RESEARCHER PROFILE
Professor Stuart Brierley (Filmed February 2024)
Director of the Visceral Pain Research Group,
Director of the Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology &
Theme co-Leader of Lifelong Health
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
Professor Stuart Brierley is Director of the Visceral Pain Research Group, Director of the Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, and Theme co-Leader of Lifelong Health at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
He has developed a strong track record in coordinating and working in multi-faceted research programs for high impact publications in journals. His work has attracted four NHMRC Fellowships including other NHMRC and NIH grants.
The global pandemic has shed light on the severity of the Opioid Crisis, highlighting the urgent need for effective pain treatments. During his 24 years as a researcher, Professor Brierley has made significant strides in understanding how pain arises from the gastrointestinal tract or the gut.
Prof Brierley is an international expert on the ‘gut-brain axis’ and chronic visceral pain mechanisms. Current investigations are on a individual cell type called the enterochromaffin cell, and it helps signal pain and anxiety from the gastrointestinal tract to the brain.
His research comprises discovery and translational science investigating the nerve pathways innervating visceral organs to determine the causes of, and treatments for, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder pain syndrome, and endometriosis.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) disorders are highly prevalent, affecting up to 15% of the Western population.
Despite being a major global clinical issue, pain, especially from the gastrointestinal tract, lacks effective treatments, and the research focuses on understanding and treating pain in gastrointestinal diseases in order to develop targeted treatments. Individual gut cells communicate with the brain to signal pain and trigger symptoms that include depression and anxiety.
Professor Brierley is collaborating with researchers in Australia and internationally including Nobel Prize winner Nobel Prize Laureate Professor David Julius, Professor Holly Ingraham and Dr Jim Bayrer at the University of California San Francisco, all with the goal of helping people.
His research interests extends into other common causes for visceral pain including interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome and endometriosis and how ‘cross-organ sensitisation’ can potentially explain co-morbidities in these patients.
Pain is a global issue, and Professor Brierley’s work aims to understand its causes in order to develop targeted treatments, while also balancing a busy family life and various interests.
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Enhancing occupational therapy service provision with military veterans
Prof McKinstry was instrumental in the development of the occupational therapy course at the La Trobe University’s Bendigo campus and also the establishment of the Rural Health School.
Prof McKinstry’s research focus is on health workforce, particularly developing a sustainable rural health workforce through recruitment of rural students for health courses, innovative and flexible delivery of health courses, telehealth and emerging areas of practice for occupational therapists.
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In his father’s footsteps as a kidney transplant specialist
Since he was a young child, Dr Collins, has been interested in kidney failure and kidney transplants in particular. His father was also a kidney specialist, and he used to sit by the phone when his father, was on call and ringing people who were being offered a kidney transplant. The joy in their voices through this interaction created a lasting and profound impact on Dr Collins. This carried through his career and today he continues to seek better outcomes for Kidney patients.
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Dietary Interventions Influencing Neurological Outcomes
With over a decade of experience as a dietitian and nutritionist, Carolina Blagojevic Castro specialises in providing personalised dietary guidance and customised meal planning tailored to meet each client’s unique health needs. She is known for her engaging and educational presentations on topics related to health and nutrition, sharing practical, evidence-based insights with both community groups and professional audiences.
