Fiona Talkington is a distinguished BBC radio presenter, best known for hosting the award-winning program Late Junction. She has presented live concerts from venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall and produced documentaries and talk shows for the BBC. Fiona holds a Master of Arts in Literature and the Visual Arts and a Master of Science in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes (CWTP). She received the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for her contributions to the arts and an honorary doctorate (D.Litt) from the University of Reading.  

Drawing on her personal experience with chronic neuropathic pain, Fiona serves as a patient partner in PAINSTORM and co-produces its podcast, PAINCAST.  

She has also participated in numerous SIGs for IASP and has facilitated numerous workshops for students and research groups with her focus on the communication and expression of chronic pain for individuals and in healthcare settingsand expression of chronic pain for individuals and in healthcare settings. In addition, Fiona has a forthcoming publication with Bloomsbury on the role of creative arts in enhancing communication between patients and clinicians. 

Harry Hebert is a Principal Investigator (Tenure Track) at the University of Dundee, specializing in chronic pain pharmacoepidemiology with a focus on neuropathic pain. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Genetics from the University of Nottingham (2009), an MSc in Human Molecular Genetics from Imperial College London (2010), and a PhD in Genetic Epidemiology from the University of Manchester (2015). Following his doctoral studies, Harry worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Chronic Pain Research Group under Professors Blair H. Smith and Lesley Colvin at Dundee. Appointed to his current role in 2024, he leads the PAINSTORM Dundee study, funded by the Advanced Pain Discovery Platform (APDP), and conducts research into gabapentinoid reclassification in the UK and risk factors for mortality among individuals with chronic pain and substance use disorders. His career goal is to improve the lives of people living with chronic pain by leading research that influences clinical guidelines, policy, and practice. 

Jo Josh is a freelance communications professional specializing in translating medical and research information into plain language for mainstream audiences. Her background includes news and feature production for print and broadcast media, brand marketing, and crisis management. Since 2018, Jo has worked with the British HIV Association (BHIVA) on communications and advocacy with media, health systems, government, and HIV community organizations.  

She suffers from HIV-related peripheral neuropathy and edited language for “ACT OPEN,” a randomized controlled trial of online acceptance and commitment therapy for neuropathic pain in people living with HIV. In 2022, Jo provided plain language translations of research papers for IASP and is one of three patient partners for the PAINSTORM consortium (https://www.painstorm.co.uk), a three-year research project into the causes and mechanisms of neuropathic pain. She is a member of the Advanced Pain Discovery Platform (APDP).  

Jo’s roles include Data Safety Monitoring on the RIO study (bNAbs), CONNECT research into digital communications in sexual health, and patient communications for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust as a member of its Council of Governors. She is a former Vice Chair of a NICE committee. 

Angelika Lampert, MD, is Director of the Institute of Neurophysiology at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. She coordinates the Sodium Channel Network Aachen and serves as speaker of the Scientific Center for Neuropathic Pain Aachen (SCNAACHEN), focusing on inherited neuropathic pain syndromes such as small fiber neuropathy linked to sodium channel mutations. Her research emphasizes translational basic science, including patient-derived stem cells, Patch-Seq, sodium channel biophysics, and pharmacology. Angelika is co-chair of the IASP Global Year 2026 on Neuropathic Pain. 

Neil is Professor of Evidence-Based Healthcare in the Physiotherapy Division of the Department of Health Sciences. He previously worked as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist and now divides his time between teaching and research. Neil’s research focuses on evidence-based management of persistent pain, and he has published extensively in this area. He leads modules on clinical research methods and evidence-based practice for pre- and post-graduate clinicians. Neil served as Coordinating Editor for the Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care (PaPaS) group from 2020–2023 and was a member of Cochrane’s central editorial board. He contributed to the UK NICE 2016 clinical guideline on low back pain and sciatica and currently chairs the IASP Methods, Evidence Synthesis and Implementation Special Interest Group (MESIGIG). Neil is Scientific Coordinator of the ENTRUST-PE network, supported by ERA-NET Neuron Cofund, and co-chair of the IASP Global Year 2026 on Neuropathic Pain. 

