Meet the Experts

Meet the Experts sessions are sponsor run sessions.

Meet the Experts Session 1: Ipsen, 1230 - 1250 AEST, Saturday
Meet the Experts Session 2: Seqirus, 1250 - 1310 AEST, Saturday
Meet the Experts Session 3: Allergan, 1050 - 1110 AEST, Sunday
Meet the Experts Session 4: Cantley Medical, 1320 - 1340 AEST, Sunday
Meet the Experts Session 5: Aurora Healthcare, 1340 - 1400 AEST, Sunday

Saturday 31 July

Meet the Experts, Session 1: 1230 - 1250 AEST

Learnings from the Upper Limb International Spasticity (ULIS) Programme – Longitudinal Study
Speaker: Professor John Olver
Professor J Olver, primary investigator in the ULIS-III study, will present the findings from a 10 year-long longitudinal study on goal attainment with integrated upper limb spasticity management including repeated injections of botulinum toxin A.
The study consisted of a series of large international patient cohorts that aimed to develop a consistent approach to outcome measures in order to facilitate analytical interrogation of an International data base

Professor John Olver is a Consultant Physician in Rehabilitation Medicine and Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Monash University. He is Director of Rehabilitation at Epworth Healthcare, Melbourne, Australia, where he is also Manager of the Epworth Rehabilitation Acquired Brain Injury Programme. In 2008 he was appointed as Chairman of the Clinical Institute of Rehabilitation, Psychiatry and Pain Management at Epworth HealthCare and in 2009 was appointed to the Victor Smorgon Chair of Rehabilitation Medicine, Epworth HealthCare and Monash University. He is Director of the Epworth Monash Rehabilitation Medicine Research Unit, the medical research arm of Epworth HealthCare Rehabilitation. Currently Professor Olver is co-supervising seven PhD/Masters projects within the Epworth Monash Rehabilitation Medicine Unit.

Meet the Experts, Session 2: 1250 - 1310 AEST

Managing postoperative pain after hospital discharge – your role as a rehabilitation specialist

Speaker: Professor Eric J. Visser

Please join Professor Eric J. Visser (Churack Chair for Pain Education and Research at the University of Notre Dame Australia in Fremantle, and a specialist pain medicine physician and anesthesiologist at PainScience and St John of God Hospital Subiaco), as he gives his perspective on the following:

The role of short term opioids following surgery for acute, severe pain is well recognised. Opioid stewardship principles when managing postoperative pain isare imperative, as evidence suggests the pathway to a patient’s persistent opioid use can often start from the hospital environment post-surgery. Rehabilitation specialists have an important role in in this process. Principles such as avoiding the use of sustained release opioids for acute pain, prescribing individualised quantities of opioids reflective of the patient’s clinical need, as well as the importance of documented analgesic tapering plans will be discussed. The presentation will include the latest recommendations for tapering and stopping analgesics for acute pain from the new 2020 Therapeutic Guidelines: Pain and Analgesia.

Professor Eric Visser (MBBS FANZCA FFPMANZCA) is the Churack Chair for Pain Education and Research at the University of Notre Dame Australia in Fremantle, and a specialist pain medicine physician and anesthesiologist at PainScience and St John of God Hospital Subiaco. He is also clinical senior lecturer in the School of Pharmacology and Anesthesiology at the University of Western Australia.

Eric has wide-ranging interests including pain education, acute pain service applications, spinal pain, headaches, CRPS and pharmacological pain management. He has a particular interest in peripheral neural blockade for chronic pain.

Sunday 1 August

Meet the Experts, Session 3: 1050 - 1110 AEST

Early Predictors of Post-stroke Spasticity

Speaker: Dr Warren Jennings-Bell

Dr Warren Jennings-Bell, Consultant Physician in Rehabilitation Medicine, will present on stroke and spasticity, including the impact of spasticity on patients, the early predictors in post stroke spasticity (PSS) and advantages of predicting PSS

Dr Warren Jennings-Bell is a Consultant Physician in Rehabilitation Medicine with an interest in ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin injections for spasticity . Prior to studying medicine Warren studied at the University of Wollongong where he was a lecturer and dissector in Anatomy. He has attended anatomy, spasticity and ultrasound events in Europe, Asia and the United States. He now runs a private spasticity management service on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Meet the Experts, Session 4: 1320 - 1340 AEST

Improving walking outcomes in Stroke and ABI recovery using a Robotic End-Effector Gait trainer

Speaker: Melissa McConaghy

Walking recovery following a neurological insult requires three critical components to optimise rehabilitation and gait recovery; intensity, high volume stepping and real-time sensory feedback. This is often lacking in traditional gait rehab settings which implies that gait recovery post stroke and ABI can be improved. Robotic, End-Effector Gait trainers are relatively new to the market and show great promise in the literature. This presentation discusses the results achieved from the first six months of use of a Robotic, End-Effector Gait trainer, Tyromotion LEXO® in a private rehab setting, specifically exploring feasibility, acceptability and future research needs.

Melissa McConaghy is the CEO and Specialist Neurological Physiotherapist (as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2010) at Advance Rehab Centre, Sydney.

She was awarded Australian Physiotherapist of the Year 2019, she is a Branch Councillor within the NSW Branch of the APA and is also a Clinical Lecturer at Macquarie University.

She is the Co-Director in Education and Practice in the International Neurological Physiotherapy Association.

Meet the Experts, Session 5: 1340 - 1400 AEST

Transforming the approach to rehabilitation by combining robotic mediated therapy with traditional rehabilitation.

Speakers: Bronwyn Champness & Dr Phoebe Slape

“There’s more to them than meets the eye.” – Optimus Prime; Transformers Movie

Dr Phoebe Slape will discuss what, why, and how Eden Private Hospital has incorporated robotic assisted rehabilitation to supplement their rehabilitation programs. A practical presentation to gain insight into this innovative technology, the challenges, and the successes.

Bronwyn Champness began her career as an Occupational Therapist, after completing a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with the University of Queensland in the late 80’s. Following more than a decade of experience in Occupational Therapy, across a range of facilities including specialised Rehabilitation and Aged Care/Day Therapy facilities, Bronwyn moved into allied health management.

Bronwyn has worked in a variety of senior management roles where she has utilised knowledge gained from her Diploma in Frontline Management, to enhance existing services through the conduct of audits and subsequent provision of action plans, leading the development and implementation of new programs and establishing valuable and effective communication networks.

Dr Phoebe Slape (BSc(Biomed), MBBS, FAFRM) is the Director of Rehabilitation at Eden Private Hospital with a special interest in falls prevention, geriatric rehabilitation, oncology and palliative rehabilitation, cardiac, pulmonary and neurological rehabilitation.

Dr Slape completed her Medical degree at the University of Queensland and has gained experience in rehabilitation medicine across the private and public sectors. She is also the Director of Clinical Training, supervising the Queensland Health Rehabilitation Registrars during their rotations.

Dr Slape also has a special interest in assistive and robotic technology and its integration into rehabilitation medicine and enhancing patients function and quality of life.