Julia Hush, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor
Curriculum vitae available here.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am interested in advancing our understanding and clinical management of spinal pain, specifically to prevent the development of disabling chronic pain. My clinical research in this field includes prognostic studies and outcomes research in low back and neck pain. I am currently establishing a new research program that utilizes state-of-the-art brain neuroimaging techniques to investigate neural processing in back pain. The study I am conducting at the Stanford Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab is outlined below:
Neural Correlates of Fear in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: a Functional MRI Investigation
Purpose: In this study, we will investigate how fear is processed in the brain in patients with chronic low back pain. It is known that pain-related fear plays an important role in the development of pain-related disability in back pain patients, but the neural correlates of this process are unknown. This study will use functional neural imaging (MRI) to investigate which regions of the brain are activated during exposure to faces that display fearful expressions. We will examine neurological, psychophysical and behavioral responses to these stimuli as well as to an evoked noxious thermal stimulus. We hope that by better understanding the neural mechanisms underlying responses to threatening cues, we can design more effective therapeutic approaches for patients suffering from chronic low back pain.
Current Projects
Other projects I am currently involved in are listed below. These studies include inter-disciplinary collaborations with researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia, University of Queensland, Australia, The George Institute for International Health, Australia, The University of Maastricht, The Netherlands and the University of South Carolina, US.
Prognosis of acute mechanical neck pain: A systematic review of the literature.
PIs: Z Michaleff, C Lin, JM Hush.
The development of chronicity following whiplash injury: the fear-avoidance model versus a neurobiological stress model.
PIs: S Kamper, M Sterling, JA Kenardy, CM Maher, RE Damell, JM Hush
Defining recovery from acute low back pain.
PIs: S Kamper, CM Maher, JM Hush, R Smeets, R Herbert, M Hancock.
Clinical prediction of recovery from acute low back pain.
PIs: PIs: S Kamper, CM Maher, JM Hush, R Smeets, K Refshauge, N Henschke
Patient satisfaction with physiotherapy treatment musculoskeletal conditions: an international comparison.
PIs: J Hush, R Nelson, P Beattie
Sleep and low back pain.
PIs: J McAuley, JM Hush, P Ferreira, M Ferreira, M Hancock.
EDUCATION
Grad Cert Ed Stud (Higher Ed) with Merit (2007), University of Sydney
BAppSc (Physiotherapy) with Distinction (2000), University of Sydney
PhD (Biological Sciences) (1992), University of Sydney
BSc (First Class Hons) (1986), University of Sydney
APPOINTMENTS
2008 Visiting Assistant Professor, Stanford University, School of Medicine
Stanford Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab, Pain Management Division
(September – December 2008).
2008 - 2009 Inaugural Early Career Research Excellence Award
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney.
2005 – Present Lecturer (full-time, continuing) in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy; Faculty member of the Back Pain Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, University of Sydney.
2005 Guest lecturer: School of Medical Sciences, University of NSW;
Associate Lecturer: School of Physiotherapy, University of Sydney (Neurological and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy).
2000 – 2005 Clinical appointments:
St Joseph’s Hospital, Sydney
Epping Central Physiotherapy Clinic, Sydney
Rehab One Physiotherapy, Sydney
Norton St Physiotherapy clinic, Leichhardt, Sydney
University of Sydney Sports Clinic, Camperdown, Sydney
1996 – 1999 Full-time Candidate for BAppSc (Phty)
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney.
1993 – 1996 Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow,
Biological Sciences, University of Sydney
1993 Visiting Research Fellow,
Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra.
1992 Fulbright Postdoctoral Research Fellow,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
1991 University of Sydney Postdoctoral Research Fellow,
Biological Sciences, University of Sydney.
1988 – 1989 Visiting postgraduate scholar
Oxford University.
1987 – 1991 Full-time candidate for PhD
Faculty of Science, University of Sydney.
