Dr. Luciana Macedo is an associate professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University with training as a physical therapist. Dr. Macedo also holds a position with MIRA-IPRC Aging & Pain Program of Research as the Academic Lead. Her research focuses on the assessment and management of common spinal disorders. Her interest in back pain has led her to conduct studies on the impact exercise therapists have on improving back pain, how different treatment strategies work for different patient subgroups with back pain, and the underlying mechanisms of back pain and spinal disorders. She is currently leading an interdisciplinary team of researchers funded by the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) and the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care (IPRC) to develop a pre-surgery rehabilitation program for older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).

Dr. Tara Packham is an occupational therapist and assistant professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from McMaster University and has worked as an occupational therapist primarily in the area of hand and upper limb rehabilitation for over 20 years. In 2008, she returned to McMaster as a part-time student to pursue an MSc in Rehabilitation Sciences. Dr. Packham continued on to complete her PhD, building a program of research focused on outcome measurement and pain. She has spent several years working as a clinician scientist and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care.

Dr. Shirin Modarresi is a postdoctoral fellow with the Michael DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care (IPRC). She obtained her BSc degree in psychology and biology from the University of Toronto, MSc degree in neuroscience from Memorial University, Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree from Western University, and PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences from Western University. Her research has been focused on understanding the biopsychosocial factors involved in chronic pain and her current project, under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Carlesso, involves investigating a novel pain management strategy for people with knee osteoarthritis.

Dr. Derick Luu is a part-time master’s student in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Tara Packham where his research is focused on the role of chiropractors in the management of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). He is also interested in qualitative methodology, spinal-related conditions, pain research and knowledge translation. As a chiropractor, Derick’s clinical practice is located in Toronto and Barrie, Ontario where he sees general musculoskeletal-related conditions with a focus on persistent/chronic pain.

Dr. Lisa Carlesso is an associate professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science with training as a clinical epidemiologist and a physical therapist, having practiced clinically for 25 years. Her research program is broadly focused on understanding the mechanisms and consequences of musculoskeletal pain with a particular focus on osteoarthritis (OA) joint pain. Her research strives to optimize outcomes for people with chronic musculoskeletal disorders by (a) understanding the complex mechanisms of acute and persistent pain through pain phenotyping to improve prognosis and treatment, (b) using various regulating strategies (cognitive, affective and physiological) to improve neuromodulation of pain to enhance conservative treatment options and, (c) improving the clinical measurement of pain. Dr. Carlesso is recognized for her research on pain phenotypes and was part of an international consensus panel that made recommendations for the conduct and reporting of OA phenotype research. More recently she is the recipient of the Canadian Arthritis Society’s STARS career development award for her research program focused on understanding pain mechanisms in people with knee osteoarthritis. She is currently leading multidisciplinary studies examining pain phenotypes in people with early knee OA and a novel Pain Care yoga program aimed at improving neuromodulation of pain.

Lisandra Almeida de Oliveira is a physiotherapist by training and is currently in the second year of her PhD in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at McMaster University. Her research interests focus on telerehabilitation and in-person treatment options for low back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions. She is also interested in better understanding the role of exercise interventions in changing beliefs and coping strategies on the pain “recovery” trajectories of individuals with chronic low back pain.

Ruth Chen is a first-year medical student at the University of Ottawa and a graduate of the BHSc program at McMaster University. She works under the supervision of Dr. Luciana Macedo in the field of rehabilitation, specifically on lower back pain.

Naym Uddin Roby is a master’s student at the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University. He has worked as a physiotherapist and health researcher in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has a keen research interest in the areas of pain and musculoskeletal problems, epidemiology, injury prevention, e-health and health policy. His master’s research is focused on chronic pain and knee osteoarthritis.

Y V Raghava Neelapala is a full-time PhD candidate working under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Carlesso. He is trying to learn about pain phenotypes in early knee osteoarthritis through latent class analysis.

