I intend to undertake a comprehensive, evidence-based Pain Medicine practice focusing on back and neck pain but dealing with all pain problems including neuropathies, urogenital, abdominal and atypical facial pain. My substantive employment is at Newcastle Pain Management unit, a longstanding, tertiary referral pain centre with the majority of my clinical time occupied in Pain Management.

I have undertaken sub-specialist training in pain management to standards approved by Royal College of Anaesthetists as well as overseas training. I am experienced in both medical approaches including invasive procedures as well as multidisciplinary pain management. I am lead for the Royal Victoria and Newcastle General Hospitals acute pain service and have been appointed Medical Director to Newcastle Pain Management programme, a new initiative to help patients with difficult pain problems with future intent to consider early interventions. I am a Regional sub-specialist pain training co-ordinator and tutor, as well as a research grant holder relating to neurophysiological mechanisms and regular lecturer.

Examples of treatments include stimulation analgesia; advanced pharmacotherapy; extensive invasive procedural repertoire including antisympathetic procedures for neuropathic and body axis pain; facet joint injections (all levels), radiofrequency lesioning, transforaminal, sacral, conventional epidurals and simple adhesiolysis for back pain. Trigger point acupuncture and injections and regional analgesia; introduction to broader pain management strategies including pain education, reattribution, behavioural modification and coping strategies. I am committed to improving pain management services both locally and nationally because patients in pain deserve better.