Shades of Pain & Trauma - 2024 PNA Professional Day

APS President Ms. Joyce McSwan

BPharm FPS Cert IV TAE

Gold Coast Primary Health Network Persistent Pain Program QLD and PainWISE

Joyce is a multi-award winning clinical pharmacist and educator within the field of pain management. She is the Clinical Director of the Gold Coast Primary Health Network ‘Turning Pain into Gain’ program and Managing Director of PainWISE. Her contributions in the field of persistent pain has been recognised through awards and collaborative industry partnerships with Griffith University, Bond University, Painaustralia, Australian Pain Society, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Pain Management Research Institute. In 2021, Joyce was appointed the Principal Continuing Professional Development Director of the Australian Health Practitioners Advisory Solutions. She was also awarded her Fellowship by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia in 2021. Her expertise lies in innovative health pathway design, piloting and implementing models of care within the primary care setting utilising mixed funding models to optimise pain management and chronic disease management.

Dr. Bhavik Patel

FRACS, M.B.B.S

Consultant Surgeon for Acute Care (emergency) and Trauma Surgery at Gold Coast University Hospital

Dr Patel is a Consultant Surgeon for Acute Care (emergency) and Trauma Surgery at Gold Coast University Hospital and Consultant Surgeon for Acute Care (emergency) Surgery at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital. After finishing his Medical Degree (M.B.B.S) and Masters of General Surgery(M.S) in Mumbai, India, Dr Patel moved to Australia and completed his Masters in Research(M.phil)from University of Queensland followed by general surgery fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) at various public hospitals in Queensland but predominantly at the Royal Brisbane and Woman’s Hospital in 2017. During this time, he gained experience in all subspecialties of general surgery namely Breast and Endocrine, Hepatobiliary pancreatic, Colorectal and Burns surgery, with special interest in Acute Care (Emergency) and Trauma surgery. He has also worked as a Visiting Surgeon at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Centre, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA. Dr Patel’s current practice involves all aspects of acute care general surgery and trauma surgery.

Dr. Gunjeet Minhas

FAFRM (RACP), FFPMANZCA

Specialist Pain Medicine Physician and Rehabilitation Physician

Dr Minhas completed medical school at the University of Queensland with specialist training completed throughout Queensland. Further specialist training at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Professor Tess Cramond Multidisciplinary Pain Centre (PTCMPC) into assessment and management of complex pain conditions including cancer-related and spinal pain and traumatic pain such as CRPS, spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury. This usually includes a rehabilitative, healthy-lifestyle approach but can also include minimally invasive percutaneous techniques using image guidance.
In addition to private practice Dr Minhas is a Staff Specialist at the PTCMPC where he is heavily involved in Junior Doctor training and regularly lectures specialists and trainees in the other disciplines. He is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland.
Dr Minhas can provide additional consultation in Punjabi

Adj. Prof. Fellow Paul J Stevenson

OAM. UNAA. CSW BA (Mus) Dip Psy. MOP. MAAETS. MAPS. MAIA. MCCAT. MUNAA. Fellow AAPI. Fellow ACCP

Adiunct Professional Fellow for Southern Cross University, Traumatologist & Psychologist

Adj. Prof. Fellow Paul J. Stevenson OAM. UNAA. is an accredited Traumatologist with the International Green Cross Academy of Traumatology. He is also a registered Psychologist in Australia with over 50 years experience in the Human Services Industry, both to the private and public sectors, and holds a Masters Degree in Organisational Psychology.
Over the past thirty (30) years, he has specialised in the clinical treatment of victims of trauma, and the strategic design and evaluation of Disaster Management interventions.
Paul has authored and published four books: Postcards from Ground Zero on the subject of International Disaster Management and Trauma Psychology; Are We There Yet? on Strategic Planning; Best Practice for Human Services a manager’s guide; and It’s all Good on relaxation and meditation (compact disc).

