University of Technology Sydney

NSW Australia

Theresa is a Clinical Psychologist and PhD candidate in the Graduate School of Health at the University of Technology Sydney. She developed an interest in chronic pain after working as a research assistant in the Pain Research Unit at Sydney Children’s Hospital in between her undergraduate and Master’s psychology studies. Her PhD research is focused on the relationship between parent and family factors and child pain-related outcomes in paediatric chronic pain. In addition to chronic pain, Theresa’s clinical interests include eating disorders and trauma. She has a particular interest in understanding the complex interrelationships between mind, body and environment. This extends to her extra-curricular interests, where she has a passion for yoga and mindfulness.

Queensland Children's Hospital

QLD Australia

Bec works as a senior physiotherapist for the Queensland Interdisciplinary Paediatric Persistent Pain Service. She has worked with adults and young people experiencing chronic pain in both Australia and the UK for the last 20 years.
Her passion for understanding how the development of body/mind connection through childhood experiences impacts upon adult functioning is driving her pursuit for better outcomes for those experiencing persistent pain.
If she could have one wish, it would be to bring a biopsychosocial understanding of pain to schools, a child’s main occupation, so that our children might change the way society understands and manages persistent pain.

Children's Hospital Westmead

NSW Australia

Kasia Kozlowska, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and a clinician researcher in the area of functional somatic symptoms, runs a multidisciplinary consultation-liaison team committed to the close integration of research findings and clinical practice. In collaboration with the Physiotherapy Department and Hospital School, she also directs an inpatient Mind-Body Rehabilitation Program for children and adolescents with functional somatic symptoms—of which 60-80% suffer from complex/chronic pain. Because research with these children/adolescents shows activation of the stress system, the multidisciplinary team uses a stress-system model to understand and treat functional somatic symptoms. Her new book, Functional Somatic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: The Stress-System Approach to Assessment and Treatment (co-authored with Stephen Scher and Helene Helgeland), has be published Open Access by Palgrave Macmillan in late 2020.

University of Technology Sydney

NSW Australia

Joshua Pate's PhD investigated a child’s concept of pain at Macquarie University, supervised by A/Prof Verity Pacey, Prof Mark Hancock, and Prof Julia Hush. Joshua’s clinical work as a Senior Physiotherapist at Westmead Hospital Pain Management Centre motivates him to explore the mechanisms underpinning pain and its persistence.

Children's Hospital at Westmead

NSW Australia

Renee is the clinical psychologist with the tightly-knit interdisciplinary Complex Pain team.  Prior to this she worked with children and families in a variety of settings including tertiary child and family mental health, brain injury, and palliative care.  Renee is also trained in Couple and Family Therapy. The complex pain team has collaborated on a number of projects including paediatric eppoc, resources for patients, developing a Moderate Intensity Pain Management Day Program, and they have recently commenced a joint pilot brain/spinal cord injury and pain clinic.  Renee has collaborated on developing and delivering cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT) education for health professionals, and tutors Pain in Children subjects at the University of Sydney.

Vital Connections Allied Health

VIC Australia

Cate is an occupational therapist and director of Vital Connections Allied Health,  a private practice specialising in chronic pain and sensory modulation. She has held previous roles as Director of Allied Services and Projects and clinical occupational therapist at Pain Specialists Australia, and Senior Occupational Therapist with the Children’s Pain Management Clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital. She has extensive clinical experience as an occupational therapist, previously working in community health roles as a paediatric clinician, in child and youth mental health services, and working in the cystic fibrosis, transplant, oncology, and respiratory teams at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. Cate completed a Doctoral Thesis in occupational therapy with The University of Queensland in 2018, investigating adaptive functioning for children and adolescents with persistent pain, and associations with sensory modulation and attachment patterns. Cate has presented her research at national and international conferences and has disseminated her research in publications. She has also been invited to tour nationally and present workshops on pain management by OT Australia. Cate is a member of the Homeward Bound Leadership Program for women in STEMM, collaborating to achieve better outcomes for the planet.

Perth Children's Hospital

WA Australia

David graduated medicine from University College Cork, Ireland in 2000. Following his internship he commenced research with the department of Physiology for 2 years. He returned to hospital practice and completed the Irish Anaesthetic Training Scheme and a year in Pain Medicine. In 2011 he travelled with his family to Melbourne and completed fellowships in Paediatric Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine. He began as a specialist anaesthetist at Princess Margaret Hospital for children, Perth in 2014. David subsequently helped form the Complex Pain Service and joined the anaesthesia department’s research group within Perth Children’s Hospital. His research has examined perioperative adverse respiratory events, epidural analgesia, post-operative pain profiles, novel delivery of sedation and analgesia to children, and group pain management programs in children. In total, He has published 2 book chapters and 24 peer reviewed articles. He is an Honorary Research Associate, with the Telethon Kids Institute and a clinical associate professor with University of Western Australia.

Queensland Interdisciplinary Paediatric Persistent Pain Service

QLD Australia

Dr Sue Wilson is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who has worked as part of the Consultation Liaison Mental Health team, initially at the Mater Children's Hospital since 1998 and at the Queensland Children's Hospital from 2014. She joined the Queensland Interdisciplinary Paediatric Persistent Pain Service in 2017. Dr Wilson has a special interest in Functional Somatic Symptoms and the interface of mind and body in the paediatric hospital setting.