We look forward to sharing this wonderful line up of National Keynote Speakers with you at the 2017 APS 37th ASM.
Dr Claire Ashton-James
Dr Claire Ashton-James is a Senior Lecturer in Pain Education at the Pain Management 
Research Institute of the University of Sydney. Claire earned her PhD in Social Psychology in 2009, and before joining the University of Sydney in 2015, worked as an assistant professor/lecturer at Duke University (USA), the University of British Columbia (Canada), the VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Centre Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and University College London (UK). Dr Ashton-James has authored over 30 publications on a variety of topics related to social cognition, or how social judgments influence decision-making and interpersonal behaviour. Her current research concerns the basis of clinician-patient trust, and how patient trust influences their experience of pain, treatment expectations, and adherence behaviour.
Dr Ashton-James’ will present In (certain) clinicians we trust at APS 2017.
Associate Professor Stuart Brierley
Associate Professor Stuart Brierley is an NHMRC R.D Wright Biomedical Fellow at Flinders University and Head of the Visceral Pain Group at located at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
He is an internationally recognised as an authority on the different afferent classes innervating the gut, the mechanotransduction channels underlying their function, the interaction of these channels with inflammatory mediators, and how this changes in acute and chronic pain.
A/Professor Brierley has a proven track record in coordinating multi-faceted research programs for high-impact publications in journal such as Nature, Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Gut and The Journal of Neuroscience.
His recent paper in Nature identified a crucial role for the voltage gated ion channel NaV1.1 in underlying the pathological pain associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. His recent collaborations with Industry partners identified the mechanism of pain relief of a new drug, linaclotide, in treating patient with Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C). Linaclotide, a guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C) agonist is effective in relieving abdominal pain associated with IBS-C and is already available and registered for use by IBS-C patients in the USA and Europe.
A/Professor Brierly will explore NaV1.1 and its contribution to chronic visceral pain at APS 2017.
Associate Professor Greg Crawford
Associate Professor Greg Crawford is Senior Consultant in Palliative Medicine and Director 
of Research and Teaching with Northern Adelaide Palliative Service. He is an Associate Professor of Palliative Medicine at the University of Adelaide. His basic medical degree was awarded by the University of Adelaide. He was awarded a Doctorate of Medicine by thesis from Flinders University in 2008. His major research and teaching interests include the end-of-life psychological issues for patients, carers and their clinicians; teaching of communication: professionalism and pain and other symptom management in palliative care, not only those with cancer but also for people with non-malignant disease.
You can see A/Professor Crawford present Teaching medical students pain management in difficult end-of-life situations using simulation.
Professor Mark Hutchinson
Professor Mark Hutchinson is an ARC Australian Research Fellow and is the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics (CNBP), he is also a Professor within the School of Medicine at the University of Adelaide. Professor Hutchinson returned to the University of Adelaide in 2009 as an NHMRC CJ Martin Research Fellow, and established the Neuroimmunopharmacology research laboratory. From 2005 to 2009 Mark worked in the world-leading laboratory of Professor Linda Watkins in the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Here he pioneered with Professor Watkins the research which has led to the discovery of novel drug activity at innate immune receptors.
Professor Hutchinson’s research has implicated the brain immune-like cells in the action of drugs of dependence and the negative side effects of pain treatments. His work has enabled the translation of compounds at the lab bench to clinical agents used at the bedside.
Professor Hutchinson has published over 100 papers in journals and refereed conference proceedings. He has now added Director of the CNBP to his roles. The CNBP is an ARC Centre of Excellence headquartered at The University of Adelaide, with nodes at Macquarie University, Sydney and the RMIT, Melbourne. They are partnered with universities and companies in Europe, the US and China, as well as other Australian institutions. The CNBP has a mission to “Discover new approaches to measure nano-scale dynamic phenomena in living systems”.
Professor Hutchinson will be presenting The “toll” of knowing you are sick: Implications for acute pain management and consequences for chronic agony.
Dr Ivan Lin
Dr Ivan Lin is a NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow at the Western Australian Centre for 
Rural Health, University of Western Australia, physiotherapist with the Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, and holds an adjunct appointment with Curtin University, School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science. He lives and works on Yamatji country, in Geraldton, Western Australia. Over the past 10 years a major focus of Dr Lin’s research and clinical practice has been guided by the question; how can outcomes be improved for Aboriginal people with musculoskeletal pain? His work has drawn together a collaboration of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers, clinicians and community members on this issue. Currently the group are in the early stages of an implementation project aiming to improve the quality of musculoskeletal pain care in primary care and emergency care settings. Dr Lin’s other interests include remote and rural health, research translation, health disparities and communication in clinical settings.
