Prof Sylvia Gustin
Professor Sylvia Gustin is the founding director of the NeuroRecovery Research Hub at UNSW, Director of the Centre for Pain IMPACT at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), Senior Principal Research Scientist at NeuRA, leads the Pain Research, Education and Management Program at the UNSW and NeuRA and is Chair of the ENIGMA chronic pain working group.
Biography
Sylvia completed her Ph.D. at the University of Tuebingen, Germany in 2006 in Psychology and immigrated to Australia in 2007. Since then Sylvia has been using brain imaging techniques and psychological assessment to investigate the central and psychological circuits underlying chronic pain and spinal cord injury.
Sylvia has 25 years of experience in the use of many brain imaging techniques such as functional, structural and biochemical magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, she has practiced as a psychologist focusing on the management of chronic pain and spinal cord injury. Her aim is to increase our understanding of the development and maintenance of chronic pain and spinal cord injury, in particular psychological and central components and their association with each other. And most importantly to develop and evaluate novel interventions that can provide pain relief and touch restoration via the primary source of pain and sensation: the brain.
Sylvia's research is supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), Rebecca L. Cooper Medical Research Foundation, Wings for Life, International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), US Department of Defence (DoD), NSW Defence Innovation Network and NSW Health.