Graduating from UTAS in 1992 Bernadette spent the next 10 years working as a Psychologist for Community Mental Health Services in Tasmania (Child & Adolescent/Adult Community). Bernadette has also worked for UTAS as honorary clinical lecturer with the School of Psychology and Rural Clinical School at the Cradle Coast Campus.

Bernadette moved into private practice (Psychology Plus) in 2003 where she developed a special interest in the treatment of chronic pain and health education. In 2016, Bernadette completed her Master of Science in Medicine (Pain Management) through the University of Sydney. Aside from consulting in private practice Bernadette co-facilitates a federally funded Group Pain Management Program (OPAL) on the North West Coast of Tasmania and has done so for the past 8 years. Bernadette is also co-director of Pain Solutions a multi-disciplinary team working with compensable patients suffering chronic pain.

Bernadette is a big supporter of the Pain Revolution; she rode for the first time in 2018 and is currently a mentor for local pain educators through the local pain education program.

Dr Laura Prendergast is a Senior Psychologist at the Northern Health Pain Service in Melbourne, Victoria, where she delivers group programs and provides assessment and individual treatment to clients with persistent pain. She also consults on the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) Clinical Panel, reviewing and providing advice for psychologists treating people who have been touched by road trauma. She is passionate about multidisciplinary pain management and enjoys the challenge of improving educational resources for people with pain in her clinical practice. Laura is a strong advocate for Health Psychology and its focus on prevention and population level interventions in addition to targeted clinical work.

Laura served as the Victorian Director on the board of the Australian Pain Society from 2017 to 2022, was appointed Treasurer in 2022 and now President-Elect from 2025.

Duncan Sanders is a Senior Lecturer for the Master of Medicine (Pain Management), Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney, and a Pain Management Physiotherapist. He completed his PhD at The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. His PhD exploring the brain mechanisms and modulation of persistent pain using modern neuroimaging techniques, was nominated for the King’s College London graduate school prize. Over the last four years his research focus has shifted from neurobiological mechanism of pain, to looking at clinically relevant work focused on early identification, prevention and management of chronic pain related disability. He is currently working with collaborators on a Department of Health grant to develop a national education pain program for healthcare professionals.

Clinically Duncan has worked as a Physiotherapist in various settings, including pain clinics, the British Military of Defence, private practice and large tertiary hospitals. He was the Educational Development Physiotherapist and Clinical Specialist in Pain Management at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital, London. His main area of interest over the last 15 years has been in multidisciplinary pain management, working in world-renowned facilities including the Michael J Cousins Pain Management & Research Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital and the INPUT Pain Management Unit, St Thomas’ Hospital, London. He is the past Chair and Vice-Chair of the Australian Physiotherapy Association NSW Pain Group.

Anjelo Ratnachandra is the founder of Beyond Pain and an award-winning practitioner who established one of the first private chronic pain/fatigue physiotherapy services in Australia. His unique set of skills in Physiotherapy and Counselling has led him to contribute towards numerous research papers in pain & fatigue management. He is the author of the popular self-guiding book Beyond Pain which has reached over 13 countries. Anjelo has extensive experience, having worked with chronic illnesses for almost two decades. He not only helps individuals but also consults to corporations (State and National), and government organisations on early intervention and injury prevention. He runs his own workshops and has developed pioneering concepts in the area of persistent pain and chronic illness. For his work, Anjelo has received numerous awards in Occupational Rehabilitation, and was the inaugural winner of Worksafe’s (Vic) Treating Health Practitioner Award in 2011. In 2018, he was awarded Physiotherapist of the Year at the Australian Allied Health Awards. He has worked in Australia and overseas and is a popular keynote speaker.

Connor is an Irish-Australian physiotherapist and researcher. In his clinical work, Connor has established and run successful businesses and led a state-wide team of health professionals within the New South Wales Police Force. In his research, Connor has established and leads a clinician-led physiotherapy research network in regional New South Wales. In this network, and other projects, Connor works with end-users of research (clinicians, consumers, and other stakeholders) to co-produce clinically relevant translational research. Connor is passionate about making research more useful and leading changes in health systems to improve outcomes for patients with pain and chronic health conditions.

