Veronique Price
Research areas:
- Biostatistics
- Musculoskeletal pain
Institute/Affiliation:
Curtin University
Professor Anne Smith
PhD, MBiostatistics, GDipSportsPhysio, BAppSci (Physiotherapy)
Professor Anne Smith is a Professor and Senior Lecturer at the School of Physiotherapy at Curtin University, where she conducts high impact clinical research in musculoskeletal pain disorders and physical activity and supervises higher degree research. In addition to qualifications in physiotherapy, sports physiotherapy and a PhD in biomechanics, Anne also has a Masters degree in biostatistics, and her expertise in clinical biostatistics provide much needed sophistication of analyses in the field of musculoskeletal disability for her research team and for her many other research collaborations. Anne has published over 150 papers with her teams in international, peer-reviewed journals, and has achieved nationally competitive grant success, through both NHMRC Project Grant and Fellowship funding.
OTHER KEYS ROLES
School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University: Professor
The Raine Study: Scientific Director
GLA:D Australia: Tutor
Veronique Price
OUR PEOPLE
Email: philip.clarke@unimelb.edu.au
Research areas:
- Health economic simulation models
- Health inequalities
- Improving access to health care
Institute/Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne, Oxford University
@pmc868
Professor Philip Clarke
PhD, M.Ec, B.Ec
Professor Philip Clarke joined the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne in February 2012 as the Chair in Health Economics and from 2018, is the Director of Health Economics Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Previously, Prof Clarke was the A/Prof at the Sydney School of Public Health and has spent six years engaged in health economic research at the University of Oxford. His research in Oxford focused on the economic analysis of the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) – a landmark trial of policies to improve the management of people with Type 2 diabetes.
His health economic research interests include developing methods to value the benefits of improving access to health care, health inequalities and the use of simulation models in health economic evaluation. He has also undertaken policy relevant research for the World Bank, OECD, AusAID and DoHA.
He has over 80 peered review publications and has recently contributed to books on cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis published by Oxford University Press.
OTHER KEY ROLES
The University of Melbourne: Professor
Health Economics Research Centre, Oxford University: Director
Veronique Price
OUR PEOPLE
Email: j.gunn@unimelb.edu.au
Research areas:
- Depression and mental health
- Health system reform
- Multimorbidity
- Primary care and general practice
Institute/Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne
Professor Jane Gunn
MBBS, PhD
Professor Jane Gunn is Professor and Chair of Primary Care Research. Prof Gunn is a general practitioner and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Prior to becoming Dean she was Head of the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne. Professor Gunn completed her PhD in 1998 and in 2009, she was appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council Research Committee.
She leads a research program into mental health; focusing in particular on depression and multimorbidity. Her research harnesses the patient experience to drive health care reform. She is committed to person centred health care which places primary care at the centre of an integrated health care system.
In 2005 Professor Gunn established the diamond cohort study. Diamond has documented the experiences and outcomes of depression in primary care for the past decade. This research is one of the most comprehensive data sets of its type in the world and is the basis of much productive international collaboration.
Professor Gunn is currently developing an App which incorporates a clinical prediction tool to provide tailored treatment recommendations for people experiencing depression. The App will link people to proven online eMental health and face to face treatments for depression.
OTHER KEY ROLES
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, the University of Melbourne: Deputy Dean
Department of General Practice, the University of Melbourne: Head
Primary Care Research, the University of Melbourne: Chair
The University of Melbourne: Professor
Harp Family Medical Clinic: General Practitioner
Veronique Price
OUR PEOPLE
Email: mmdowsey@unimelb.edu.au
Research areas:
- Data linkage
- Musculoskeletal clinical research
Institute/Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne
Professor Michelle Dowsey
BHealthSci (Nursing), MEpi, PhD
Michelle Dowsey is an NHMRC Career Development Fellow, Epidemiologist, Registered Nurse and Principal Research Fellow in the Department of Surgery at St. Vincent’s where she leads the MSK Epidemiology Research Group.
