Conference 2020: Brave New World: 40th anniversary

Alison Grimaldi

With over 25 years of clinical experience and particular expertise in the management of hip, groin and lumbo-pelvic pain and dysfunction, Alison is Principal Physiotherapist at Physiotec and an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. Alison also has a special interest in the assessment and optimisation of lumbo-pelvic and lower limb biomechanics for running, change of direction and all weightbearing sports, aiming to maximize an athlete’s performance outcomes and minimize risks of injury or re-injury.

Alison completed a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland in 1990, a Masters of Sports Physiotherapy in 1997, and her Doctorate in Philosophy in the Field of Physiotherapy (PhD) in 2008. Her PhD studies were concerned with improving our understanding of hip muscle function and the relationship with hip joint pathology and weightbearing stimulus. These studies involved research collaboration with the European Space Agency. Alison continues to be passionate about extending our understanding of why we develop problems around the hip and pelvis, and what we can do to most effectively prevent and manage these problems. She has been a key investigator on the LEAP gluteal tendinopathy randomised clinical trial conducted through the University of Queensland and University of Melbourne, and is involved in ongoing research in this and other fields. Due to her voluntary contributions to research at the University of Queensland, Alison has been awarded the title Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in the School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. Alison has co-supervised a number of PhD students, and has pioneered the use of Real Time Ultrasound technology for the assessment and retraining of muscle function around the hip & pelvis.

Director of the La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre

Kay Crossley

Professor Kay Crossley is the Director of the La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre. Her main research focus is on the prevention and management of patellofemoral pain and early-onset osteoarthritis after sports-related injuries.

Kay is a physiotherapist with many years of experience in clinical sports physiotherapy. She has contributed to a number of sports medicine and physiotherapy texts, including every edition of Brukner and Khan's Clinical Sports Medicine.

Kay maintains a strong research interest in optimising treatments for patellofemoral conditions (pain and osteoarthritis). Additionally, she has developed a new focus of research, which encompasses three major fields. The major focus is on the development and prevention of osteoarthritis following sports related injuries, with fields in patellofemoral osteoarthritis following patellofemoral pain, knee osteoarthritis following ACL reconstruction and hip OA following hip-related injuries (including FAI and labral tears).

Physiotherapy Scholar, La Trobe University

Adam Culvenor

Adam is a physiotherapist and NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow and completed his PhD in the development of osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at The University of Queensland in 2015. Adam's research focusing on early-onset knee osteoarthritis in young adults following injury has been awarded American Journal of Sports Medicine most outstanding paper 2016, Australian Physiotherapy Association Best New Investigator 2013 & 2017 in musculoskeletal and sports research, Sports Medicine Australia best poster 2015, and British Journal of Sports Medicine best systematic review 2015 (finalist).
During his PhD, Adam was awarded both a Commonwealth Government Endeavour Fellowship and Felice Rosemary Lloyd fellowship to undertake research at the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, Oslo.
Following his PhD, Adam completed a European Commission funded postdoctoral fellowship in Salzburg, Austria, evaluating muscle and cartilage tissue characteristics in knee osteoarthritis. During this fellowship, he was awarded Paracelsus Medical University Researcher of the Year 2017, European Commission career development prize 2017, and Marie Curie Action Award for communicating science 2017 (finalist).
Adam has also completed a Grad. Cert. at Harvard Medical School (Global Clinical Research Program 2017), is a Senior Associate Editor for the British Journal of Sports Medicine, as well as an invited reviewer for several other international journals. Adam's broad research disciplines are knee pain and injury, osteoarthritis, biomechanics, rehabilitation, and musculoskeletal imaging.

Adam will be presenting a half-day course on the opposite day of his lecture (date TBC).

Consultant Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist

Chris Mercer

Having chaired the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy back pain guideline group and was a member of the Whiplash Associated Disorder guideline group, Chris has a number of roles under his belt.

He is also currently a member of the Royal College of Physicians Occupational Health national back pain audit group, the CSP Professional Practice and Service Delivery Committee and the national research funding stream, and the Research for Patient Benefit Programme.

He is an active member of the MACP and was part of the organising committee delivering the IFOMPT confernce in Glasgow in 2016.

Consultant Physiotherapist

Neil Langridge

Neil is a Consultant Physiotherapist in Musculoskeletal practice. He also has an AHP Director role and is a senior lecturer at the University of Winchester. He holds an MSc in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and a Clinical Doctorate. As a practicing injection therapist he works across primary care (FCP) and secondary care triage. Neil has been commissioned by HEE to develop eLearning modules for primary care and has been teaching MSK physiotherapy in many different areas for many years across in the UK and overseas.

Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist- Upper Limb

Jo Gibson

Jo is co founder and former partner of West Kirby Physiotherapy. She  qualified in 1987. Jo has a Masters in Advanced Practice and is an Associate lecturer at Liverpool University. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and written several book chapters.  She is also a Board member of EUSSER (European Society of Shoulder & Elbow Rehabilitation) and Chairperson of the EUSSER Education Committee.

Jo continues to work in the NHS in a Clinical Specialist role specialising in the upper limb as well as  having a consultancy role with several elite sports teams.

Physiotherapy Pain Association

The Physiotherapy Pain Association (PPA) was formed to bring together and provide information for Physiotherapists with the common interest of managing patients with both acute and long term pain. The PPA was established in 1994 for Chartered Physiotherapists and was recognised as a Clinical Interest Group of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) in 1996.

The PPA will hold an interest for those physiotherapists working in an out patient department using traditional physiotherapy interventions and interested in developing evidence based best practice, through to those working in a multidisciplinary pain clinic to those using the integrated approach in pain management programmes.

You will find like minded colleagues within the Association who are enthusiastic to discuss and progress ideas and challenges in developing physiotherapy practice within local, national and international scientific communities.

One of the key objectives of the Association is to promote the role of physiotherapy in the relief and management of pain to other Professionals as well as to Physiotherapists.