New digital health program to reduce muscle, joint and bone pain across culturally diverse communities
treatment program for communities from Arabic, Chinese, Indian, Nepali, and Vietnamese backgrounds with musculoskeletal pain.
A federal government funding boost will pave the way for a much-needed, tailored program for culturally diverse communities experiencing musculoskeletal pain. Dr Saurab Sharma (pictured on front cover), the chief clinical scientist from the Pain Management and Research Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital, has received a National Health and Medical Research Council investigator grant to progress his research and develop an innovative treatment plan. Investigator grants are awarded to only a small number of leading scientists in Australia each year to advance health research. As a researcher within the Kolling Institute, Dr Saurab Sharma said a specific, co- designed program is needed as culturally and linguistically diverse Australians often miss out on high quality care due to cultural, language, and health literacy barriers. “These communities are often excluded from research including clinical trials, which means evidence-based treatments are designed without their input or experiences,” he said. The $700,000 grant will support the development of a digital, pain-management Northern Sydney Local Health District’s (NSLHD) Associate Director of Pharmacy, Suzanne Olding, has been named a finalist in the state-wide 2025 Excellence in Allied Health Awards. In 2023, Suzie played a pivotal role as the NSW Pharmacy Lead for Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), spearheading the development and launch of the state’s VAD Pharmacy Service. She and her team designed and implemented a bespoke statewide service, recruiting and training clinical pharmacists while establishing all essential service elements, including medication procurement, policy development, consumer resources, psychological support, data collection, and quality assurance. Throughout 2024, Suzie continued to advance the service, working with partners to implement a secondary integrated pharmacy site in Hunter New England Local Health District and co-develop a patient-centred NSW matrix tool for triaging cases. Her dedication to leadership, multidisciplinary collaboration, and continuous quality improvement has strengthened the service’s impact, receiving positive feedback from
“Importantly, the program will be co- designed with individuals with lived experiences of musculoskeletal pain, healthcare professionals from respective cultural backgrounds, and world-leading musculoskeletal pain experts,” he said. “Our initiative aims to empower marginalised and disadvantaged communities, build research capacity within these communities, and foster a greater understanding of pain among community members and healthcare professionals to transform pain management for these vulnerable communities. “Encouragingly, our program could be adopted on a global scale as it will be tailored for Arabic, Cantonese, Hindi, Mandarin, Nepali, and Vietnamese languages, which are spoken by over 2.2 billion people globally.
“We hope the pain management program will enhance health equity, reduce costs and inform national and international guidelines on musculoskeletal pain.” Suzanne Olding a Finalist in Excellence in Allied Health Awards
patients and families across NSW. Suzie said she was honoured to be shortlisted but emphasised the collective effort behind the nomination. “The successes of the Voluntary Assisted Dying pharmacy program are a team effort,” she said. NSLHD Executive Director of Allied Health, Julia Capper, praised Suzie’s achievements. “We are extremely proud of Suzie’s work and the recognition she has received. I look forward
to seeing where her leadership takes the service next.”
Suzanne Olding
WWW.NSLHD.HEALTH.NSW.GOV.AU
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