Andrew Rice is Professor of Pain Research at Imperial College London and President of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). He earned his medical degree from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in 1982 and his research doctorate from St. Thomas’ Hospital Medical School in 1991. Andrew underwent specialist training in Oxford and at St Thomas’ Hospital before joining Imperial College in 1995. He led the Pain Research Group at Imperial College from its inception in 1995 until 2026. His research spans neuropathic pain in infectious diseases (HIV, Herpes Zoster, HTLV-1, leprosy), diabetic neuropathy, and peripheral nerve trauma and amputation, with a focus on improving translational research and evidence synthesis.  

Andrew chaired the IASP Presidential Task Force on Cannabis and Cannabinoid Analgesia and the Scientific Programme Committee for the 2020 World Congress on Pain. He previously served as an IASP Councilor and was elected President-Elect in 2022. Andrew is an Honorary Consultant in Pain Medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, stepping aside from clinical practice in 2023 to fulfill his presidential duties. 

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.rice

Dr. Mohammad Zunaid is an Assistant Professor in Bangladesh Civil Service under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Bangladesh. He holds an MBBS, BCS (Health), and MD in Anesthesiology. Mohammad was an IASP Pain Fellow at Siriaj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, and serves as a WFSA Mentor in Anaesthesia and Pain. He contributed to Pharmacotherapy and non-invasive neuromodulation for neuropathic pain: a systemic review and meta-analysis as a Co-author. He is a member of the IASP Membership & Chapter Committee and the Presidential Task Force for the Global Year 2027. 

Dr. Staja “Star” Booker, PhD, RN, FAAN is a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Florida, College of Nursing, widely recognized for her pioneering scholarship on pain disparities, injustices, and health equity. She leads a transformative program of research on the science of pain and aging, advancing understanding of the lived experiences and management of chronic pain among older adults—particularly those who identify as African American/Black. Dr. Booker’s research portfolio is distinguished by multiple NIH-funded studies, reshaping how pain in later life is conceptualized and managed and improving health and quality of life for older adults experiencing pain and disability. Her current NIH-funded R01 is a randomized controlled trial testing an innovative pain self-management intervention designed to address social determinants influencing chronic musculoskeletal pain in African Americans/Blacks.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she has authored over 110 peer-reviewed publications and editorials, eleven book chapters, and delivered 140 scientific presentations. She is a distinguished scientist, nurse, and advocate. She served on the inaugural Board of Directors for the United States Association for the Study of Pain, helping to develop a new scientific organization in the U.S. Her exceptional contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the University of Florida Excellence Award for Assistant Professors—the first ever awarded to College of Nursing faculty—as well as the Southern Nursing Research Society’s Early Science Investigator Award, the IASP Pain in Older Persons SIG Junior Investigator Award, and the American Society for Pain Management Nursing® Excellence in Nursing Award for Pain Management of the Older Adult. Dr. Booker remains an influential leader and active member in several national and international pain, gerontology, and nursing organizations, where she continues to advance equity, innovation, and excellence in pain research, care, and education.

Candace helps individuals and organizations create healthier, more empowered lives through education, connection, and strategy. With a clinical background and over 15 years of experience teaching health concepts in accessible, human ways, she specializes in wellness program design, virtual health education, and instructional content creation. Whether leading a workshop on stress and burnout, designing a musculoskeletal wellness module, or guiding a group of women in letting go of over-functioning, her work is driven by purpose: helping people take off the cape and care for their whole selves.

Curatolo is professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Washington, endowed professor for medical education, and research and director of the interventional pain program. His expertise is in pain management, education and research. Having published over 220 publications, his research focuses on studying nociceptive processes in humans to improve the understanding of pain and facilitate the development of treatments. Curatolo was one of the initiators of the field of ultrasound-guided interventional pain procedures. With an extensive experience in university teaching and mentoring, he has been invited to hold over 300 lectures, courses and workshops in national and international meetings. He has served as reviewer for multiple high ranked scientific journals, funding agencies and external academic institutions.