Ms. Melanie Proper

Nurse Practitioner, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital

Melanie Proper is a Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years experience in pain management in the tertiary, aged care and private settings. Melanie currently practices at the RBWH, visits nursing homes for Tricare and Prescare and has a small private practice in Brisbane’s North. Melanie is passionate about individualised holistic care with an emphasis on patient education and empowerment. She has an interest in delirium, pain and associate behaviour in dementia clients. Melanie is an Adjunct Lecturer for QUT and a member of the ACNP and APS. She is the convener and president of the Focus on Pain Group QLD and the chair of the ACNP QLD chapter. She is also on the QLD Mandatory Monitoring Working Group

Dr. Nicole Pope

PhD, RN, MPhil, GradDip Paed Nursing

Pain in Child Health (PICH) Post-Doctoral Fellow
Child Health Evaluative Services, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children

Nicole is an early career nurse clinician scientist with an interest in digital health technologies. Her doctoral research program was the first to examine the role of electronic medical records and patient portal systems in hospitalized children’s pain. Findings set out actionable recommendations for future clinical practice, research, and policy to ensure continued progress in digital health technologies to improve pain outcomes for children and their families.
Nicole is a Pain in Child Health Postdoctoral fellow and is leveraging her expertise in digital health technologies and expanding into new digital health platforms and at-risk populations. She has partnered with international and national collaborators and diverse parent partners to lead a research program to inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of parent-oriented interventions integrated into the Power over Pain Portal addressing the psychological health, well-being, and parenting needs of parents of children with Chronic Pain. She is also leading a multi-site study exploring the use of virtual reality in paediatric chronic pain clinics in Australia.
Nicole is a Lecturer at the University of Melbourne and a post-doctoral fellow at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. She is also an honorary at the Royal Children's Hospital and the Murdoch Children's

Assoc. Prof. Susan Evans

MBBS FRACOG FFPMANZCA

Gynaecologist, Researcher, Pain Medicine Physician, Advocate in pelvic pain for over 20 years.

As a gynaecologist, laparoscopic surgeon and pain physician, A/Prof Susan Evans saw the difficulties girls and women with pain suffered, and the lack of co-ordinated, effective services to help them.
Since then, her work has focussed on addressing the wide range of issues that reduce the ability of girls, women and men with pelvic pain to live to their full potential. This has involved PhD research into the lived experience and neuroimmune causes of period pain, pelvic pain and endometriosis, Co-founding the Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia, co-developing the Periods, Pain and Endometriosis (PPEP Talk) Schools Program, and her current work with Alyra Biotech developing innovative new treatments for pelvic pain.
Dr Evans is a Springboard Enterprise 2020 Life Science Alum, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an Advisory Group Member for Australia’s National Endometriosis Action Plan.
In 2023 she was a finalist for South Australian of the Year

Ms. Sharlene Wilson

Registered Nurse and Educator

Sharlene Wilson is a highly experienced and dedicated nurse with over 30 years of training and work in the field. Her extensive career has taken her across borders and overseas , allowing her to gain valuable experience internationally in Canada, interstate and remote areas across Australia.
Throughout her career, Sharlene has specialized in various areas of nursing, including ICU, cardiology ORS, medical surgical and clinical coaching.
In addition to her nursing qualifications, Sharlene has also pursued further education to enhance her skills in teaching and coaching. She holds a Masters in Education, which has equipped her with the necessary tools to effectively educate and mentor aspiring nurses. Furthermore, she is a Master practitioner in NLP, hypnosis, mind performance training, life coaching, and meditation teaching. These additional qualifications highlight her commitment to holistic patient care and her desire to support individuals in achieving their full potential.

Dr. Leigh White

FANZCA; M.B.B.S; BSc(Hons)

Consultant Anaesthetist, Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service

Dr White currently works as a Consultant Anaesthetist at the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (Queensland Health). Leigh does research in Anaesthesia and Critical Care.

Dr. Colleen Johnston-Devin

RN, BN(post reg), GCAdv Paed Nurs, GCTAE, PhD

Senior Lecturer at CQUniversity

Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences at CQUniversity, currently teaching research units into the Master of Clinical Nursing. Prior to moving into academia, Colleen had extensive clinical and research experience encompassing varied settings within Universities, Hospitals, Aged Care Facilities, and the community across Australia including cities, regional and rural areas. Her strong community, industry and consumer links are reflected in the diverse interdisciplinary research teams she works with and translation of findings into practice. Colleens’ research profile includes persistent pain, scholarship, chronic condition self-management, ageing, lived experience, person centred care and research methods. Colleens’ career goal is to improve the chronic pain experience for people by a) enabling people with chronic pain to self-manage and, b) to positively impact pain education received by health professional students.