Chair: Associate Professor Leigh Atkinson AO

Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons 1971 –

Fellow, Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists 1999 –

Fellow, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Royal Australasian College of Physicians 1980 –

Director, Chronic Pain Management Clinic, Wesley Hospital 2003 –

Visiting Medical Officer, Persistent Pain Clinic, Princess Alexandra Hospital 2007 –

Visiting Medical Officer, Multi-Disciplinary Pain Clinic, Princess Alexandra Hospital 1979-85

Dean, Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) 2002-04

Board Member, Faculty of Pain Medicine (ANZCA) 1999 –

Treasurer, Faculty of Pain Medicine (ANZCA) 1995 –

Examiner, Faculty of Pain Medicine (ANZCA) 2000-

Member, Education Committee, Faculty of Pain Medicine (ANZCA) 1999-2008

President, Australian Pain Society 1983-85

Chairman, Pain Medicine Section, Annual Scientific Meeting, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons 2000 –

Co-convenor, Spring Meeting, Faculty of Pain Medicine (ANZCA), “Pain & Suffering”, Gold Coast, Queensland 2007

Dr Penny Briscoe MBBS, FFARACS, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA

Deputy Director, Pain Management Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Clinical Lecturer - University of Adelaide

Previous Position: Dean Faculty of Pain Medicine, ANZCA

COLLEGE AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS:

• IASP VIth World Congress Pain Local Organising Committee 1998 - 2000.
• Selection Panel for Medical School University Adelaide 1996 - 2000
• Controlled Substances Advisory Council, SA Premier 1998 ongoing
• Gabapentin Advisory Board – Pfizer 1998 - 2000
• NHMRC Acute Pain Guidelines Editorial Board 2001 - 2003
• FPMANZCA Board member - 2000 ongoing
• FPMANZCA White Paper Committee working party – 2001 - 2007
• FPMANZCA Education Committee member - 2001 ongoing.
• FPMANZCA Hospital Accreditation Committee member – 2001 ongoing.
• Therapeutic Guidelines Analgesia Expert Group - 2006 - 2007
• FPMANZCA Vice Dean - 2006 - 2008
• FPMANZCA Dean 2008 - 2010
• ANZCA Councillor 2008 – 2010.
• MIGA Medical Advisory Panel 2007 ongoing
• Australian Medicines Handbook Reviewer - 2009 - 2010
• National Network of Pain Management RACGP working group - 2008 ongoing
• National Pain Strategy Executive – 2009 - 2010
• NPS Specialist Advisory Group – Opioids – 2010
• National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction Consortium - Drug Misuse Strategy 2010
• ANZCA IMG Appeals Committee 2010 ongoing.
• DASSA Opioid Medical Committee membership 2010.

Peer Reviewer of scientific manuscripts / books for:

• Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
• Anesthesia and Analgesia
• Pain Medicine
• Physiotherapy Theory and Practice

Dr Kathleen Cooke

Anaesthetist and Pain Medicine Specialist, Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane and in private practice. After completing Anaesthetic training she then did a Pain Medicine Fellowship at the Multidisciplinary Pain Centre, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital before practicing in the UK, 2007 and further specialising in Paediatric Pain at Seattle Children’s Hospital, USA in 2008/2009. Currently practicing and advocating for multidisciplinary paediatric persistent pain management.  

Dr Stephanie Davies

Dr Stephanie Davies is the Head of Service, Pain Medicine Unit, Fremantle Hospital, Perth WA. She also has a private practice based at Bethesda Hospital.Her interests are in combining self-management options with medical options. She worked with the team at Fremantle to introduce the Self-Training Educative Pain Sessions (STEPS), an 8 hour pre-clinic patient group educative program that aims to increase the patient’s knowledge and skills of a broad range of pain management strategies. She has developed interactive web-based technologies to access evidence at the point-of-care (www.MyLibrary.net.au) and to enable real-time analysis of patient outcomes by health professionals & researchers (www.ResearchAustralia.net.au).

Professor Julie Hides PhD FACP

Professor Julie Hides is the head of the National School of Physiotherapy at the Australian Catholic University and the Clinical Director of the Back Stability Clinic at the Mater Hospital, Brisbane.  Current research interests include the use of real-time ultrasound imaging in rehabilitation and assessing the effects of motor control based intervention programs on LBP using MRI and ultrasound imaging. Julie is a collaborative scientist for the 2nd Berlin Bedrest Study, conducted by the European Space Agency. She also recently conducted a RCT on stabilization training for elite AFL players, and is currently conducting collaborative research with the NZ Academy of Sports. Julie is a Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists and co-author of a recent textbook on therapeutic exercise for lumbo-pelvic stabilization. She has approximately 70 publications in this field.



Dr Lisa Nissen

Dr Lisa Nissen is an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, School of Pharmacy.  Lisa has over 17 years experience, having worked in hospital and community pharmacy in both rural and metropolitan. Her research focuses on the Quality Use of Medicines in the wider community and the expansion of roles for pharmacists, including development of pharmacy practice into other cognitive service delivery areas including sleep, pain and pharmacist prescribing. Lisa’s specific clinical interest is in the management of chronic pain. Lisa was the 2002 PSA young pharmacist of the year, and the 2008 PSA Pharmacists of the Year.  She also received a 2008 Australian Learning and Teaching Council National University excellence in teaching award. Lisa is a past chairman of SHPA (QLD) Branch, a Fellow of SHPA, president of PSA (QLD) Branch, PSA national board member and PSA national Vice-president.