BN Health Forum Brisbane: A World of Hurt - Pain Management, Ethics and the Law

Dr David Johnson is a brain and spinal neurosurgeon who has had a pioneering role in the establishment of multidisciplinary spinal practices and holistic care for neurosurgical patients for over twenty years. He has a particular interest in comprehensive spine pain management and is a leader in the field of surgery and rehabilitation for the epidemic condition of low back pain.

Dr Johnson is also an Olympic weightlifting coach and nationally competitive highly ranked functional fitness athlete, finishing top ten in Australia from 2021-2023, and in 2024 was a CrossFit Games semi-finalist. His passion and pursuit of elite lumbo-pelvic biomechanics enabled him to establish the Back Pain and Functional Movement Training Centre in 2015. This is the first specific and distinctive spine rehabilitation centre which addresses the disease of “movement dysfunction” a term he coined to emphasise that epidemic levels of spine related pain must have a ubiquitous and reversible root cause.

He has aided the recovery of thousands of patients with chronic low back and neck pain by following this paradigm. Dr Johnson is the first clinician in the world to publish the Clinical Model which describes the cause for low back pain symptoms and has published broadly across many back pain related issues. He is a sought-after public speaker and educator on the topic.

His extensive experience in the industry and his unique appreciation of functional causes for spine related pain make him a valued expert in medicolegal assessments of spinal injury where functional biomechanical deficits are the prevailing cause for pain and disability even in the absence of overt structural injury.

Champika Pattullo is a pharmacist with almost 30 years of experience and has worked in hospitals in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia. She is currently undertaking a PhD which focuses on how to implement Opioid Stewardship Programs in hospitals. Mrs Pattullo is an experienced researcher and quality improvement specialist who is passionate about implementing sustainable change to improve the use of medicines.

Dr Joe Kluver is experienced in interventional and non-interventional aspects of pain management and has an interest in research and teaching. He is currently involved in research regarding virtual reality in pain medicine, low dose naltrexone for fibromyalgia and the psycho/social aspect of chronic pain management and is an examiner for the College of Pain Medicine.

Dr Kluver held the position of Director at the Metro South Pain Rehabilitation Centre, where he was responsible for managing patients with complex chronic pain, the running of a large interdisciplinary service and providing education to registrars, allied health clinicians and other junior doctors.

Dr Kluver's vision is to develop excellence in the specialty of Pain Medicine, and he is particularly interested in the application of newly developed technology, such as Virtual Reality and Neurofeedback, in the management of chronic pain. At Resolve Pain, he will continue to provide the highest level of care to his patients and work collaboratively with the team to offer innovative solutions for pain management.

Emma Baker is a Special Counsel in BN's Insurance & Health team, specialising in health law and medical malpractice. She has over 10 years’ experience acting for dentists, psychologists, doctors, physiotherapists and other allied health professionals in negligence claims and disciplinary proceedings. Her extensive background includes acting for AHPRA and a number of the National Health Practitioner Boards in disciplinary referrals to QCAT. Emma has previously worked in-house for a State Government department advising on statutory interpretation, procedural fairness, information privacy and commercial contracts. She is also experienced in defending professional indemnity claims against a variety of other professionals including solicitors, property valuers, accountants and engineers.

Lisa Fairley is a Senior Associate in BN's Insurance & Health team, specialising in medico-legal litigation, coronial inquests, statutory complaints and practitioner disciplinary matters, and capacity and guardianship matters. With a particular interest in human rights law and its intersection with health law under the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld), Lisa brings a unique perspective to her practice. She also has a particular interest in legal and ethical issues which arise from emergency medicine and health matters involving questions of consent and capacity.

Her legal career spans over six years across multiple jurisdictions, including roles at the UK Government Legal Department, where she led disputes in the Ministry of Defence litigation team, covering areas such as personal injury, medical negligence, and coronial inquests. Lisa also has experience from a top ranking London law firm specialising in human rights, administrative law and immigration law.

Samantha Pillay is a Principal in BN's Insurance & Health team, specialising in health law. Her extensive experience includes advising hospitals and medical practitioners on clinical service delivery issues, such as capacity and consent, vaccination, substitute decision making, child protection, and public health matters. Samantha also provides regulatory advice and representation for healthcare companies, particularly concerning Private Health Insurance legislation.

Her practice encompasses a wide range of legal services, including litigation with a focus on medical malpractice and professional indemnity, advising Boards on clinical governance, regulatory compliance, risk, and privacy issues, as well as handling OHO, AHPRA and Coronial matters. She has expertise in dealing with defamation cases involving healthcare providers, conducting internal and external investigations, and managing Medicare audits and Professional Services Review processes.

Samantha has been recognised by Doyle's Guide as one of Queensland's Leading and Recommended Medical Negligence & Malpractice Lawyers in the 2019-2023 editions, and in Best Lawyers for Insurance Law since 2020.