Dr. Diego Roger graduated in physical education, specializing in adapted physical activity and exercise physiology. He obtained his Masters and PhD in rheumatology from the Federal University of Sao Paulo and is now a postdoctoral fellow with the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA).

Dr. Nora Bakaa received her Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 2018, completing a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Sciences at McMaster University.  She is currently a PhD candidate at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Luciana Macedo. The primary focus of her research is on chronic pain associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. Other areas of interest include diversity, equity, and inclusion in health care.

Layla Bakaa is a fourth-year undergrad student at McMaster University, majoring in Neuroscience and pursuing a minor in Justice, Law and Order. She is a student researcher in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at the School of Rehabilitation Science and a research assistant with the National Collaborating Center for Methods and Tools. She currently works under the supervision of Dr. Luciana Macedo to help promote and improve health outcomes.

Dorsa Nouri Parto is a first-year medical student at McMaster University. She received her undergraduate studies in evolutionary biology at the University of Toronto and has an interest in data analysis. She is working under the supervision of Dr. Luciana Macedo investigating the prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal injuries in students.

Stephanie Di Pelino is a research coordinator at the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University. She obtained her master’s in Public Health from Queen’s University. Her research focuses on treatment options for low back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions.

Zahra Ebrahimi graduated with a B.Sc. in Physiotherapy from Iran University of Medical Sciences and has worked as a physiotherapist for one year. She is currently a first-year Master’s student in Rehabilitation Science at McMaster. Zahra is interested in investigating chronic low back pain, injury prevention, treatment outcome, and how patients perceive recovery and changes from treatment.

Lee-Ran Goodman is currently a first-year Master’s Student in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at McMaster University working under the supervision of Dr. Luciana Macedo. She recently graduated with a BSc from the Life Sciences Program at McMaster University. Her research interests include musculoskeletal conditions, chronic pain and exercise.

Kirsten Yip is a 4th year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Health Science program with a minor in Psychology. Her research interests include: rehabilitation and treatment options for low back pain, and understanding the effects of integrating exercise into daily practice.

Ronessa Dass is a master’s student researching brain fog in Veterans with chronic pain. Ronessa is passionate about EDI, collaborating with persons with lived experiences, and knowledge translation. 

Eden Daniel is a first-year PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Carlesso. She recently received her MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa, and before that completed her BSc in Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research focuses on understanding psychological and functional constructs related movement-evoked pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Emily Zheng is an undergraduate student studying life sciences at McMaster University. I’m currently working under Dr. Packham researching hand function and pain sensitivity in healthy populations. My field of interest includes: chronic pain and pain management in rehabilitation sciences.

Vahideh Jafarzadeh-Harzand is a first-year master’s student in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University. Having previously earned her first MSc in Sports Pathology and Corrective Exercises, she is now working under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Carlesso. Vahideh’s research focuses on investigating the impact of pain neuroscience education on physiological biomarkers in individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Michelle Li is a third year undergraduate student at McMaster in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) program. She currently works under Dr. Tara Packham on research studies involving the MacHand performance assessment and somatosensory validation of allodynography and the Rainbow Pain Scale.

Dr. Veronica Souza Santos is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Rehabilitation Science. She is a physiotherapist by training and completed her PhD at the Universidade Cidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil) which included an international exchange to The University of Sydney (Australia). Her PhD was on pain in children and adolescents and was awarded the best thesis of 2023 field of physical therapy, occupational therapy, physical education, and speech therapy area by the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES – Brazil). Her research interest involves musculoskeletal pain across all lifespans, cohort studies, systematic reviews, mixed methods, and methodological studies.

Dr. Ney Meziat Filho is a visiting professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science and an assistant professor at Augusto Motta University Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a physiotherapist with 25 years of clinical experience and his research focuses on the assessment and management of chronic spinal pain. His interest in chronic low back pain (CLBP) and biopsychosocial interventions has led him to conduct randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) for people with disabling CLBP. He is currently investigating the reliability and validity of the CFT assessment for CLBP patients.