University of Oxford
UK
Professor David Bennett (MB PhD) is Professor of neurology and neurobiology at the University of Oxford and consultant neurologist at Oxford University Hospitals in the UK. He is head of the Division of Clinical Neurology at the University of Oxford and a senior research fellow of Green Templeton College.
His research focus is to understand the pathogenesis of neural injury and neuropathic pain and ultimately improve the clinical management of this debilitating condition. He takes a translational approach ranging from cell-based models to human psychophysics and clinical cohorts. He administers a specialist neuropathic pain clinic based at Oxford University hospitals.
He has led the identification of novel clinical neuropathies and inherited pain channelopathies. He leads major international and national consortia including DOLORisk and PAINSTORM investigating risk factors and determinants of neuropathic pain. He received the PD Wall medal from the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2016 and became an honorary Skou professor of Aarhus University in 2019. He was appointed to Fellowship if the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020 for excellence in pain research.
University of Southampton
UK
Tamar is a Professor in Health Psychology, and a registered practicing practitioner with the Health and Care Professionals Council. Her research into psychological aspects of chronic pain spans 30 years, and has been cited by national guidelines, and changed practice on the ground.
She was the Director of the Research Centre for the study of Pain and Well-Being at Royal Holloway, until her move to the University of Southampton, and she is a core member of the Consortium to Research Individual, Interpersonal and Social Influences in Pain (CRIISP), which focuses on how people perceive pain and how others affect their pain, as well as considering wider social and environmental influences on pain.
Her research includes experiment approaches to explore psychological mechanisms in pain, observation studies to measure risk over time, trials to test effectiveness, and qualitative work, to examine the thoughts and beliefs of people living with pain and those who are part of their life.
Examples include investigations of cognitive biases in people living with pain; the psychological predictors for poor outcome in low back pain, and the study of clinicians’ beliefs and behaviours and their effect on patients with pain, especially in reference to effective reassurance and return to work. She has been a core team member of many randomized controlled trials, and regularly provides advice on behavior change. Her practical work has focused on training practitioners in effective communication skills and fostering awareness of patients’ psychological needs and concerns, and her on-line videos have been viewed widely across the world.
President, IASP | Imperial College
UK
Andrew Rice is Professor of Pain Research at Imperial College London, where he leads the Pain Research Group. He is currently serving as President of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
His research focusses on translational research in neuropathic pain in the context of infection (HIV, leprosy, HTLV-1 & zoster), diabetes, conflict-related trauma and non-freezing cold injury. Having been active in pre-clinical pain research (esp pathophysiology of HIV neuropathy, animal modelling and cannabinoid pharmacology), he now works on innovating pre-clinical experimental design, validity and evidence synthesis. Andrew’s clinical research includes deep profiling of neuropathic pain patients with a view to elucidating risk and enabling precision medicine, clinical trials and evidence synthesis. He collaborates with historians on aspects of neuropathic pain.
Andrew has authored ~250 publications (H-index 67), many in the leading specialist journal (PAIN). He has published in other notable journals including: Lancet, Brain, Lancet Neurology, Nature Methods, NEJM & BMJ.
Andrew has served as a Councillor of the International Association for the Study of Pain, liaison to South-East and is currently South Asia liaison. He was Chair of the Scientific Programme Committee for the 18th World Congress on Pain and of the Taskforce on Cannabinoid Analgesia. He previously held leadership positions in the IASP Special Interest Group on Neuropathic Pain.
Andrew has received multiple awards including Imperial College’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Animal Research; the Patrick Wall Lecturer at both the British Pain Society and the Faculty of Pain Medicine and the Michael Cousins lecturer at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network
SA Australia
Professor Anne Burke is a registered psychologist with dual endorsement in the areas of clinical and health psychology. She is the Lead for the South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network, a Past President of the Australian Pain Society (2019-2021), Co-Director - Psychology in Central Adelaide Local Health Network and Clinical Professor with The University of Adelaide.
Anne has a strong interest in translational research and is keen for health system information to be leveraged more effectively to support sustainable improvements in healthcare delivery.
Kolling Institute
NSW Australia
Professor James Elliott, PT, PhD, FAPTA, is currently the Director of the Kolling Institute and the Academic Director of Allied Health and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney and the Northern Sydney Local Health District.
The primary focus of his interdisciplinary work uses high-resolution imaging techniques and artificial intelligence to automatically quantify altered spinal cord anatomy and whole-body skeletal muscle degeneration as potential markers of recovery following a traumatic injury.
His work has resulted in external recognition as a global collaborator in trauma, innovation, and personal/professional wellbeing.
