Meet some of the speakers for the 2025 PainAdelaide conference, Monday 3rd November at the National Wine Center Adelaide… possibly the best little pain meeting in the world….
Professor John Beltrame
John F Beltrame AM, BSc, BMBS, FRACP, PhD, FESC, FACC, FCSANZ, FAHA,
John Beltrame is the Michell Professor of Medicine and Discipline Lead at the University of Adelaide, and the Research Lead for the Translational Vascular Function Research Collaborative based at the Basil Hetzel Institute. He is also a senior consultant cardiologist at The Queen Elizabeth and Royal Adelaide Hospitals.
He has strong clinical and research interests in coronary vasomotor disorders, being a co-founder and co-chair of COVADIS (Coronary Vasomotor Disorders International Study group) and Chair of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Coronary Vasomotor Dysfunction Working Group. He also is an adviser and advocate for support groups established by affected patients.
Professor Danny Eckert
Professor Danny J. Eckert BAppl Sci, BSc (Hons), PhD, FAASM is a Mathew Flinders Professor at Flinders University, a NHMRC Leadership Fellow and a Lead Investigator at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (part-time). He serves as Director of Sleep Health at Flinders University where he leads a comprehensive basic sciences and translational research program comprised of >70 multidisciplinary sleep researchers. His research focuses on identification of the causes of sleep apnoea, optimization of existing therapies, and development of new tailored therapies. He has published >230 articles in the leading sleep/respiratory medicine and other cross-disciplinary/general medical journals. He is most well-known for his pioneering respiratory endo-phenotyping work which has led to a new precision medicine therapeutic framework to understand and treat OSA and for his research on novel pharmacotherapy and for leading the 3-part TV series, Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley.
Dr Sarah Wallwork
Dr Sarah Wallwork is a Senior Research Fellow and physiotherapist within IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia. She leads a program of research that targets childhood to reduce the prevalence and burden of chronic pain in young people and adults. Her work explores the ecology in which a child is situated, including interconnected social, cultural and societal contexts, and how that may shape a child’s resilience against chronic pain. She has been awarded >$4.3m in funding, has published >40 peer-reviewed articles, has been invited speaker to 26 national/international conferences/seminars, and has been recipient of multiple national and international competitive scholarships. In 2021, she was named Field Leader in The Australian Research Magazine’s top researchers from 250 fields of research.
Dr Felicity Braithwaite
Dr Felicity Braithwaite is a pain researcher with a background in physiotherapy. She is passionate about working hand in hand with people living with pain to ask and answer meaningful research questions. Most recently, she has partnered with people with osteoarthritis to develop educational resources that debunk common misconceptions about osteoarthritis and its management using patient friendly language.
Dr Louise Wiles
Dr Louise Wiles is a research project manager at the University of South Australia, currently leading the EQUiPP Project (EQUIpping the general Public to prevent and overcome chronic Pain). EQUiPP is a four-year MRFF-funded pragmatic implementation trial, co-designed to improve healthcare use and clinical outcomes for people living with chronic pain. The dual-arm intervention focuses on building the capacity of healthcare professionals, and strengthening community understanding of chronic pain across rural and regional areas in south-eastern South Australia and western Victoria.
With a background in health services research, consumer engagement, and physiotherapy, Louise brings together clinical insight and practical experience managing projects involving multiple institutions and interest-holders. She’s passionate about making research meaningful and relevant to the people it’s intended to benefit.
Professor Mark Hutchinson
Professor Mark Hutchinson is a pioneering researcher and academic leader who serves as the Director of the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) at the University of Adelaide. His groundbreaking work in neuroimmunopharmacology has revolutionised our understanding of the “other brain” – the 90% of brain cells known as glia – and their crucial role in pain, addiction, and various neurological conditions. As head of the Neuroimmunopharmacology Laboratory, he has developed innovative approaches to biomarker identification and complex data analytics, successfully bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical applications. In recognition of his exceptional contributions to science and leadership, Professor Hutchinson holds several prestigious appointments, including membership on the Prime Minister’s National Science and Technology Council and Australia’s Economic Accelerator board member. He chairs the Safeguarding Australia through Biotechnology Response and Engagement (SABRE) Alliance and the Australian Pain Solutions Research Alliance board, while his previous roles as President of Science and Technology Australia, review of the ARC Legislation and as Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics have strengthened Australia’s scientific landscape. His research has pioneered novel drug activity at innate immune receptors, leading to transformative clinical applications that have advanced from laboratory concepts to bedside treatments.
