Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) 11 June 2018. For significant service to medicine in the field of paediatric rheumatology, and to medical research and treatment of musculoskeletal pain. Australian Rheumatology Association. Distinguished Service Medal 2026. Australian Pain Society. Distinguished Member Award 2020 “in recognition of your major contribution towards the APS and your significant clinical, educational and research role in the field of pain management in Australia.” Sydney Children`s Hospital, Honorary Associate, Department of Pain Medicine, 7th floor, Bright Alliance Building, High St Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia until 30 June 2026. Conjoint Associate Professor, UNSW School of Clinical Medicine, University of NSW, Kensington 2052, New South Wales, Australia. Founder of the Department of Rheumatology, St Vincent`s Hospital, 1974 Co-Founder of Paediatric Rheumatology services at Sydney Children`s Hospital (formerly Prince of Wales Children`s Hospital) 1975/6 and the Pain Research Unit in 1982. I raised approximately one million dollars to support paediatric pain research, and this has resulted in 95 publications. Publications (GDC) 160; Citations 6,783; h-index 41. (21/05/2026) Almost all research was performed on an honorary basis while working full-time in private practice and attending hospital outpatient clinics.

Dr. Chau Thien Tay (Jillian) is a distinguished endocrinologist, dedicated researcher, and esteemed academic whose work significantly impacts the field of women's health, particularly in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). After attaining her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2018, she further distinguished herself by completing a Doctor of Philosophy at Monash University in 2021, a testament to her unwavering dedication and academic excellence. Dr. Tay was instrumental in developing the 2023 International Evidence-Based PCOS Guideline where she established an International Early Career Researcher network and led the Guideline Evidence Team responsible for the comprehensive evidence synthesis that underpinned the guideline recommendations.

Miriama Kamo (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga) is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most respected broadcasters and storytellers. A journalist, television presenter and author, she has spent her career telling stories that sit at the intersection of health, culture and social justice, and is a prominent advocate for Indigenous voices and women's health.

Dr Marilla Druitt is an obstetrician and gynaecologist who works in Geelong in the public and private systems and is a RANZCOG/AGES level 5-6 accredited surgeon. She is interested in the mind-body connection in pelvic pain, part of an interdisciplinary persistent pelvic pain clinic at Geelong Hospital. She is a RANZCOG councillor, helped write the national Endometriosis Guideline, does research with Australasian Interdisciplinary Researchers in Endometriosis (AIRE), and Deakin University. She is also part of a Bellarine wide clinician network caring for trans and gender diverse patients. Current research includes the Happi study – CBT & yoga for pelvic pain, an e-hypnotherapy trial for pelvic pain, an endometriosis education course, a cannabis trial and a planned porphyria study for patients. Marilla is the current president of Pelvic Pain Victoria, is involved in the Victorian state government redesign of gynae outpatient clinics in the public system and is the gynaecologist on the Victorian’s Women’s Pain Inquiry.

Dr Jo Sheedy is a Counselling and Clinical Psychologist who is also a qualified and experienced physiotherapist. She completed a Masters of Psychology/PhD through Monash University. Jo’s PhD thesis explored psychological risk and resilience factors associated with persistent pain conditions. She works clinically privately and in a public pain management unit. Jo has a particular interest in psychological treatment of persistent pain and trauma. She has a research interest in trauma-informed care for physiotherapists and has presented on this topic nationally and internationally.

Alecia Macrow - interviewer
Alecia is a GP, educator and practice owner, and the founder and Medical Director of Thrive Family Practice, where she leads an award-winning multidisciplinary model of care and Thrive's Endometriosis and Persistent Pelvic Pain Program. She is also Medical Advisor to the Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia and hosts the Endo Untangled podcast. She is very good at turning complex evidence into something you can actually use in clinic on Monday morning.

Shirley Cheers (ultrasound)
Shirley is an Accredited Medical Sonographer with a specialist interest in obstetrics and gynaecology. She began her training in South Africa, completed her degree in the United Kingdom, and has spent the past twenty-five years building her career here across the private, public and commercial sectors. She is now Lead Sonographer at Haven Ultrasound, with a particular interest in how ultrasound findings line up with what is actually found at laparoscopy and a real commitment to teaching the next generation of sonographers.

Tori Fox (urine)
Tori is a medtech entrepreneur and commercialisation specialist with more than twenty years of experience bringing healthcare technology to market across Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia. She is Founder and CEO of Arelis, which is developing ArelisENDO — a non-invasive, AI-powered urine test designed to identify endometriosis earlier. She started out in nursing, and that has stayed with her: her focus is squarely on shortening the wait for a diagnosis.

Dr Fanny Blaudez (blood)
Fanny is a biomedical scientist and the founder of Exonova Biotech. After a PhD in biomedical sciences, they moved from academic research into the medical device industry, learning how to turn complex science into something that works at scale. That experience is now pointed squarely at endometriosis diagnosis — building the next generation of diagnostic tools around patients' lived experience, with the goal of cutting diagnostic delay.

Professor David Coman is a general paediatrician who specialises in rare disease — conditions that are individually uncommon, but collectively affect six to eight per cent of Australians, and are very often diagnosed far too late. He directs a national clinic for Ataxia Telangiectasia and was recently awarded a $2.5 million NHMRC grant for a phase 2/3 treatment trial. He works closely with rare disease support groups and teaches across four Queensland universities.

Dr Sarah Wallwork is a Senior Research Fellow and physiotherapist within IIMPACT in Health and the Robinson Research Institute at Adelaide University. She leads a program of research that targets childhood to reduce the prevalence and burden of chronic pain in young people and adults. Her work explores the ecology in which a child is situated, including interconnected social, cultural and societal contexts, and how that may shape a child’s resilience against chronic pain. She has been awarded over $5m in funding, has published over 45 peer-reviewed articles, has been invited speaker to 26 national/international conferences/seminars, and has been recipient of multiple national and international competitive scholarships. In 2021, she was named Field Leader in The Australian Research Magazine’s top researchers from 250 fields of research.

Judith is a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist and the clinical director of The Pelvic Health Clinics in Subiaco and South Perth in Western Australia and a passionate clinician. She completed PhD at Curtin University and then established the Curtin University Masters in Clinical Physiotherapy Course in Continence and Pelvic Health in 2006. She has lectured on the course over the last 20 years and been involved in many research projects in the area of pelvic health. She has over 30 peer review research papers published in the area. She is currently the Chairperson of the Western Australian Pelvic Pain Networking group.

Ann is an APA Titled Women’s, Men’s and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and a member of the College of Physiotherapists. She lectures and examines within the APA pathway to specialisation and is a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney, where she completed a Master of Science in Medicine (Psychosexual Therapy). Ann practises as a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and Clinical Sexologist in Victor Harbor and Adelaide, South Australia. She has completed a scoping review on how pleasure is represented in research on Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder (GPPPD) and is currently exploring research into examining how insights from BDSM/kink communities may help inform care for females (AFAB) with sexual pain disorders. Drawing on 34 years of clinical experience, and a broad practice scope in treating sexual dysfunction, Ann aims to advance research and clinical outcomes that better reflect our growing understanding of the importance of pleasure as a driver of sexual health and equity.