Associate ProfessorPaul Wrigley

MBBS Grad Cert Med (Clin Neurophys) MMed (Pain mgt) PhD FANZCA FFPMANZCA

Improving quality of life for those with chronic pain

By A/Prof Paul Wrigley

I am a specialist pain medicine physicianand my clinical and research work is devoted to improving the quality of life for people suffering from chronic pain.

My translational research program spans from laboratory work in pain assessment (clinical neurophysiology) to projects improving delivery of care.

My focus is chronic pain, Australia’s third most costly health condition which impacts one in five Australians, including adolescents and children.

I am privileged to serve as an executive member of the Michael J Cousins, Pain Management Research Centre (PMRC), Royal North Shore Hospital. My clinical work at the PMRC is supported by an internationally recognised team of clinicians, education specialists and researchers developing solutions to address the profound personal and community costs associated with chronic pain.

My work in government advocacy at both state and national levels has led to greater community access to pain treatment. I am currently the Medical Co-chair of the Agency for Clinical Innovation Pain Management Network (ACI PMN: 2020-) and in 2009 was the founding Co-chair of this network within the NSW Ministry of Health. The ACI PMN is the peak advisory body for the Minister of Health in NSW for pain related matters. After inception, this network was entrusted with $26M to improve the delivery of pain services in NSW (Pain Plan 2012-2016) and remains responsible for ongoing improvement.This additional annual funding has now been made recurrent.

Ongoing involvement in this network remains a central part of the translation of my work into practice.