Dr Searle completed her PhD through the University of Adelaide in 2011 in the area of child mental health. Her research experience spans two decades, in the broad areas of mental health and wellbeing, public health and epidemiology, and health services research. In her current role as Data Manager/Research Scientist at the Flinders Medical Centre Pain Management Unit, Dr Searle collaborates with medical consultants, allied health clinicians, nurses and administrative staff, as well as university academics in order to conduct various research projects regarding chronic pain patient outcomes, generating results that are directly translatable into quality improvement and evidence-based practice. Dr Searle has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and presented at various national and international conferences. She also holds an adjunct role within the Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health.

Karla Wright is a highly dedicated and experienced Pharmacist based in Brisbane, Queensland, where she practices at a Community Pharmacy in Fernvale. As the Vice-President of the Queensland Branch Committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), she plays a pivotal role in advancing the practice of pharmacy in the region. Through her involvement in the PSA, she actively contributes to shaping policy and improving professional standards and she has dedicated her career to advancing Pharmacy practice and improving patient care.

In addition to her many other responsibilities, Karla is an active member of the Australian Pain Society and has been a member of the Relationships Committee since 2021. Her involvement in this committee allows her to collaborate with professionals from various disciplines to address issues related to pain management and patient care. Through her various roles and contributions, Karla has become a respected leader in the pharmacy profession.

Sinan moved to Australia from Mumbai in 2015 to pursue a Master’s in Clinical Physiotherapy. Upon completing his Masters, he moved to Burnie, a regional city on the northwest coast of Tasmania. Living and working in Burnie exposed Sinan to the challenges regional communities face in receiving best practice care, especially when it comes to the management of persistent pain and to that end, he has been involved with Pain Revolution as a Local Pain Educator (LPE).

Sinan is extremely passionate about improving the knowledge and standards of pain care amongst allied health professionals and strongly advocates for the recognition of social determinants of health in outcomes related to pain. Sinan currently works as a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at the Launceston General Hospital. Sinan also works as a consultant and coach for BOOST Recovery, an online program for the management of persistent pain. He is currently pursuing his Master of Science in Medicine (Pain Management) from the University of Sydney.

Alison qualified as an osteopath in 2001 and has worked in a variety of clinical settings since graduating. She completed a master’s degree in pain management at The University of Sydney ten years ago and has worked exclusively in the area of pain management since. In 2021 Alison commenced a full time PhD which focused on early interventions for people with a compensable injury. She completed the PhD in 2024 and is currently working in pain research. Alison continues to work clinically part time, seeing patients with chronic pain in a multidisciplinary clinic. She has been part of the APS for many years and has attended the annual conferences for the last eight years. Alison appreciates the connectedness that the APS fosters within its membership and firmly believes in its mission to advance pain management through research, education and advocacy for people with living with pain.

Alison is keen to contribute to the APS and was appointed VIC State Director in 2025.

Katrina Liddiard is an Occupational Therapist, researcher and Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy at Edith Cowan University. She has more than 30 years of experience across clinical practice, education and research, with a particular interest in chronic pain management and rehabilitation.

Katrina has worked extensively in interdisciplinary pain care and has been involved in advancing occupational therapy’s role in pain management across Australia. She has contributed to clinical education, professional development and collaborative initiatives that support evidence-informed pain care.

In 2024, Katrina completed her PhD at Edith Cowan University, exploring what makes rehabilitation personally meaningful for people living with chronic pain. Her current research focuses on person-centred rehabilitation, therapeutic relationships and improving outcomes for people experiencing persistent pain.

Jacintha graduated as an occupational therapist in 2001. She is a member of Occupational Therapy Australia and the World Federation of Occupational Therapy. In her early career, she worked in inpatient, outpatient and community mental health services, and then progressed to working in public and private pain clinics. Jacintha established her own occupational therapy practice in 2014, focusing on mental health, persistent pain and complex/chronic conditions. Jacintha is passionate about enabling people with persistent pain to do the things that are important to them and incorporating participation and meaning into all aspects of service delivery. She is a strong advocate for the inclusion of occupational therapy in multidisciplinary services for people with persistent pain and involved in providing training to health professionals to broaden their skills and abilities in working with people with persistent pain.

Joyce is a multi-award winning clinical pharmacist and educator within the field of pain management. She has authored and innovated many pioneering pain programs for primary health care, private hospitals and within the pharmacy industry in Australia and Southeast Asia.

