study is already the largest stroke rehabilitation trial in the world.
The program is focused on finding out not only the effectiveness and cost of early rehabilitation but also aims to better understand what happens when people start to exercise soon after stroke. A few key areas of interest include how exercise affects muscle, bone and the brain, and how it may alter mood (depression) and cognitive function (thinking abilities). The trial requires 2014 stroke patients as participants.
The AVERT trial is led by Associate Professor Julie Bernhardt with an international team of collaborators and is an initiative of the National Stroke Research Institute, a part of the Florey Neurosciences Institutes. AVERT is funded by a grant from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.
Government funding for research into stroke rehabilitation is limited and the program relies on financial support from generous people and philanthropic organisations to perform its research.
Latest AVERT news
Read about people who have had a stroke and supported AVERT, results of the preliminary trial and progress with the current trial. The following linked AVERT newsletters provide up-to-date information of the trial
AVERT Newsletter no. 10 January 2010
AVERT Newsletter no. 9 August 2009
AVERT Newsletter no. 8 December 2008
AVERT Newsletter no. 7 July 2008
AVERT Newsletter no. 6 December 2007
AVERT Newsletter no. 5 July 2007
AVERT collaborative centres
There are 27 collaborating hospitals in the AVERT program across Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Wales and Northern Ireland. A list of the participating hospitals can be obtained from the avert team by emailing
Donate to AVERT
To donate to AVERT, click here.
Contact the AVERT team
To go onto the AVERT mailing list, to look at joining the trial, or if you wish to donate to AVERT please contact the AVERT team at avert@nsri.org.au or phone +61 3 9496 2888
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