Researchers from the University of Bath Centre for Pain Research had a very strong presence at this year’s British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, held in Brighton. They contributed seminars, oral presentations and posters about the wide range of work currently being conducted.

PhD student Samantha Wratten won 1st prize for the best overall abstract submitted to the conference. The scientific committee initially rated all abstracts, and invited the five top authors to give an oral presentations of their work during the meeting. After a panel judged each presentation, Samantha was awarded 1st prize.

Samantha is currently in the third year of her PhD, and based in the Bath Centre for Pain Research and Department of Psychology. Her presentation was entitled Exploring perceptions of pain relief strategies as masculine and feminine gender norms and stereotypes using Q-methodology.

Professor Ed Keogh, who is Samantha’s lead supervisor and Deputy Director of the Centre for Pain Research, said: ”This is a great achievement. Samantha gave an excellent presentation, to an interdisciplinary audience of pain specialists. It is wonderful to see her innovative work being recognised in this way.”

Members of the Centre also made significant contributions to the scientific content of the meeting. Dr Abbie Jordan took part in two seminars presenting her work into adolescent pain, one focusing on clinicians' experience of managing diagnostic uncertainty, and another which looked at issues around parenting a child with pain.

Past and present members of the Centre including Dr Elaine Wainwright, Dr Joseph Walsh and Dr Nina Attridge, were also involved in the seminars, and Dr Emma Fisher and Dr Rhiannon Edwards presented numerous posters. Also in attendance was Professor Ed Keogh, Deputy Director of the Centre, and Professor Chris Eccleston, Director.

Focusing on innovation, creativity, and discovery, the Centre for Pain Research was established in 2008 and is home to a team of interdisciplinary researchers investigating the best ways of helping people learn how to live with incurable pain.