Australian E-Health Research Centre
QLD Australia
Dr David Ireland received a Bachelor of Engineering in Microelectronics and Masters of Philosophy and Ph.D. in electronic engineering and computer science from Griffith University. He is now a Senior Research Scientist at the Australian E-Health Research Centre. Here he works with speech & occupational therapists and other clinicians in realising technology interventions which have gone on to win national awards in research & development.
He does research on a broad range of issues, from therapeutic technology in chronic pain and autism spectrum disorder to smoking cessation, Parkinson's disease and genetic counselling.
University of Melbourne
VIC Australia
Professor Jason Ivanusic is a teaching and research academic in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne. His research is focused on understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms that contribute to pain derived from skeletal tissues, or of trigeminal origin, with a view to identifying targeted ways to treat it. He enjoys overcoming significant challenges that arise when working with skeletal tissues, and heads the only group in the world that is currently using electrophysiology to record directly from sensory neurons that innervate bone. He is also actively engaged in a program of work that explores mechanisms of pain management using ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, and which directly informs clinical practice in anaesthesia. When he’s not in or around the lab, he spends a lot of his time sharing his passion for teaching anatomy.
University of Sydney
NSW Australia
Dr Caitlin Jones is a postdoctoral research associate with the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, at the University of Sydney. Her research evaluates the benefits and harms of treatments for painful musculoskeletal conditions with a particular interest in high-risk options such as opioid medicines. Her work has been published in top journals such as the Lancet, the BMJ and Annals of Internal Medicine. Her program is influencing policy and practice, such as being cited in WHO clinical guidelines, sparking a TGA post market review on spinal cord stimulators, and being cited in state and federal US policy documents.
Dr Jones is the 2025 Rising Star Award winner.
The University of Notre Dame
SA Australia
Ian Olver AM MD PhD is a medical oncologist, cancer researcher and bioethicist. He is currently Co-ordinator of the Master of Bioethics at The University of Notre Dame Australia and Adjunct Professor, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide.
His previous roles have included CEO, Cancer Council Australia and Clinical Director, Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre and he has been a President of MOGA (Medical Oncology Group of Australia) and MASCC (Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer). He previously chaired the Australian Health Ethics Committee of NHMRC. His major research interests which have resulted in over 370 publications are supportive care in cancer and psycho-oncology. He received Membership of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2011 “For service to medical oncology as a clinician, researcher, administrator and mentor, and to the community through leadership roles with cancer control organisations.”
The University of Melbourne
VIC Australia
Dr Nicole Pope is an emerging leading researcher in pediatric pain management, working with international collaborators and patient partners on projects aimed at advancing collaborative care models and integrating the latest clinical evidence regarding the use of digital technologies in caring for children living with pain and their families. Dr. Pope's research focuses on improving pain management and family support for children, with findings expected to influence clinical practice globally and enhance understanding in this critical field.
Dr Pope is the recipient of the 2025 Cops for Kids Clinical Research Grant.
Victorian Institute of Sport
VIC Australia
Dr Ebonie Rio is a Sports Physiotherapist who has worked at the Victorian Institute of Sport since 2010, she also consults at The Australian Ballet, multiple AFL, Rugby, elite Soccer and Basketball clubs and she is the Senior Research Fellow at The Australian Ballet, a joint position with La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre. Ebonie co-leads activities in the High Performance 2032+ Strategy in Research and Innovation. Additionally, Ebonie sits on the Scientific Advisory Committee for Little Big Steps, a children’s charity that aims to increase physical activity in children undergoing cancer treatment to improve quality of life. Ebonie co-chairs both the Sports Medicine Australia conference and the International Scientific Tendon Symposium.
Her clinical career has included the Australian Institute of Sport, The Australian Open, Australian Ballet School, Melbourne Heart football club, Commonwealth Games 2006, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics, 2012 London Paralympics, 18 months travelling with Disney’s The Lion King stage show and she was awarded the Post-Graduate Scholarship at the AIS (2007). She has completed her Phd in tendon pain, Masters Sports Phys, Ba. Phys (hons) and Ba. App Sci. Her clinically focussed research has been awarded Victorian Fresh Scientist of the year 2015, ASICS SMA Best New Investigator 2004, 2013 & 2014 in Clinical Sports Medicine, best clinical science Pain Adelaide 2013, BJSM young investigator Best Clinical Paper 2014 and the Professor Mollie Holman medal for the best thesis of the faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Monash University 2015 and the ECR best paper 2015.
UNSW
NSW Australia
Dr Saurab Shrama is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the UNSW, honorary Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia, and Chief Clinical Research Scientist at the Pain Management and Research Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia. His vision is to make pain care equitable for all people worldwide, irrespective of their socio-cultural and economic positioning.
