RESEARCHER PROFILE
Jason Rogers (Filmed April 2024)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Menzies Institute for Medical Research,
University of Tasmania
Jason Rogers is a Tasmanian physiotherapist clinician-researcher with a longstanding interest in improving musculoskeletal foot and ankle conditions. He completed his PhD at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania in 2022 investigating the clinical and imaging factors associated with a common foot complaint known as chronic plantar heel pain.
Chronic plantar heel pain, historically known as plantar fasciitis, is common and commonly recalcitrant, yet the optimal treatment for this condition is not clear. The focus of Jason’s postgraduate research is on improving treatment pathways for chronic plantar heel pain. In particular his research has identified that there are many different sub-groups of plantar heel pain that may warrant specific and individualised treatment approaches. For example his research found that up to half of people with this condition have a type of bone bruise or stress response in the heel known as a ‘bone marrow lesion’ (BML). His BALSA trial will test the effectiveness of targeting these lesions with a bone-sensitive treatment known as shockwave therapy, comparing pain and BML size outcomes against a sham shockwave control group.
As well as improving treatment outcomes for this specific and sizeable sub-group of heel pain sufferers, this research will help inform the future of targeted care treatment approaches for plantar heel pain.
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ROCK-induced early-onset bowel cancer progression
Professor Michael Samuel is a cell biologist whose research interest is in understanding how cancer mechanobiology influences the tumour microenvironment, thereby promoting tumour progression. He is Professor of Matrix Biology at the University of South Australia, Adelaide and heads the Tumour Microenvironment Laboratory at the Centre for Cancer Biology and the Cancer Mechanotherapies Laboratory at the Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research.
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Big data to improve the use of antidepressant medicines in aged care
Georgina Hughes is a pharmacist & PhD Candidate with the University of South Australia Clinical and Health Sciences and the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA), undertaking research at South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
Georgina’s PhD study and first published paper was on how to improve the safe and effective use of antidepressant medicines and optimise quality use of medicines in older people accessing residential aged care.
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Seeking discoveries in earlier bowel cancer detection
Associate Professor Susan Woods is a cancer research focused on eradicating bowel cancer through earlier detection and investigating the DNA related from colorectal cancer cells. She leads the Gut Cancer Research Group at the University of Adelaide and SAHMRI and with her team is researching new treatments for advanced disease.
