CLINICAL PAIN NEUROSCIENTIST TALKS ABOUT HOW THE BRAIN PROCESSES PAIN INFORMATION Trial: affects on pain and activity levels, by educating knee osteoarthritis participants in individualised exercise programs
With
Tasha Stanton,
Associate Professor of Clinical Pain Neuroscience
Group, Leader Persistent Pain Research Group (Lifelong Health)
SAHMRI (South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) &
co-Director of IMPACT in Health, University of South Australia
SEGMENT
Filmed in Adelaide | March 2026
The Persistent Pain Research Group’s vision is to work hand-in-hand with consumers to undertake impactful research that helps better understand and treat persistent pain.
Their studies span discovery to implementation science to determine key contributors to the development and maintenance of persistent pain and to use this information to create novel brain-based interventions.
They hold expertise in developing new technologies, such as virtual and mediated reality, and translating these technologies to the clinical environment, using innovative co-design methods.
The Persistent Pain Research Group studies a variety of painful conditions, with specific focus on:
- Osteoarthritis
- Spinal pain (neck and back)
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Phantom limb pain after amputation
Persistent pain affects one in five Australians and costs the nation an estimated $73 billion per year in health system costs, lost productivity and other financial costs.
Persistent pain also has debilitating personal costs – negatively impacting quality of life and the ability to engage in meaningful work and life activities.
Despite the enormity of this problem, very few effective treatments exist with most showing only small to moderate improvements. New treatments are desperately needed. The group believes the best way to create impactful change is to work with people with lived experience of persistent pain to devise solutions with them, not for them.
Source: SAHMRI webpage Persistent Pain Research Group
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Metabolic health expert talks about healthy ageing
David Beard is a highly experienced Exercise Physiologist with a specialisation in metabolic health and healthy aging. He has spent over 40 years in this profession, even before exercise physiology was formally recognised as a discipline. His extensive background includes over a decade of working in aged care and a strong focus on adult health and fitness. David has authored a book on healthy aging and dedicated the last 10 to 12 years to advancing his expertise in metabolic health issues such as diabetes, weight loss, and inflammatory conditions. He is a co-owner of HFRC in Nedlands, Western Australia, where he has worked for nearly a decade.
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Mission to raise awareness of sarcoma and need for clinical trial funding
Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, remains the deadliest cancer for children and young adults, accounting for nearly one third (30%) of cancer-related deaths among those aged 15–24 and one tenth (10%) of those aged 0–14. Further, still severely under-diagnosed, sarcoma only accounts for one sixth (15%) of all cancer diagnoses in the 15 – 24 age group, and less than a tenth (8%) among children under 10.
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Improvements in dental literacy and greater clinical insights through digital technology
Dr. Kenneth Soh is a General Dentist based in Kellyville, New South Wales, a suburb located in northwestern Sydney. Originally from Melbourne, he studied Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc) at Melbourne University and graduated in 2003. After working for a year in the Mornington Peninsula, Dr. Soh moved to New South Wales, initially thinking it would be temporary; however, he has been there for 19 years. While he has considered specialising, he finds joy in all aspects of dentistry.