Her research group investigates the outcomes of surgical and non-surgical interventions in individuals with end-stage osteoarthritis, such as pre-surgery mindfulness-based stress reduction, and dietetic interventions. Michelle is the Lead investigator and custodian of the St. Vincent’s Melbourne Arthroplasty (SMART) Outcomes Registry. SMART is a clinical registry based at St. Vincent’s Hospital that houses clinical and patient reported outcome data, in more than 8,500 patients who have undergone elective lower limb arthroplasty. Over 75,000 patient pain, function and quality of life surveys are recorded in the Registry which plays an important role in identifying novel and modifiable factors including patient, bone and joint structural, and surgical factors that affect the outcomes of surgery. This information is critical for developing programmes of care that are effective, efficient, timely and cost-constrained.
Michelle is passionate about consumer engagement. She leads the MARKA study, a first of its kind study that explores risk perception of orthopaedic surgeons and patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Her ultimate goal is to develop stratified models of care for managing end-stage hip and knee osteoarthritis, particularly for those who are unlikely to benefit from surgical interventions.
Michelle has worked in MSK research since completing her PhD in 2009, has published 50 scientific articles and 3 book chapters, and received over 3.9 million dollars in competitive funding. She is currently funded by NHMRC, ARC, St. Vincent’s Health, the University of Melbourne and Industry. She is currently a member of the St. Vincent’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, Associate Editor for Frontiers of Orthopaedic Surgery and past member of the Human Research Ethics Committee at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
OTHER KEY ROLES
St. Vincent’s Melbourne Arthroplasty (SMART) Outcomes Registry: Lead Investigator and Custodian
Australian Orthopaedic Association: Member
Frontiers in Orthopaedic Surgery: Associate Editor
Osteoarthritis Research Society International Publications Committee: Member
Veronique Price
OUR PEOPLE
Email: pchoong@unimelb.edu.au
Research areas:
- Total Joint Replacement
- Sarcoma
- Musculoskeletal
Institute/Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne
@ChoongProfessor
Professor Peter Choong
MBBS, FRACS, MD, FAOrthA, FAAHMS
Professor Peter Choong is the Sir Hugh Devine Professor and Chair of Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (2009-). In this role, he is head of academic surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital and leads a vibrant programme of teaching, training and research across the surgical disciplines. Through his Department of Surgery portfolio role of Research Lead, he is also responsible for developing and supporting the relevant strategies and infrastructure to drive the growth and success of surgical research across the 6 University of Melbourne hospital campuses (St. Vincent’s, Royal Melbourne, Austin, Western, Northern, Royal Victorian Eye an Ear Hospitals).
Professor Choong also leads an ambitious programme of musculoskeletal research that encompasses basic science, bioengineering and clinico-epidemiology. His multidisciplinary research programme is characterised by 3 distinct, but related themes including:
- Degenerative joint disease
- Orthopaedic tumours
- Advanced limb reconstruction
These themes speak to the role that musculoskeletal conditions play as a leading cause of disability and underpin the clinical programmes he has led over the last 20 years in orthopaedics and orthopaedic oncology. Professor Choong’s research places him in the top 0.5% of published researchers in total joint replacement and sarcoma research worldwide (Expertscape) and his knowledge and skills in collaborating, mentoring and inspiring researchers has allowed him to build and lead a multidisciplinary and talented team of scientists and clinicians. His research is fully funded by recurrent NHMRC, ARC, CRC and NGO funding (career >$25,000,000). Professor Choong’s clinical research is driven by big data. He conceived and established the St.Vincent’s Melbourne Arthroplasty Outcomes Registry (SMART registry) which is a unique Australian surgical registry that drives his OA surgery outcomes research. This valuable asset has underpinned his team’s research success which has resulted in the award of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence grant. This grant kick-started the establishment of OPUS as we know it: the Centre for Research Excellence in Total Joint Replacement.