Dr David Klyne
Dr David Klyne is a NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Fulbright Scholar at The University of Queensland. There he leads an international team that probe the bio-psycho-social mechanisms that underlie physiological and pathological pain. His work has received international acclaim, including winning the ISSLS Prize—premier international prize in spinal research—twice. He is also a Queensland Young Tall Poppy recipient (2024) and has received more than $150K in research prize money and >$23M in research funding.
Professor Lorimer Moseley
Professor Lorimer Moseley AO is a scientist, clinician and educator with a special interest in protective feelings, particularly pain. He has authored eight books and 420 scientific articles and is ranked in the top 0.05% of scientists working in any field. His discoveries in the neuroscience of pain have been recognised by honours or awards in 22 countries and treatments he developed are now recommended first line care in chronic pain guidelines wherever they exist. He remains convinced that learning about how pain works can improve lives.
Dr Amelia Mardon
Dr Amelia Mardon is postdoctoral research fellow in reproductive health at NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, where she specialises in endometriosis and pelvic pain research. Her personal experience of endometriosis has strongly shaped her work, particularly her PhD studies, where she developed a consumer-informed pelvic pain science education curriculum. Her research interests extend to conservative and self-management strategies to improve outcomes for people living with pelvic pain.
Amelia has published 24 peer-reviewed articles on endometriosis and chronic pain, with her work contributing to policy and the development of clinical guidelines in this field. She is regularly invited to speak at national and international conferences, including the ANZCA Annual Scientific Meeting and the New Zealand Pain Society Conference. She is committed to ensuring the endometriosis community has access to evidence-based, contemporary education about their condition.
Professor Anne Burke
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.
Hannah Kennedy
Hannah Kennedy is clinician researcher at Gold Coast Health’s Interdisciplinary Persistent Pain Centre and PhD candidate at Griffith University. She is co-lead Investigator of the Supercharging Chronic Pain RCT, which explores the use of Virtual Reality to enhance pain science education. Hannah is currently leading the implementation of the VR pain education program across Queensland Health’s six tertiary pain management services. Jannah has a background in Occupation Therapy and offers a lens of clinician experience, pragmatic research design and real-world VR implementation expertise for persistent pain.
Professor Stuart Brierley
Professor Stuart Brierley is Director of the Visceral Pain Research Group, Director of the Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, and Co-leader of the Lifelong Health theme at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). He is also an Affiliate of the School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Adelaide University.
He is an international expert in the ‘gut-brain axis’ and chronic visceral pain mechanisms. He is an NHMRC Investigator L1 recipient and received a NHMRC Research Excellence Award in 2016. His research is funded by the NHMRC, ARC, NIH and industry.
Dr Laura Hartnell
Dr. Laura Hartnell (she/they) is a consultant, facilitator, and academic specialising in co-design, systems thinking, and lived experience work. With an award-winning PhD in Cultural Studies, she is particularly passionate about trauma-informed and power-aware practice and has over a decade of experience working across education, health, government, and community settings. Her research explores creative and integrative approaches to working with individuals and communities, exploring collaborative ways of knowing, being, and doing.
Professor Ian Gwilt
Ian Gwilt is a Professor of Design. Ian’s current areas of research include practice and theory in visual communication design in the context of healthcare and wellbeing and the development of novel information visualization techniques to facilitate the understanding of data for non-specialist audiences. He is also interested in how we can introduce design methods into interdisciplinary healthcare research teams through the use of inclusive, co-design, and participatory practices to improve systems, services, and products.
A/Professor Tasha Stanton
A/Prof Tasha Stanton leads the Persistent Pain Research Group at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and is co-Director of IIMPACT in Health at The University of South Australia, Adelaide. She holds a specific affinity for: pain and perceptual science research; cats; osteoarthritis research; running; virtual and mediated reality; and, karaoke. She welcomes collaboration on any of these.
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