Researcher

My Expertise

My vision is to make pain care equitable for all people worldwide, irrespective of their socio-cultural and economic positioning. My expertise includes the contributions of sociocultural factors in healthcare, particularly in pain management. My current research focuses on developing and testing interventions for treatment of complex pain conditions and strengthening health systems for improving pain care for underserved populations nationally and internationally. National and international collaborations with multidisciplinary interest holders have been set up to help achieve these ambitious goals. My research theme on Equitable Pain Care Globally (EquiP-All) consists of two pillars: 

  • Improving pain care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. 
  • Improving pain care in culturally and linguistically diverse individuals. 

Other area of my research interests are around development, cross-cultural adaptation and testing of culturally relevant, reliable, valid, and responsive outcome measures to assess pain and biopsychosocial constructs of health.  

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Pain, Health equity, Social determinants of health, Clinical sciences, Allied health and rehabilitation science, Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy

Biography

I am Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the UNSW, honorary Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia, and Chief Clinical Research Scientist at the Pain Management and Research Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital, Northern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia. I was supported by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) John J. Bonica Fellowship for my postdoc after my PhD (2021-2023). My PhD on...view more

I am Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the UNSW, honorary Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia, and Chief Clinical Research Scientist at the Pain Management and Research Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital, Northern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia. I was supported by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) John J. Bonica Fellowship for my postdoc after my PhD (2021-2023). My PhD on improving pain care and research in low-income settings was awarded the Thesis of Exceptional Quality by the University of Otago, New Zealand in 2020. I also received the University of Otago the Most Promising Pain Researcher Award in 2021 and the UNSW Health Sciences Early Career Researcher of the Year Award in 2022.

I have published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and have received research funding worth > AUD 1.5M. I am one of the Commissioners for the Lancet Commission on Osteoarthritis. I have also contributed to the World Health Organisation initiatives to develop rehabilitation interventions for osteoarthritis. I have co-authored book chapters on pain and osteoarthritis. I am also an active member of three IASP committees: I serve as the Secretary for the Pain, Mind and Movement Special Interest Group and the founding member of the Early Career Network Taskforce and the Global Alliance of Partners for Pain Advocacy. I was Taskforce Member for IASP Global Years Against Pain 2022 and 2023. I have presented invited talks at premier conferences including the World Pain Congresses, World Physiotherapy Congresses, and Osteoarthritis Research Society International Conference.

I aim to improve the lives of people with pain and other long-term conditions by developing culturally appropriate, inexpensive, effective, and safe interventions particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse communities and low-resourced settings/countries. My current research focuses on understanding the role of culture in chronic pain and developing global strategies to improve musculoskeletal health.

I currently lead Consortium for Low Back Pain in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), learn more, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38602844/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35536248/.  My passion to improve research in LMICs led to a Joint Editorial in 12 international physiotherapy journals (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2023.08.013).


My Grants

  •  
  1. Co-Investigator, Research Grant from the International Association for the Study of Pain to develop pain education resources and train physiotherapists on pain in Nepal, July 2021 [funding: US$ 9900]
  2. Fellowship, John J. Bonica Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), 31st July, 2020 [funding: US$ 100,000]
  3. University of Otago Publishing Bursary, February – April 2020 [funding: NZ$ 6750]
  4. Grant, Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Travel Grant to attend Back and Neck Pain Forum to present a paper, 3 – 6 July 2019 [NZ$ 1000 toward travel support and registration]
  5. Scholarship, North American Pain School (NAPS) Scholarship to attend Pain Training in Montebello, Quebec, Canada; 23 – 28 June 2019 [Can$ 1500]
  6. Research Grant(s), Global Challenge Research Funds (x2) from the University of Dundee to collaborate on chronic pain and neuropathic pain research in Nepal [GBP 21,500]
  7. Travel grant from Pain, Mind, and Movement Special Interest Group of the IASP to attend and present at Pain Science in Motion Conference on 1 – 2 June 2019, in Savona, Italy [US$ 1000]
  8. Grant, Pain@Otago (Pain Research theme of University of Otago) Conference travel grant, 7th March 2019 [NZ$1000]
  9. Conference travel grant from University of Otago to present at the World Physiotherapy Conference, 10 – 13 May 2019 [NZ$ 2000]
  10. Financial award, International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) to attend World Pain Congress in Boston, the USA; 12 – 16 September 2018 [US$ 1,600 and registration waiver]
  11. Bursary, World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) to attend and present papers at World Physiotherapy Congress 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa; 2 – 4 July 2017 [US$ 950 and registration waiver].
  12. Scholarship, International Federation of Physiotherapy Regulator Authorities (INPTRA) for an invited talk at INPTRA conference; 30th June and 1st July 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa [US$ 2,500].
  13. The University of Otago Doctoral Research Scholarship, Otago Medical School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; February 2017 to January 2020 [NZ$ 108,000].
  14. Financial award, International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) to attend World Pain Congress in Yokohama, Japan; 26 – 30 September 2016 [US$ 1,000 and registration waiver]
  15. Bursary, International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT), IFOMPT Congress in Glasgow, Scotland; 4th – 8th July 2016 [GBP 2,000 and registration waiver]
  16. Developing Countries Collaborative Research Grant, International Association for Study of Pain (IASP); July 2015 – December 2019 [US$ 15,000].
  17. Bursary, Developing country stipend for attending Cochrane Colloquium in Hyderabad, India, September 2014.
  •  