Professor Choong is Director of Orthopaedics, St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and was the inaugural Chair of Adult Orthopaedics in Melbourne (1996). In this role, Professor Choong was responsible for developing and leading Melbourne’s first academic orthopaedic department focusing on joint arthroplasty and orthopaedic oncology. Today, the St. Vincent’s Department of Orthopaedics is the Victorian State Arthroplasty Centre, and also a national centre for bone and soft tissue sarcoma surgery. Professor Choong is also the Chair of the Bone & Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Through his clinical, academic and administrative leadership roles at St. Vincent’s, Professor Choong has driven many successful initiatives impacting the teaching, training and research at St. Vincent’s. These include the St. Vincent’s Education Centre, which is a multimillion dollar integrated teaching centre that incorporates a wet surgical training laboratory, simulation laboratory, skills laboratory, and conference facility that is linked to the hospital’s operating rooms, the Elective Surgery Access Scheme, a high-volume clinical programme delivering comprehensive and coordinated care for patients with end-stage osteoarthritis, new state of the art Elective Surgery Operating Theatres, and refurbished Department of Surgery complex providing studying, learning and meeting facilities for surgeons. Recently, Professor Choong spearheaded the establishment of a comprehensive translational laboratory, the Advanced Biofabrication Facility (BioFab3D) in the Department of Surgery at St. Vincent’s Melbourne which increases capacity and capability for tissue engineering and advanced bioprinting. This facility is the hub for his ARC funded multi-institutional collaborative research programme into Advanced Limb Reconstruction.
What influences patient satisfaction after TKA?
Veronique Price
A qualitative investigation and article by Nardia Klem, Clinical Physiotherapist and Curtin University PhD Candidate Patient satisfaction is frequently discussed in the clinical research sphere, yet its definition is broad and varied. Our research sought to understand what patient satisfaction is, and what influences patient satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Prior to conducting this […]
To categorise or not to categorise…
Veronique Price
Difficulties in determining the impact of a risk factor that is handled in almost as many ways as the number of studies that report it Article by Daniel Gould, University of Melbourne MD-PhD student Osteoarthritis is a debilitating condition as well as a growing global health problem and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an effective […]
Fellowship success: A/Prof Maria Inacio & Dr Darshini Ayton
Veronique Price
The 2020 NHMRC Investigator Grants were recently announced, and A/Prof Maria Inacio and Dr Darshini Ayton were two of the lucky few to be awarded a fellowship. The OPUS team was delighted to learn that our own A/Prof Maria Inacio and Dr Darshini Ayton were both awarded a NHMRC Investigator Grant Fellowship. The Investigator Grants […]
Veronique Price
Naz is a registered nurse, an Aboriginal Research Assistant at OPUS and is identified in her tribe as a yamatji/wongi lady. Naz engages and liaises with Aboriginal communities as a healthcare worker to build trust and develop a rapport and understanding of long-term health. She is passionate about improving Aboriginal community health awareness by helping […]
Veronique Price
Jay is a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist currently undertaking a PhD in Physiotherapy at Curtin University and the OPUS Centre for Research Excellence. He graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy with first class honours in 2009, and returned to complete his Master of Clinical Physiotherapy in 2014. He currently consults on a […]
Investigating knee replacement outcomes in patients with diabetes
Veronique Price
Michelle Tew, a PhD candidate and Health Economics Research Fellow at OPUS, recently published a research article in the Journal of Clinical Medicine on the co-morbidities and sex differences of patients’ long-term quality-of-life outcomes after total knee replacement. This study focused on the differences in outcomes between those with and without diabetes. Osteoarthritis and diabetes […]
Travel Grant Success: Sharmala Thuraisingam
Veronique Price
The Statistical Society of Australia awards the CSIRO/SSA Betty Allan Travel Award to female early career statisticians to support their careers through enabling travel opportunities for professional development. Our very own Sharmala Thuraisingam was the deserving 2020 recipient of this award. Sharm is an early career biostatistician and is currently is completing her PhD. In […]