Dr Sharma will be presenting the IASP Global Year lecture, alongside Dr Tie Parma Yamato.
University of Sydney
NSW Australia
Dr Tiê Yamato (PT, PhD) is a leading expert in pediatric pain, with a specific focus on musculoskeletal conditions. She is a Research Fellow at the School of Health Sciences, the University of Sydney. She has published over 70 research articles and >4500 citations. Her research has influenced clinical practice guidelines globally and advanced the understanding of the global burden of musculoskeletal conditions, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
Dr Yamato will be presenting the IASP Global Year Lecture alongside Dr Saurab Sharma.
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.
University of Oxford
UK
Professor David Bennett (MB PhD) is Professor of neurology and neurobiology at the University of Oxford and consultant neurologist at Oxford University Hospitals in the UK. He is head of the Division of Clinical Neurology at the University of Oxford and a senior research fellow of Green Templeton College.
His research focus is to understand the pathogenesis of neural injury and neuropathic pain and ultimately improve the clinical management of this debilitating condition. He takes a translational approach ranging from cell-based models to human psychophysics and clinical cohorts. He administers a specialist neuropathic pain clinic based at Oxford University hospitals.
He has led the identification of novel clinical neuropathies and inherited pain channelopathies. He leads major international and national consortia including DOLORisk and PAINSTORM investigating risk factors and determinants of neuropathic pain. He received the PD Wall medal from the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2016 and became an honorary Skou professor of Aarhus University in 2019. He was appointed to Fellowship if the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020 for excellence in pain research.
South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network
SA Australia
Professor Anne Burke is a registered psychologist with dual endorsement in the areas of clinical and health psychology. She is the Lead for the South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network, a Past President of the Australian Pain Society (2019-2021), Co-Director - Psychology in Central Adelaide Local Health Network and Clinical Professor with The University of Adelaide.
Anne has a strong interest in translational research and is keen for health system information to be leveraged more effectively to support sustainable improvements in healthcare delivery.
Kolling Institute
NSW Australia
Professor James Elliott, PT, PhD, FAPTA, is currently the Director of the Kolling Institute and the Academic Director of Allied Health and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney and the Northern Sydney Local Health District.
The primary focus of his interdisciplinary work uses high-resolution imaging techniques and artificial intelligence to automatically quantify altered spinal cord anatomy and whole-body skeletal muscle degeneration as potential markers of recovery following a traumatic injury.
His work has resulted in external recognition as a global collaborator in trauma, innovation, and personal/professional wellbeing.
University of Melbourne
VIC Australia
Professor Jason Ivanusic is a teaching and research academic in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne. His research is focused on understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms that contribute to pain derived from skeletal tissues, or of trigeminal origin, with a view to identifying targeted ways to treat it. He enjoys overcoming significant challenges that arise when working with skeletal tissues, and heads the only group in the world that is currently using electrophysiology to record directly from sensory neurons that innervate bone. He is also actively engaged in a program of work that explores mechanisms of pain management using ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, and which directly informs clinical practice in anaesthesia. When he’s not in or around the lab, he spends a lot of his time sharing his passion for teaching anatomy.
University of Calgary
Canada
Melanie Noel, PhD, RPsych is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Calgary and a Full Member of the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. She directs the PEAK (Pain Education, Advocacy, Knowledge) Research Laboratory within the Vi Riddell Pain & Rehabilitation Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Canada.
Dr. Noel’s expertise is on children’s memories for pain and co-occurring mental health issues and pediatric chronic pain. She published guiding conceptual models of children’s pain memory development, co-occurring PTSD and chronic pain, and fear-avoidance. She has published over 225 papers in peer-reviewed journals (H index = 49). In recognition of her contributions to advancing knowledge of the psychological aspects of children’s pain, Dr. Noel received early career awards from the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the Canadian Pain Society, the American Pain Society, the Canadian Psychological Association, and the Society of Pediatric Psychology. She was named Avenue Magazine Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 (Class of 2017), a Killam Emerging Research Leader (2020), and holds the inaugural the Killam Memorial Emerging Leader Chair (2021-2026). In 2022, she was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists.
University of Southampton
UK
Tamar is a Professor in Health Psychology, and a registered practicing practitioner with the Health and Care Professionals Council. Her research into psychological aspects of chronic pain spans 30 years, and has been cited by national guidelines, and changed practice on the ground.
She was the Director of the Research Centre for the study of Pain and Well-Being at Royal Holloway, until her move to the University of Southampton, and she is a core member of the Consortium to Research Individual, Interpersonal and Social Influences in Pain (CRIISP), which focuses on how people perceive pain and how others affect their pain, as well as considering wider social and environmental influences on pain.
