2025 Australian Pain Society 45th Annual Scientific Meeting in the IASP Global Year about Pain Management, Research and Education in
Low- and Middle-income Settings13 - 16 April 2025 | Pullman Melbourne Albert Park, VIC

Monash University

VIC Australia

Dr Claire Foldi is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Physiology at Monash University and a Group Leader in the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI). She completed her PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience at the Queensland Brain Institute in 2012 under the supervision of A/Prof Thomas Burne and Prof Darryl Eyles. Following Postdoctoral training in electrophysiology and molecular neurobiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden (Advisor; A/Prof Jens Hjerling-Leffler), she was recruited to the laboratory of Prof Brian Oldfield at Monash University in 2015.

Dr Foldi’s research priority is to understand the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie serious psychiatric disease. She is particularly interested in the often-unreported response heterogeneity that occurs in single neurons, animal models and patients in the clinic. She believes that interrogating the mechanisms underpinning this variability will inform the development of more effective treatment strategies.

Claire's current work focuses on the impact of specific neural circuitries on feeding behaviour and body weight maintenance in anorexia nervosa and the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for treating anorectic pathologies. The Foldi Lab is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia, with previous funding from the Rebecca L Cooper Medical Research Foundation and the British Society for Neuroendocrinology.

Monash University

VIC Australia

Dr Paul Liknaitzky is Head of Clinical Psychedelic Lab, and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Monash University. He has played a central role in establishing the field of clinical psychedelic research in Australia, and is the principal investigator on a program of psychedelic trials.

He leads the country’s largest and most experienced group of psychedelic researchers and clinicians, is involved in numerous psychedelic studies across the country, and collaborates with many international experts and organisations in the field. He has led several world-first studies, including the first trial to use psilocybin in the treatment of a primary anxiety condition, the first study testing the utility of psilocybin as a therapist training tool, and the first trial testing a psychedelic-augmented virtual-reality treatment.

In Australia, he established the first psychedelic lab, coordinated the first applied psychedelic therapist training program, and obtained the first industry funding for psychedelic research. Together with clinical and industry colleagues, he co-founded Australia’s first purpose-built psychedelic-assisted therapy clinic.

He is regularly invited to speak on psychedelic science for academia, medical peak bodies, industry, and government. His work is focused on investigating novel applications for psychedelic therapies, translating evidence into best clinical practice, exploring under-examined risks, delivering next-generation therapist training, and improving access and affordability.

Psychae Institute

VIC Australia

Dr Daniel Perkins is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Centre for Mental Health at Swinburne University, and Co-Executive Director at Psychae Institute, a non-profit medicinal psychedelics research centre. He was previously Director of the Office of Medicinal Cannabis at the Victorian Department of Health, where he led the development of the Victorian Government's medicinal cannabis GMP drug product, the compassionate access scheme for children with intractable epilepsy, and various medicinal cannabis research projects.

Embody Being

VIC Australia

Emily is an experienced health psychologist and somatic psychotherapist, focusing on the intersection between biological, psychological, social and emotional aspects of health, pain and disease. In her Melbourne-based private practice, Emily integrates relational, depth, ecotherapy and systems theory approaches with her postgraduate training in Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy and ISITTA Trauma Therapy.

In research teams, Emily is a Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapist (PAP) for both Australian and international clinical trials, utilising MDMA for PTSD with first responders at Monash University and two studies investigating psilocybin for depression at Swinburne University (2021 and ongoing). Emily is Co-Chair of the PAP Interest Group within the Australian Association of Psychologists Incorporated (AAPi). Her academic and professional interest in trauma and consciousness studies formalised during her novel doctoral qualitative research, which explored Australian ICU specialists' interpretations and practices related to brain and cardiac death determination, end-of-life care, and organ donation (2010); and in her Psychophysiology and Psychology co-major degree, where she earned First Class Honours for her research contrasting EEG coherence patterns in individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and age-matched healthy controls.

Pain Matrix

VIC Australia

A/Professor Michael Vagg, is a consultant in rehabilitation and pain medicine. He graduated from Monash University in 1994 and spent several years as a uniformed Medical Officer in the RAAF before undertaking vocational training. Michael completed a Fellowship of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFRM) in 2004 and gained Fellowship of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in 2006. Michael is also a Director of Pain Matrix and Pain Matrix Eastern.

He holds an appointment as Conjoint Clinical Associate Professor at Deakin University School of Medicine. For the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM), he has been a Board member since 2013 and is currently the Dean. Michael is a regular contributor to the media discussing various medical-related topics.