ProfessorJames Middleton

James is a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine with over 25 years clinical and research experience in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) medicine and rehabilitation. He is Clinical Director of the State Spinal Cord Injury Service, NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation (since 2006) and Senior Medical Specialist for the Spinal Outreach Service. He has previously worked as a Staff Specialist in the Spinal Cord Injuries Unit at Royal North Shore Hospital and was Medical Director of the Moorong Spinal Unit, Royal Rehab in Sydney for 10 years between 1996 and 2006. James holds a part-time academic appointment as Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at The University of Sydney in the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research (formerly Rehabilitation Studies Unit), School of Health Sciences. He helped establish the Australian Spinal Cord Injury Network as the Chair of the Steering Committee in 2006 and was the inaugural Chair of its Clinical Trials Comittee.

Blending a continuing clinical role and involvement in health service planning and delivery with his academic position affords James a unique opportunity to translate research evidence into practice, service development and quality health system improvements based on the life challenges he sees confronting people with spinal cord injury (SCI). He undertakes collaborative interdisciplinary research aimed at improving systems of care; assessing health, function and participation, as well asassociated psychological outcomes, including self efficacy; pain management; health service delivery and utilization, knowledge translation; quality of life, life expectancy and use of assistive technologies, such as functional electrical stimulation.

James is actively involved in the International Spinal Cord Society as Chair of its External Relations Committee, working closely with the World Health Organisation in this role. He also is Chair of the Board of Youthsafe (formerly Spinesafe Education Program), which is a leading non-government organisation for primary injury prevention in young people in NSW, advocating use of evidence-based, multi-strategic approaches to youth injury prevention in the key areas of motor vehicle, sports and occupational health and safety.