Luana Colloca is an NIH-funded physician-scientist who conducted ground-breaking studies that have advanced scientific understanding of the psychoneurobiological bases of endogenous systems for pain modulation in humans including the discovery that the vasopressin system is involved in the enhancement of placebo effects with a dimorphic effect. Currently, her team conducts basic and translational research on genomics of orofacial chronic pain, brain mechanisms of expectancy - and observationally-induced hypoalgesia - and immersive virtual reality. Her research has been published in top-ranked international journals including Biological Psychiatry, Pain, Nature Neuroscience, JAMA, Lancet Neurology, Science and NEJM. The impact of her innovative work is clear from her outstanding publications, citation rate, numerous invited lectures worldwide and media featured by The National Geographic, The New Scientist, Washington Post, Boston Globe, The New Yorker, Nature, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, News and World Reports.

Dr. Alessandro Chiarotto has a background in physiotherapy (BSc, University of Padua, 2005) and clinical epidemiology (MSc ‘cum laude’, VU University Amsterdam, 2014). During his PhD, he coordinated an international group of researchers, clinicians and patients consumers to develop a core outcome measurement set for clinical trials in patients with low back pain. He completed his PhD in 2018 (VU University Amsterdam) with a thesis entitled “A core outcome measurement set for low back pain”. Since 2018, he works at the Department of General Practice of Erasmus MC. He also works part-time at the VU Department of Health Sciences.

Dr. Chiarotto’s research currently focuses on the clinical management of patients with spine-related musculoskeletal disorders, and on methodological research on the assessment and interpretation of patient-reported outcome measures. He was co-promotor of one PhD student who successfully defended his PhD (2020, Erasmus MC). He now supervises 7 PhD students and one post-doctoral researcher. He has > 40 articles published in international scientific journals (Scopus H-Index 16), including high ranking journals like BMJ, Pain, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. Two years and half after the end of his PhD, he acquired > 500.000€ in research funding.

Laura A. Frey Law is a Professor of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Iowa, where she leads research within the Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory. Her work centers on two major areas of investigation: pain heterogeneity and the dynamics of muscular strength and fatigue.

Dr. Frey Law’s research on pain seeks to understand the multifactorial contributors to individual pain variability, including biological sex, psychological traits, genetics, and activity levels. Utilizing experimental human pain models—such as intramuscular infusion, cold pressor testing, and induced muscle fatigue—along with survey-based measures of pain perception and personality characteristics, she investigates why women appear more likely than men to exhibit referred pain despite similar local pain responses.

Her second line of research focuses on mathematical modeling and empirical study of strength and fatigue, conducted in collaboration with the Virtual Soldier Research group. This work explores static and dynamic strength indices, aging-related differences, sex-based variations, and muscle-specific fatigue patterns to better understand human physical performance capacity and its clinical implications.

Paul W. Hodges DSc MedDr PhD BPhty(Hons) FAA FACP APAM(Hon) is an National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Leadership Fellow (Level 3), Professor and Director of the Centre for Innovation in Pain and Health Research (CIPHeR) at The University of Queensland (UQ). He is lead chief investigator on an NHMRC Synergy Grant that includes colleagues from the Universities of Queensland, Adelaide and South Australia, and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. Paul is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, which is a Fellowship of the nation's most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for outstanding research that has pushed back the frontiers of knowledge. He is also a Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science, and was made an Honoured member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, their highest honour.

Stephanie Smith is a researcher within the Pain Centre Versus Arthritis at the University of Nottingham, studying pain management in osteoarthritis knee pain. Stephanie completed a BSc and MRes in Sports and Exercise Science at Nottingham Trent University, followed by a PhD at Glasgow Caledonian University exploring neuromuscular control in knee osteoarthritis. Stephanie then continued working as a post-doc researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University investigating the biomechanics of knee osteoarthritis before joining the University of Nottingham. Her interests lie in bridging the gap between basic science and clinical applications which a particular focus on neuromuscular control, muscle function and pain in osteoarthritis, rheumatic diseases and musculoskeletal conditions. She has also published in phenotyping and ultrasound in osteoarthritis.