About us
About us
Our team of world-renowned researchers and dedicated support personnel are passionate about creating a strong evidence base that underpins high-quality healthcare provision for Australians. We house the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for the Australia and New Zealand Musculoskeletal Clinical Trials Network, manage the Australian Rheumatology Association Database and serve as editorial base for Cochrane Musculoskeletal and Australasian Satellite of Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care. We also contribute to Wiser Healthcare and The Partnership Centre in Health System Sustainability.
Recent achievements
Our Director, Professor Rachelle Buchbinder, led an international group of authors in a ground-breaking series of papers on low back pain in The Lancet in 2018. The series contrasts the immense personal and global burden of low back pain with the harm caused to millions of people by wasteful and ineffective or dangerous treatments. Rachelle’s work in this space aims to reverse this trend.
The Australian & New Zealand Musculoskeletal (ANZMUSC) Clinical Trials Network was awarded an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence grant and the ANZMUSC CRE was officially launched by the Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Federal Minister for Health on 22 March 2018 at the Cabrini Institute. The event was officiated by Dr Michael Walsh, CEO of Cabrini Health. Speakers included Professor Marc Parlange, Provost and Senior Vice-President of Monash University, Dr Andrew Black, Director of Research Development and Collaboration at The University of Sydney, and Professor Rachelle Buchbinder, Chair of the ANZMUSC Executive Committee.
Our staff
Director: Professor Rachelle Buchbinder | Dr Denise O’Connor |
Dr Renea Johnston | Dr Allison Bourne |
Dr Sheila Cyril | Dr Romi Haas |
Dr Rebecca Jessup | Dr Teemu Karjalainen |
Dr Polina Putrik | Dr Samuel Whittle |
Ms Vibhasha Chan | Ms Christina Geros |
Mr Ashley Fletcher | Ms Jia Xi (JC) Han |
Ms Melanie Hawkins | Mrs Cathy Matthews |
Current undergraduate and postgraduate students
Dr Bethan Richards, PhD (University of Sydney, 2011–)
Ms Caitlin Farmer, PhD (Monash University 2017–)
Ms Liana Cahill, PhD (La Trobe University, 2016–)
Supervision of future PhD or Honours students
We consider expressions of interest for PhD or Honours student supervision aligned with our research interests, especially Wiser Healthcare, Health System Sustainability and ANZMUSC Clinical Trials Network.
Please contact jhan@cabrini.com.au for more information.