Her research includes experiment approaches to explore psychological mechanisms in pain, observation studies to measure risk over time, trials to test effectiveness, and qualitative work, to examine the thoughts and beliefs of people living with pain and those who are part of their life.
Examples include investigations of cognitive biases in people living with pain; the psychological predictors for poor outcome in low back pain, and the study of clinicians’ beliefs and behaviours and their effect on patients with pain, especially in reference to effective reassurance and return to work. She has been a core team member of many randomized controlled trials, and regularly provides advice on behavior change. Her practical work has focused on training practitioners in effective communication skills and fostering awareness of patients’ psychological needs and concerns, and her on-line videos have been viewed widely across the world.
President, IASP | Imperial College
UK
Andrew Rice is Professor of Pain Research at Imperial College London, where he leads the Pain Research Group. He is currently serving as President of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
His research focusses on translational research in neuropathic pain in the context of infection (HIV, leprosy, HTLV-1 & zoster), diabetes, conflict-related trauma and non-freezing cold injury. Having been active in pre-clinical pain research (esp pathophysiology of HIV neuropathy, animal modelling and cannabinoid pharmacology), he now works on innovating pre-clinical experimental design, validity and evidence synthesis. Andrew’s clinical research includes deep profiling of neuropathic pain patients with a view to elucidating risk and enabling precision medicine, clinical trials and evidence synthesis. He collaborates with historians on aspects of neuropathic pain.
Andrew has authored ~250 publications (H-index 67), many in the leading specialist journal (PAIN). He has published in other notable journals including: Lancet, Brain, Lancet Neurology, Nature Methods, NEJM & BMJ.
Andrew has served as a Councillor of the International Association for the Study of Pain, liaison to South-East and is currently South Asia liaison. He was Chair of the Scientific Programme Committee for the 18th World Congress on Pain and of the Taskforce on Cannabinoid Analgesia. He previously held leadership positions in the IASP Special Interest Group on Neuropathic Pain.
Andrew has received multiple awards including Imperial College’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Animal Research; the Patrick Wall Lecturer at both the British Pain Society and the Faculty of Pain Medicine and the Michael Cousins lecturer at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
Victorian Institute of Sport
VIC Australia
Dr Ebonie Rio is a Sports Physiotherapist who has worked at the Victorian Institute of Sport since 2010, she also consults at The Australian Ballet, multiple AFL, Rugby, elite Soccer and Basketball clubs and she is the Senior Research Fellow at The Australian Ballet, a joint position with La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre. Ebonie co-leads activities in the High Performance 2032+ Strategy in Research and Innovation. Additionally, Ebonie sits on the Scientific Advisory Committee for Little Big Steps, a children’s charity that aims to increase physical activity in children undergoing cancer treatment to improve quality of life. Ebonie co-chairs both the Sports Medicine Australia conference and the International Scientific Tendon Symposium.
Her clinical career has included the Australian Institute of Sport, The Australian Open, Australian Ballet School, Melbourne Heart football club, Commonwealth Games 2006, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics, 2012 London Paralympics, 18 months travelling with Disney’s The Lion King stage show and she was awarded the Post-Graduate Scholarship at the AIS (2007). She has completed her Phd in tendon pain, Masters Sports Phys, Ba. Phys (hons) and Ba. App Sci. Her clinically focussed research has been awarded Victorian Fresh Scientist of the year 2015, ASICS SMA Best New Investigator 2004, 2013 & 2014 in Clinical Sports Medicine, best clinical science Pain Adelaide 2013, BJSM young investigator Best Clinical Paper 2014 and the Professor Mollie Holman medal for the best thesis of the faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Monash University 2015 and the ECR best paper 2015.
UNSW
NSW Australia
Dr Saurab Shrama is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the UNSW, honorary Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia, and Chief Clinical Research Scientist at the Pain Management and Research Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia. His vision is to make pain care equitable for all people worldwide, irrespective of their socio-cultural and economic positioning.
Dr Sharma will be presenting the IASP Global Year lecture, alongside Dr Tie Parma Yamato.
University of Sydney
NSW Australia
Dr Tiê Yamato (PT, PhD) is a leading expert in pediatric pain, with a specific focus on musculoskeletal conditions. She is a Research Fellow at the School of Health Sciences, the University of Sydney. She has published over 70 research articles and >4500 citations. Her research has influenced clinical practice guidelines globally and advanced the understanding of the global burden of musculoskeletal conditions, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
Dr Yamato will be presenting the IASP Global Year Lecture alongside Dr Saurab Sharma.