Painful conversations.

Professor Christopher Eccleston

Director, Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath

Professor Christopher Eccleston is Professor of Medical Psychology at the University of Bath, where he directs the Centre for Pain Research. He founded the Bath Pain Management Unit in 1995 and led it until 2011, developing intensive treatment programmes for adolescents and adults living with chronic pain. He is the author of Embodied: The Psychology of Physical Sensation (Oxford University Press, 2016) and in 2018 received the Ronald Melzack Lecture Award for his contribution to pain science.

Professor Luana Colloca

MPower Distinguished Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore

Professor Luana Colloca is an MPower Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and Professor of Pain and Translational Symptom Science at its School of Nursing, where she directs the Placebo Beyond Opinions Center. An internationally recognised authority on the placebo and nocebo effects, her work investigates the mechanisms of pain modulation, with research published in journals including JAMA, Pain and Lancet Neurology. She holds an MD and a PhD in Neuroscience.

Professor Richie Gill

Professor of Healthcare Engineering, University of Bath

Professor Richie Gill is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath, specialising in orthopaedic and musculoskeletal engineering. His research focuses on hip and knee joint function, disease mechanisms and treatment, drawing on experimental and computational methods. Before joining Bath in 2012 he led the Oxford Orthopaedic Engineering Centre, and he sits on the editorial board of The Bone and Joint Journal.

Professor Michael Sullivan

Professor of Psychology, Medicine and Neurology, McGill University

Professor Michael Sullivan is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology, Medicine and Neurology at McGill University, Montreal. He is a leading authority on the psychosocial factors that prolong pain-related disability, in particular pain catastrophising and perceived injustice. He developed the widely used Pain Catastrophizing Scale and the Injustice Experiences Questionnaire, and founded the Progressive Goal Attainment Program, a community intervention shown to reduce disability and support return to work.