New Horizons: artificial intelligence and pain conceptualisation

About this event

The RECOVER Conference 2024 will have a focus on new understandings of the conceptualisation of pain and novel artificial intelligence methods designed to optimise patient care during injury rehabilitation. RECOVER researchers will present recent research, complemented by interactive panel discussions on evidence-based, innovative interventions and technologies to assist injured people in their recovery.

The Conference features two keynote speakers, Professor Paul Hodges and Professor Stacy Carter. Paul is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Principal Research Fellow, Professor, and Director of the NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury, and Health at the University of Queensland (UQ). Paul will present his work on new understandings of the conceptualisation of pain and how pain management could be improved by allocating treatments according to pain mechanism descriptors.

Stacy is Professor of Empirical Ethics in Health and Founding Director of the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values (ACHEEV) in the School of Health and Society at the University of Wollongong. Her training is in public health, and her expertise is in applied ethics and social research methods. Her research program sits at the intersection of three crucial issues for health systems: using artificial intelligence, screening and diagnosis, and high-quality consumer and community engagement and participation. Stacy will discuss the role of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare and what matters to consumers.

This event is in-person-only and is followed by a canape reception.

REGISTER HERE 

Details

The 2024 Conference is an in-person event.

Date: Thursday, 10 October 2024

Time: 8.30 am – 5.00 pm, followed by a canape reception.

Venue: Rydges South Bank, Brisbane 9 Glenelg Street, South Brisbane, QLD 4101

Program overview

8:30 am - 9:00 am       Registration, tea & coffee available

9:00 am - 10:15 am     Welcome, guest speakers and first keynote speaker

10:30 am - 10:45 am   Morning tea

10:45 am - 12:30 pm   Presentations and first mini-keynote speaker

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm     Lunch

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm       Second keynote speaker, panel discussion and presentations

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm      Afternoon tea

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm      Presentations and second mini-keynote speaker

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm      Canape reception

VIEW a PDF copy of the full program (coming soon!)

Keynote speakers

Professor Paul Hodges

Paul Hodges DSc MedDr PhD Drhc BPhty(Hons) FAA FAHMS APAM(Hon) is a neuroscientist and physiotherapy researcher from the University of Queensland in Australia. He is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Leadership Fellow and Director of the Centre for Innovation in Pain and Health Research (CIPHeR). He has four doctorates (two in rehabilitation and two in neuroscience) and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science, and the Australian College of Physiotherapists. Paul’s research has unlocked new understanding of pain, how it relates to how we move, and its rehabilitation. He uses diverse approaches in research from studies of single cells to applied human research, clinical trials and translation into practice. For this work Paul has won the premier international prize for back pain (the ISSLS Prize) 5 times. He has authored more than 600 peer reviewed papers that have been cited more than 72,000 times and has received more than $AU73 million in research funds to undertake this work. He is the Chair of the Terminology Task Force for the International Association for the Study of Pain which is developing new tools to discriminate between nociceptive, neuropathic and nociplastic pain in clinical practice and research.

Keynote title: Could outcomes in pain management be improved by allocation of treatments according to pain mechanisms?

Professor Stacey Carter

Stacy Carter is Professor of Empirical Ethics in Health and Founding Director of the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values (ACHEEV) in the School of Health and Society at the University of Wollongong. Her training is in public health, and her expertise is in applied ethics and social research methods. Her research program sits at the intersection of three crucial issues for health systems: using artificial intelligence, detecting disease in populations and individuals, and high-quality consumer and community involvement.

Keynote title: Artificial intelligence in healthcare: what matters to consumers?

Mini-keynote speakers

Dr Scott Farrell

Scott Farrell is a Research Fellow and physiotherapist at RECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland. His research investigates neurological, genetic and inflammatory mechanisms underpinning chronic musculoskeletal pain, with a particular focus on whiplash associated disorder.

Scott’s research methods span statistical genetics and big data analysis, immunohistochemistry, blood markers, imaging and quantitative sensory testing, including collaborations with the University of Oxford, the University of Adelaide and the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital. Scott has published in leading pain medicine and neurology journals (e.g., Brain, PAIN, J Pain, Spine J) and received >$2 million in research funding. He is a Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists, Chair of the Qld branch of the Australian Physiotherapy Association Pain National Group, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital.

Mini-keynote title: Systemic inflammatory factors in persistent musculoskeletal pain.

Dr Nicole Andrews

Nicole Andrews is an internationally recognised scholar in the field of pain management and an experienced clinician. Nicole joined RECOVER in 2018 as a postdoctoral research fellow and continues to work part-time as a clinical Occupational Therapist at the Tess Cramond Pain and Research Centre. Nicole’s PhD focused on overactivity in the context of chronic pain (i.e. activity engagement that severely aggravates pain). Her research has increased our understanding of the relationship between pain, activity and daily function in chronic pain populations and led to the development of an innovative award-winning mobile health platform called Pain ROADMAP. Nicole’s research continues to focus on the development, use and evaluation of innovative and cutting-edge technology solutions to improve the management of chronic pain conditions.

Mini keynote title: The digitalisation of a key self-management strategy for chronic pain