My Qualifications

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

  • Topic: Development and testing of treatments for complex pain conditions
  • Duration: 2021 - 2024
  • Location: University of New South Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia 
    Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
  • Topic: Development and testing of treatments for complex pain conditions
  • Duration: 2020 - 2021
  • Location: Otago Medical School, University of Otago, Dunedin, Australia 
    PhD
  • Field of study: Medicine
  • Topic: Improving pain management and research in low-income settings
  • University: Otago Medical School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
  • Duration of the study: 2017 - 2020
    Master of Physiotherapy
  • Specialisation: Musculoskeletal conditions
  • Topic: Randomised controlled trial on techniques to improve neuromuscular flexibility
  • University: Manipal University, Manipal, India
  • Duration of the study: 2011 - 2013
    Bachelor of Physiotherapy
  • University: Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangaluru, India
  • Duration: 2003 - 2008

My Awards

  • 2025: Emerging Leadership Investigator Grant, National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia
  • 2024: Outstanding Early/Mid Career Research (for Clinical Research), Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
  • 2023: Best Oral Presentation, Annual Scientific Meeting of Australia/New Zealand Musculoskeletal Clinical Trials Network, Australia
  • 2022: Early Career Researcher of the Year 2022, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW
  • 2022: Paper of the Month, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW
  • 2021: Most Promising Emerging Pain Researcher Award from Pain Research Theme at the University of Otago, New Zealand judged by an independent international review team, 9th November 2021.
  • 2020: John J Bonica Postdoctoral Fellowship, International Association for the Study of Pain, Washington DC, USA [US$ 100,000].
  • 2020: Exceptional PhD Thesis Award for “Improving pain assessment, management, and research in low-income countries: An example of Nepal”, at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
  • 2015: First Prize, Poster Presentation at Pain Adelaide Conference, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, Australia, 29 March 2015 [Aus$ 500].

My Research Activities

I lead a research program on EQUIP-ALL (Equitable Pain Care - Globally). The program is an outcome of research during and prior to my PhD which was supported by the International Association for the Study of Pain Developing Countries Collaborative Research Grant. I am currently leading an international project to advance low back pain care in low- and middle-income countries by developing Consortium for Low Back Pain in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) with >65 members from 35 LMICs. The first papers in the series can be found https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35536248/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38602844/.


My Research Supervision


Supervision keywords


Areas of supervision

I supervise PhD, Masters and Honours students undertaking research in the area of pain assessment and management. 

I am available to supervise Higher Degree Research Candidates in the area of:

  1. Pain in culturally and linguistically diverse populations 
  2. Pain around the world (see more here, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35536248/)
  3. Assessment and management of chronic pain conditions
  4. Co-designing interventions
  5. Cross-cultural adaptation of pain interventions 

Students who completed their PhD:

 


Currently supervising

PhD Degree:

  • Mr. Yannick Gilanyi (Ongoing: 2023-)
    • Thesis topic: Complex regional pain syndrome
    • University: University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
       
  • Mr. Sam Williams (Ongoing: 2023-)
    • Thesis topic: Outcome measurement in phantom limb pain
    • University: University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
       
  • Rinkle Malani (Ongoing: 2022-)
    • Thesis topic: Treatment for chronic low back pain in India 
    • University: MGM Institute of Health Sciences, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India 

MPhil Degree:

  • Ms. Ritu Basnet (Ongoing: 2023-)
    • Thesis topic: Pain beliefs and coping in people with chronic low back pain in Nepal. 
    • University: Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Master's Degree: 

  • Ms. Ritu Basnet (Completed: 2022-2023)
    • Thesis topic: Positive psychological factors in musculoskeletal pain in Nepal. 
    • University: Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

       

  • Ms. Riju Maharjan (Completed: 2022-2024) 
    • Thesis topic: Stratified low back pain care for people with low back pain in Nepal.
    • University: Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Honours Degree:

  • Ms Maija Tan (Completed 2024)

    • Thesis topic: Experiences of clinicians treating individuals with musculoskeletal pain from culturally and linguistically diverse communities: A qualitative study

    • University: University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
       

  • Ms Lily Hozeph (Ongoing: 2024-)

    • Thesis topic: Co-designing digital patient educational resources for culturally and linguistically diverse communities with low back pain

    • University: University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

 

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Location

Medicine & Health
139 Barker St, Randwick NSW 2031

Map reference (Google map)

Contact

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ORCID as entered in ROS

orcid_icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9817-5372

UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia Telephone +61 2 93851000
Authorised by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
UNSW CRICOS Provider Code: 00098G ABN: 57 195 873 179

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