Breaking the Pain Cycle Webinar Series

Our Breaking the Pain Cycle webinar series is focused on the pain associated with arthritis and related conditions. Each webinar is hosted by a different expert speaker, touching on a host of topics incluidng medication, diet, exercise, mental health, communication and the pain 
cycle. Each webinar recording can be watched back by clicking on the below links.

The Pain Cycle with Dr Barry O'Shea, Consultant Rheumatologist, St James's Hospital

Dr Barry O’Shea is

 a Consultant Rheumatologist in St James’s Hospital, Dublin, and Associate Professor in the School of Medicine in Trinity College Dublin. He has a particular interest in all forms of Axial Spondyloarthropathy (SpA), and has established a dedicated clinic for these patients in St James’s Hospital. He is an active member of ASAS (Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society), an international group of experts in the field of SpA. He is a co-founder and principal investigator of ASRI – the Ankylosing Spondylitis Registry of Ireland, a national database of patients with SpA from across Ireland. 

Pain and Medication with Dr John Stack, Consultant Rheumatologist, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

John Stack is a Consultant Rheumatologist and General Physician at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin. He graduated from University College Cork in 2005. He completed his rheumatology specialist training in Ireland before undertaking a RCPI sponsored fellowship in connective tissue disease (CTD) and myositis at Kings College Hospital, London in 2016. He was then appointed as Consultant Rheumatologist at Kings College Hospital in 2017 with a special interest in CTD and vasculitis and then subsequently clinical lead in 2018 until his return to Ireland in February 2020. He has been awarded a research MD from UCC entitled ‘Rheumatoid arthritis and Atherosclerosis: Shared Pathogenic Mechanisms Explored’. He has publications in the disease areas of osteoarthritis, crystal arthropathy, vasculitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

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Pain and Exercise with Suzanne McDonough, Physiotherapist, RCSI

Professor Suzanne McDonough is a Professor and Head of RCSI School of Physiotherapy, is an honorary Professor at the University of Otago NZ, and a visiting Professor with the University of Southampton. Suzanne obtained her undergraduate degree in physiotherapy at University College Dublin (UCD) in 1989; was awarded her PhD in neurophysiology from Newcastle University, UK, in 1995; and a higher diploma in healthcare (acupuncture) in 2002 from UCD. Professor McDonough has over a decade of experience as Professor of Health and Rehabilitation at Ulster University prior to her appointment at RCSI. During her time there, she played a lead role in developing research capacity amongst physiotherapists and other allied health professionals, both nationally and internationally. Suzanne has successfully supervised 30 PhD students to date. 

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Pain, Inflammation and Diet with Dr Elena Nikipharou, Consultant Rheumatologist, Kings College Hospital

Dr Elena Nikiphorou (MBBS/BSc, MD (Res), PhD, FRCP, PGCME, FHEA) is a Consultant Rheumatologist at Kings’ College Hospital and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Kings College London (KCL). She has a clinical and academic interest in inflammatory arthritis, comorbidities and long-term outcomes of disease. Current research focuses on refractory disease in rheumatoid arthritis and the role of multimorbidity. She has a keen interest in the role of nutrition in rheumatic diseases and has delivered relevant talks at national and international level. She has also co-edited the first ever EULAR module on Nutrition in RMDs and has participated in several EULAR task forces for the development of recommendations, including as a co-convenor (and first author) of the EULAR recommendations on the implementation of self-management strategies in inflammatory arthritis. 

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Pain and Mental Health with Denis Ryan Psychotherapist

Denis Ryan, MIACP, is an accredited Biodynamic & Integrative Psychotherapist. He has designed and delivered courses for both Arthritis Ireland and the Migraine Association of Ireland on the emotional impact of living with chronic pain and long-term health conditions. He is a member of the training team at the Trácht Psychotherapy Foundation in Kinvara and runs his private practice in Cork. 

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Living a Life With Pain. Communication, Relaxation, Finding Me with Laura Cahill, Psychotherapist

Laura Cahill has extensive experience helping people who live with chronic illness including persistent pain (e.g. fibromyalgia, arthritis, irritable bowel, back pain). Laura works with anybody who is in emotional distress, whether it is caused by life changes, relationship/family issues or illness; and helps them to overcome stress, emotional and relationship problems or troubling behavioural habits. Laura is also a psychotherapist at Dublin City University. Laura is passionate about pain neuroscience, and presents on psychological conferences and gives continuous professional development courses on domestic abuse at the Psychological Society of Ireland and the Law Society.

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