Dr Lin will speak on “His stoic indifference to pain” and Other Myths: Musculoskeletal Pain in Aboriginal Australians.
Associate Professor Juli Coffin
Co-presenting with Dr Lin is Associate Professor Juli Coffin who is a prominent Aboriginal 
researcher with research expertise in cultural security, education and research across diverse range of topics chronic diseases, nutrition, contextualising bullying, and health promotion. Dr Coffin was educated in Australia through Edith Cowan University (Western Australia) and James Cook University (Queensland). She has completed a degree in education, Masters in Public health and tropical Medicine (with distinction) and a PhD with an award in excellence. In addition to this she has also completed an orthography course of her family’s traditional Aboriginal language (Nyangumarta) and combines her education and cultural learning’s to deliver the outstanding translation of research into practise that is always of an impeccable standard. She is highly regarded by her peers and as being creative and innovative around some of the particularly controversial and complex areas in Aboriginal health and education.
Dr Coffin is an Aboriginal Western Australian who has traditional ties to her grandparents Nyangumarta country in the Pilbara region. Juli was born in Ngala, Western Australia and lived the majority of her life in the Pilbara. She is the proud mother of three children.
Associate Professor Juli Coffin will present beside Dr Lin, speaking on “His stoic indifference to pain” and Other Myths: Musculoskeletal Pain in Aboriginal Australians.
Professor Alexander McFarlane AO
Professor Alexander McFarlane (AO MB. BS. (Hons) MD. Dip. Psychotherapy FRANZCP) is Professor of Psychiatry and the Head of the University of Adelaide Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies. He is an international expert in the field of the impact of disasters and post traumatic stress disorder. He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies for outstanding and fundamental contributions to the field of traumatic stress studies. He has held the role of Senior Adviser in Psychiatry to the Australian Defence Force and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. He holds the rank of Group Captain in the RAAF specialist reserve. Apart from his interest in disaster victims, military personnel and other civilian accidents, he has significant experience in the provision of care to emergency service personnel. His research is supported by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the NHMRC program and partnership grants.
He has published over 300 articles and chapters in various refereed journals and has co-edited three books. In 2011 he received the Officer of the Order of Australia award, which recognised his “outstanding contribution to medical research in the field of psychiatry, particularly post traumatic stress disorders, to veterans’ mental health management, and as an author”.
Professor McFarlane will present The Patient Dilemma: The intertwined nature of chronic pain and post traumatic stress disorder.
Professor Michael Sullivan
Professor Michael Sullivan is a clinical psychologist who is currently Professor of Psychology and Medicine at McGill University (Montreal, Canada), and Honorary Professor at The University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia). He has also held appointments in Departments of Physical and Occupational Therapy, and Neurology.
Over the past 25 years, Professor Sullivan has worked as an educator, director, consultant, clinician, and department chair. He has served as a consultant to numerous health and safety organizations, veterans’ administration organizations, insurance groups as well as social policy and research institutes. Most recently, he was Director of Recover Injury Centre in Queensland, Australia. In 2011, he received the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Profession by the Canadian Psychological Association.
He is best known for his research on psychosocial risk factors for pain-related disability, and for the development of risk-targeted interventions designed to foster occupational re-engagement following injury. One such intervention, the Progressive Goal Attainment Program (PGAP), was included in the 18th edition of the Official Disability Guidelines (Work Loss Data Institute, 2013) as an evidenced-based approach to the management of work-disability. Professor Sullivan developed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and the Injustice Experiences Questionnaire (IEQ). The PCS has been used in more than 3000 scientific studies. The PCS has been translated into 25 languages and is currently the most widely used measure of catastrophic thinking related to pain. Professor Sullivan has published more than 180 peer reviewed scientific articles, 2 books and 23 book chapters.
Professor Sullivan will be presenting The psychology of adverse pain outcomes at the upcoming 2017 APS 37th ASM.
We are delighted to have this knowledgeable line up of National Keynote Speakers present at APS 2017. We hope you will be able to attend and enjoy everything the conference has to offer.
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Australian Pain Society 