The EFIC Rising Stars Programme is a new initiative to connect and support early career researchers in the European pain field. The newest initiative is this ECR spotlight in the EFIC newsletter and posting on the Rising Star webpage. If you want to be represented or you want to nominate an ECR that should be promoted, please reach out to melinda.borzsak@efic.org!
This time, we are back with three more members of the EFIC Rising Star working group:
Michel
Mertens: “I am a (sports) physiotherapist and human movement scientist and holding a PhD in medical sciences. I currently serve as a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer in Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy within the MOVANT research group at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. I have over a decade of clinical experience as a physiotherapist and transitioned into academia about 10 years ago. My research focuses on musculoskeletal disorders and their underlying mechanisms, with a particular focus on frozen shoulder, chronic shoulder pain and (shoulder) pain in oncologic populations. I am experienced in prognostic modeling, pain mechanisms, and rehabilitation outcomes. I am a committed member of the Pain in Motion research consortium and the CarEdOn research group, where I continue to advance interdisciplinary approaches to pain and rehabilitation science. To relax and find inspiration for new ideas I like to run and cycle and go on holiday with my family.”
Madeleine Hau:
“I am currently in the final year of my PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Zurich and the Zurich Neuroscience Center. I work within the Integrative Spinal Research Group at the Department of Chiropractic Medicine, University Hospital Balgrist, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Petra Schweinhardt. My PhD research focuses on how chronic low back pain affects the central nervous system, with a particular interest in alterations in resting-state functional connectivity and brain networks. I am also actively involved in the Pain Research Special Interest Group of the Swiss Pain Society, which aims to increase collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and the visibility of pain research in Switzerland. When I am not doing research, I enjoy coaching goalkeepers in elite youth football.”
Nathan Skidmore: “I am a postdoctoral researcher in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Northumbria University in the UK, and a Research Projects Advisor with European Pain Federation EFIC. My work spans pain science, rehabilitation, health literacy, digital health, cancer prehabilitation, and respiratory health, with a particular interest in how immersive and digital technologies can support communication, self-management, and rehabilitation. I am especially interested in making pain management and pain science more understandable, accessible, and meaningful for the wider public through health literacy–focused approaches. Much of my research has explored how technologies such as virtual reality can help people better understand and engage with pain management and rehabilitation. Alongside this, I contribute to several European collaborative projects and EFIC initiatives relating to pain education, advocacy, and research. Outside of research, I enjoy sports, gaming, and following technology and digital innovation.”
There’s so much more to come! Please feel free to get in touch with us or any of our colleagues with your ideas – we can’t wait to hear from you!
