I am fascinated by humans. That fascination has led me to become a physiotherapist, then a neuroscientist, a pain scientist and a science educator. After working as a physiotherapist for seven years, I combined my clinical work with research - a PhD at the University of Sydney Pain Management Research Institute and research positions at the University of Queensland, University of Sydney and Oxford University, UK. My official qualifications are: DSc, PhD, FAAHMS, FACP, HonFFPMANZCA, HonMAPA, BAppSc(Phty)(Hons). In 2020, I was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, for "distinguished service to medical research and science communication, to education, to the study of pain and its management, and to physiotherapy, to humanity at large."
I was appointed University of South Australia's Inaugural Chair in Physiotherapy, and Professor of Clinical Neurosciences, in 2011 and was honoured to be appointed a Bradley Distinguished Professor in 2021.
I have been supported by NHMRC Fellowship/Investigator funding since my return to Australia in 2009.
I am the Chair of PainAdelaide Stakeholders' Consortium, which brings together Adelaide's pain researchers, clinicians and consumers to 'put our heads together' for persistent pain. I established and lead the non-profit grassroots movement called Pain Revolution, which is committed to a bold but realistic vision that all Australians will have access to the knowledge, skills and local support to prevent and overcome persistent pain. Our annual Flagship Event is the Pain Revolution Rural Outreach Tour. Our awareness and fund-raising challenge 'Go the Distance!' encourages pepole to walk, run or ride to meet their own personal challenge, raising awareness of the problem of persistent pain and the possibilities that are emerging with each new scientific discovery. Our ongoing capacity-building programs - Local Pain Educator Program and Local Pain Collectives Project, aim to (i) embed in rural and regional communities the capacity to prevent and overcome persistent pain, and (ii) develop local pain networks to provide sustainable capacity. Learn about Pain Revolution here: painrevolution.org.
I led the establishment of UniSA's Innovation, Implementation & Clinical Translation in Health ('IIMPACT in Health') and was Director from inception until 2023. IIMPACT has grown to about 100 researchers, publishing over 500 scientific articles a year, with a research income of about $2m a year. The research in IIMPACT centres around taking a truly 'biopsychosocial' to a range of significant health conditions, and the primary role that allied health professionals play in discovery and treatment. Central to IIMPACT has been an 'innovation to implementation' approach, led by clinical and consumer needs, with both playing important roles in every phase of the research journey.
I lead the Body in Mind Research Group within IIMPACT. This research group investigates the role of the brain and mind in chronic pain. Pain is a huge problem - it affects 20% of the population and costs western societies about as much as diabetes and cancer combined.  We have a major public engagement and education focus, with our articles and videos attracting over 13 million reads/views, including being on repeat in hospitals and community health centres in several countries. Body in Mind, or 'BIM', research is supported by MRFF and NHMRC Grants and industry funding, and many BIMsters have NHMRC scholarship or fellowship support. We have eight nationalities and several disciplines represented.
For those of you keen on 'metrics', my main metrics are: Total number of papers - about 400; Google scholar H-index - 95; Average Field-weighted citation index - 1.9 - 2.6 in the fields in which I am most active; competitive grant funding - about $22 million over 20 years.
I supervise PhD students and host post-doctoral fellows for between 1 - 3 years. Expressions of interest in joining our group should be directed in the first instance to [email protected]. We have many such expressions of interest each year so it is best to make contact at least 12 months in advance.
I co-developed, with David Moen and Sam Chisolm, a consumer facing resource called Tame the Beast - go to tamethebeast.org.
I established bodyinmind.org in 2009 and was Chief Editor until we handed it to the IASP.  This library of over 900 blog posts is now hosted on their consumer/clinician facing website called RELIEF. You can visit that library here: https://relief.news/relief-to-provide-body-in-mind-content-as-a-free-resource/
Pain revolution is revamping our website, but until then you can find some factsheets you can download and print in a range of languages here: https://www.painrevolution.org/factsheets
I have authored or co-authored several books. You can find them here: https://www.noigroup.com/shop/
Please note that I receive royalties for these books. I have no financial interest in the publisher noigroup.com. I do however, have relevant disclosures - in the last five years, I have received support from the following entities: Reality Health, Kaiser Permanente, ConnectHealth UK, workers compensation agencies in Australia and abroad, AIA Australia, Arsenal Football Club, the International Olympic Committee. Professional and scientific bodies have reimbursed me for travel costs related to presentation of research on pain at scientific conferences/symposia. 
I am on the Board of Pain Australia.
I live and work on Kaurna Country.