Her work in pain management has been promoted by the Productivity Commission of Australia, in particular for her value-based health pathways and expertise in collaborative partnerships within both primary healthcare and hospitals. Currently she is the Clinical Program Director of the Gold Coast Primary Health Network ‘Turning Pain into Gain’ program and Managing Director of PainWISE. In addition to her executive roles, she also leads in altruistic work within regional and remote areas of Australia, to improve access to pain management services in hard-to-reach areas. She has strong skills in motivational interviewing, health pathway design and translating evidence into everyday clinical relevance.

Karin Plummer is a paediatric nurse, clinician-researcher and Lecturer in Nursing at Griffith University. Her work focuses on improving pain management and reducing distress for children undergoing healthcare procedures, with a particular interest in paediatric pain, cancer care and digital health innovations.

Karin has extensive experience in children’s health and is committed to advancing evidence-based approaches to procedural pain management. Her research explores innovative strategies to improve the healthcare experience of children and families, including the use of virtual reality and other technologies to reduce pain and anxiety during medical procedures.

She is actively involved in the Australian pain community and currently serves as Chair of the Australian Pain Society’s Paediatric Pain Special Interest Group. Through her clinical, research and leadership roles, Karin works to improve outcomes for children living with pain and to support the translation of research into practice.

Clinical Associate Professor Kylie Bailey is a senior clinical psychologist who has practiced psychology since 1998. Clinically, Kylie works with older teens and adults treating chronic pain, alcohol and other drug use, trauma / PTSD and a range of mental health symptoms. She is an AHPRA board approved supervisor and has worked as an academic since 2003. Kylie’s current research projects include the OpioidHALT study (University of Sydney) and developing peer worker guidelines for physical activity (University of Newcastle).

Dr Joanne (Jo) Harmon is a registered nurse and academic located at the University of South Australia. She completed her nursing degree in 2011 with honours and then her PhD in 2016, both at the University of Newcastle, NSW. Her research interests are focused on qualitative research, critical care, acute care, care of the older person and pain care provision.

Emeritus Professor Maree Smith AC, is a full-time researcher and Director of the Centre for Integrated Preclinical Drug Development (CIPDD) in the School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of Queensland. Internationally, she is a leading researcher in biomedical discovery/translation with particular expertise in the novel pain therapeutics field. She is inventor on a patented novel analgesic technology that was licensed to the UQ spin-out company, Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, for commercialization and it was acquired by Novartis in 2015. Maree has supervised 33 PhD students and more than 50 Honours/Masters students to completion and she is currently supervising 5 PhD students. She has published approximately 200 papers in the international peer-reviewed literature. In 2019, Maree was awarded Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Prof Luke Henderson is based at the Brain & Mind Centre, University of Sydney, where he conducts research in the field of pain neuroscience.

Fiona Blyth is a Professor of Public Health and Pain Medicine at the University of Sydney. A public health physician, pain epidemiologist and medical educator, she is currently Head of the University of Sydney Concord Clinical School at Repatriation General Concord Hospital, and Associate Dean within the Faculty of Medicine. She is internationally recognised for her conceptual and empirical work in characterizing the burden of chronic pain conditions within populations. Fiona has been involved in studies of chronic disease epidemiology (with a specific interest in pain-related conditions) for more than 15 years. This includes large prospective cohort studies, RCTs, pharmacoepidemiological studies, and health services research using linked routinely collected datasets.

In the last five years she was also Head of Intramural Research at the Sax Institute. Currently, she is Senior Advisor in the Knowledge Exchange Division. Fiona was awarded an AM on Australia Day 2018 for her significant service to medical research and education in the fields of public health, pain management and ageing, and to health policy reform.

Melinda has a strong alignment with the not-for-profit sector, having held various positions over the last 24 years. She has strong skills across governance, financial and operational management, including 10 years as a Managing Partner of Association Professionals.

A particular strength Melinda offers is the analysis and streamlining of administrative procedures through the utilisation of online systems, leading to effective use of resources and a reduction in duplication and errors that can occur in manual systems. She has extensive experience in developing and delivering professional development activities, as well as managing the delivery of government-funded projects.

Prior to forming Association Professionals, Melinda had full responsibility for the operations of two associations, both in the primary industries. She has a Graduate Certificate in Management and a Certificate in Corporate Governance (NFPs) from Chartered Secretaries Australia.