Dr Barbara Braden (USA)

Dr Barbara Braden PhD, FAAN is Dean of University College at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Dr Braden oversees adult undergraduate and continuing education for the university. Dr Braden is best known for developing th Braden Scale for PRedicting Pressure Sore Risk which is used in health care settings around the world and has been translated into many languages. She has received many awards for her work, including lifetime achievement awards from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and the World Union of Wound Healing Societies.

Dr Laura Edsberg (USA)

Dr Laura Edsberg has been conducting pressure ulcer research for 20 years. She is currently the DIrector of the Natural & Health Sciences Research Centre and the Centre for Wound Healing Research at Daemen College in Amherst, NY. Dr Edsberg was elected to the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Board of Diretors in 2004 and is currently serving as President of thr NPUAP. Dr Edsberg was written numerous artucles and chapters about the microstructural and mechanical properties of pressure ulcer tissue, as well as current treatments in wound healing. Dr Edsberg's research is focused on the effects of pressure on tissue and the proteome of healing and non-healing wounds. Currently her research group is involved in studies identifying the biomarkers associated with healing in chronic wounds.

Professor Helen Edwards (AUSTRALIA)

Professor Helen Edwards is Health of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, team leaver of the wound healing research group and a member of the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University of Technology. Professor Edwards is internationally recognised for her work in ageing and chronic disease. Her clinical research is focused on evaluating models of care for people with chronic wounds, self-management of chronic disease, family caregiving, and the impact of quality of care on quality of life. Her team conducted the first clinical trial in Australia to demonstrate the effectiveness of a chronic disease self-management model of care for people with venous leg ulcers. Following this reaearch several 'Leg Clubs' were set up across Australia. Studies currently being undertaken by the team are impacting on wound healing practices in 10 clinical sites. The team was funded by Department of Health and Ageing in 2008 to undertake the only wound management project to implement evidence-based practice into residential aged care facilities. Professor Edwards' research has resulted in over 100 publications and texts.

Dr Pamela Houghton (CANADA)

Dr Pamela Houghton is a full time faculty member in the School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario. For over 10 years she has developed and instructed courses in the Physical Professional Program and Chairs the new Masters of Clinical Science program in the field of wound healing that provides specialised training for health care professionals treating people with chronic wounds using distance education methods. As a former board member of the Canadian Association of Wound Care (CAWC) she participated in the development of Best Practice Recommendations for the treatment of pressure ulcers and venous leg ulcers. Dr Houghton leads an active research program that is directed at improving the management of pressure ulcers in people with Spinal Cord Injury. She has just completed a three year multi centre trial that demonstrated successful integration of electrical stimulation therapy (EST) in the treatment of pressure ulcers. She has authored several book chapters and provided numerous continuing education workshops to Physical Therapists and other health care professionals about the cellular and physiological effects, clinical research evidence, and specific application techniques of various physical therapies including electrical stimulation therapy.

Professor Paul Martin (UNITED KINGDOM)

Paul Martin is currently a Professor of Cell Biology in the Biochemistry and Physiology Departments at the University of Bristol. He originally established a lab in the Anatomy Dept at Oxford, subsequently moving to the Anatomy Department of UCL, London, for 10 years, where he established models to study scar-free embryonic wound healing in mouse, zebrafish and Drosophila. The twin foci of Professor Martin’s lab are to analyse parallels between the tissue movements that underlie embryonic development and those of wound healing, and to investigate the genetics and cell biology of wound inflammation, in the search for clues as to how best to modulate the inflammatory response to prevent scarring as wounds heal. He has published extensively in these areas of research and is n internationally renowned wound healing researcher.

