PNA Professional day 2026 - Pain across Australia - Coast to Coast

With 30 years of experience in nursing across multiple settings, including hospitals, the Military and Paramedicine, Lindy specialises in complex multidisciplinary patients and acute primary health presentations. As a Nurse Practitioner, she is dedicated to delivering evidence-based healthcare to vulnerable patient populations and has worked both here and internationally to improve health outcomes in vulnerable groups. In addition to her clinical role, Lindy is a lecturer in the Master of Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Newcastle, where she plays a key role in educating and mentoring future nurse practitioners.

Miranda Pye is a Nurse Practitioner based at Concord Repatriation General Hospital’s Burns Unit, with over 20 years burns experience. In her current role she manages over 300 rural and remote adult burns patients in 11 different Local Health Districts annually,  via the NSW Teleburns service. Miranda has completed a  Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, a Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science-(Burns Nursing) and Masters in Nursing (Nurse Practitioner). She is also an active member of the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners and the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association. Miranda Is passionate about equitable, accessible, quality burn care for all consumers irrespective of their post code or stage of their burns journey.

Registered Nurse and Midwife with the Royal Flying Doctor Service Queensland Section since 2006 doing aeromedical retrievals and management with a background in Emergency Nursing. RFDS QLD transfers 12,500 patients per year to and from rural, remote and regional centres across QLD, northern NSW and the Northern Territory with various presentations including obstetrics, paediatrics, neonates, trauma, cardiac, critical care and medical. RFDS Flight Nurses need to consider the ongoing comfort and pain relief requirements of our patients in relation to their diagnosis, aviation physiology and aircraft environment which includes vibration, noise and movement.

Luke Yokota is a Flight Nurse (Midwifery) with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section). With a background in intensive care, paediatric emergency and maternity. Luke is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care to rural and remote communities across Queensland. He is currently completing his Master of Nurse Practitioner Studies, further strengthening his advanced practice capabilities and leadership within retrieval medicine.

Matt Watts has been working as the CNC in Acute Pain management at Wollongong Public Hospital, NSW for several years. He has extensive experience in ICU, ED, and has been both a Respiratory and NSW State Organ Donation CNC.
Matt has a keen interest in the management of acute rib fractures and has been working with co presenter Anita Jurjevic, on a project to move the management of nerve blocks into the community setting.

Anita Jurjevic is an experienced Physiotherapist with 25 years of practice across both public and private healthcare settings. She holds a Master of Health Leadership and Management, complementing her extensive clinical and operational expertise. Anita has spent most of her career within the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD), with substantial acute care experience at Wollongong Hospital. Her roles have spanned the Emergency Department, Medical Assessment Unit, Surgical Wards, and Intensive Care Unit,

Since 2022, Anita has been a key member of the ISLHD Virtual Hospital Ward, contributing to innovative models of care that support safe, efficient, and patient-centred treatment in the community. Her major projects include leading the implementation of the same-day elective hip and knee replacement program and advancing early discharge pathways for patients with rib fractures— where she works closely with the Acute Pain Service and Anaesthetists to support optimal postoperative care and patient recovery. These initiatives that have significantly improved patient flow, recovery outcomes, and patient care. Anita is committed to driving innovation in Physiotherapy and healthcare delivery, with a focus on high-value care, service redesign, and improving the patient experience.

Jill began her nursing career in 1986 as an Enrolled Nurse transitioning to a Registered Nurse in 2003 before completing a Master of Nursing (Pain Management) in 2009 (University of Notre Dame Fremantle) and Master of Nurse Practitioner in 2011 (Curtin University).
Jill became the first Nurse Practitioner to work in a private hospital in Australia in 2012 and the first Nurse Practitioner to work in pain management in Western Australia. Since 2012, Jill has brought vision and energy as leader of the Acute Pain Service at St John of God Subiaco. As a clinician she has provides pain management consultancy to patients in the hospital setting and as an outpatient in the Transitional Pain Clinic. Of special interest to Jill is opioid stewardship and the development of strategies for appropriate prescribing and timely weaning of opioids.

Jill is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Notre Dame (Fremantle) School of Medicine, teaching the junior doctor workforce practical knowledge of pain medicine on the wards and in the classroom. As an educator, Jill empowers her colleagues with an enthusiasm for learning and to gain a better understanding of the management of acute pain, opioid stewardship and the factors which may influence the  transition of acute to chronic pain.

Dr. Benjamin Adeyemi is a pain specialist registered with AHPRA with dual fellowships from both the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FFPMANZCA) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP). He undertook his specialist pain medicine training at the North Queensland Persistent Pain Management Service (NQPPMS) and was appointed as a staff specialist in pain medicine at the Townsville University Hospital.

Dr. Adeyemi is the clinical lead at PainCare 360, a private pain practice established within the Wide Bay Area to improve access to high-quality, comprehensive, compassionate and innovative pain management for our regional residents who bear a disproportionate burden of chronic pain. He has an intimate knowledge of the local health service landscape having lived within Wide Bay since moving from South Africa to Australia in 2016. His ongoing work as a pain specialist within Queensland public hospital(s) continues to provide him with a platform to contribute to efforts to address critical gaps in pain management through research, advocacy and training of future pain specialists.

He is passionate about collaboration across healthcare silos that support the dignity of the individual patients.

Dr. David Gunn is a Canadian-trained GP with over 20 years of clinical experience spanning emergency medicine, long-term care, opioid agonist therapy (OAT), and complex general practice. Based in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, he works primarily with patients living with chronic pain, trauma, substance use, polypharmacy, and mental health challenges—often in combination. He advocates for the role of the Harm Reduction GP: a clinician who blends generalist skills with deep expertise in Schedule 8 prescribing, pharmacology, and trauma-informed care. These GPs often care for complex patients who fall between services, providing stabilisation and continuity where specialist access is limited.

Dr. Gunn has contributed to RACGP-accredited education, national Schedule 8 policy discussions, and the development of a low-dose oral cannabinoid medication. He works within a multidisciplinary team alongside addiction specialists, physicians, and psychologists. He is also a long-time supporter of Harm Reduction Australia and other initiatives aimed at improving access, safety, and dignity in healthcare.