Associate Professor Cees Oomens (NETHERLANDS)

Cees Oomens is Associate Professor in Biomechanics and Continuum Mechanics at the Eindhoven University of Technology. He originally studied physics at Eindhoven, and obtained his PhD at Twente University on a study on the mechanical behavior of skin. A/Prof Oomens has successfully applied this knowledge of physics and mechanics to problems in the skin in the Biomedical Engineering Department, Eindhoven University. At the present time his research is focused on damage and adaptation of soft biological tissues, with emphasis on skeletal muscle tissue and skin. A major application field is a study on the etiology of pressure ulcers. The goals are to develop an objective method to identify patients at risk of developing a pressure ulcer and to develop techniques for early detection of deep tissue injury. A multi-scale approach is adopted, ranging from studies on cultured cells, tissue engineered constructs of muscle and skin, in vivo animal studies and human studies. Theoretical models include convective and diffusive transport processes in deforming structures and interaction with growth, synthesis and damage development. Since September 2009 he has been
president of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel.

Dr Kerry Reid Searl (AUSTRALIA)

Dr Kerry Reid Searl (PhD, RN, RM, MClin Ed, MRCNA, FCN) is Senior Lecturer and Director of the Undergraduate Nursing Programme at CQ University, Rockhampton Campus. Kerry has had extensive
nursing experience in the Torres Strait and regional Queensland. She has been involved in undergraduate nursing education for the past 18 years and more recently been awarded a CQUniversity Vice Chancellors Teaching Award, a Science Engineering and Health teaching award, and an Australian Learning and Teaching citation for her outstanding contribution to student learning. Kerry has been ranked as CQUniversity lecturer of the year for 2008 and 2009. Most recently she has become known nationally and internationally for her pioneering work with high fidelity patient latex simulation as a strategy for teaching in areas such as wound management. Since initiating this strategy in 2008, Kerry has won a best paper award at the International Clinical Skills Conference and an Innovation award for her presentation at Queensland Health Conference in 2009. Kerry is
also well published in international journals for her work in medication safety and has been the principal author, as well as co author, of several nursing texts books which have been sold nationally and internationally.

Professor Fiona Wood (AUSTRALIA)

Professor Fiona Wood is a plastic surgeon and currently Director of the Burns Service of Western
Australia,working at Royal Perth Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. She is the Chair of the McComb Research Foundation which she established in 1999 along with scientist Marie Stoner. Fiona’s research involves several collaborative research projects focused on the multidisciplinary clinical & scientific team approach to the treatment of burn injury. The ultimate aim is scarless healing to ensure the quality of the outcome is worth the pain of survival. Fiona was awarded the Australian Medical Association “Contribution to Medicine” Award, in 2003 and also received the Order of Australia Medal for work with Bali bombing victims. She was named West Australian of the Year for 2004, and was nominated as a National Living Treasure and Australian Citizen of the Year in 2004. In 2005 she received the honour of being named Australian of the year.

Professor Keith Harding (UNITED KINGDOM)

Professor Keith Harding is currenty a Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine (Wound Healing) and the Director of the Wound Healing Research Unit at the University of Wales, College of Medicine. He has worked in clinical research in Cardiff, and spent many years in General Practice. He has a long-standing interest in wound healing and has provided clinical supervision of a part-time outpatient clinic. He also has a long-stnading interest in continuing medical education and has acted in various capacities including GP CME Tutor for Wales and Postraduate Organiser for the University Hospital of Wales, as well as establishing further education courses in wound healing. He is a member of the Royal College of Genral Practitioners and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, England. Research interests include inflammatory cells in wound healing, aspects of measurement, the diabetic foot and quality of life evaluation.

Dr Subhas Gupta (USA)

Dr Gupta is currently the program director of plastic surgery, Loma Linda University. He holds a PhD in medical informatics with expertise and active research projects in Internet-based health-care delivery, virtual reality in surgery, and technology assessment. He has been well recognised for his contributions to research in informatics, outcomes assessment, and wound healing with funded fellowships, research grants and paper/presentation awards from numerous specialty and national societies. His current research projects deal with ultrasound assisted liposuction, minimally invasive facial rejuvention, scar-less healing, negative pressure wound therapy, advanced technologies in wound care, nutrition in healing and functional outcomes after hand surgery.

Associate Professor James Middleton

James is a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine, with expertise in the field of spinal cord injury medicine and rehabilitation. He is Director of the NSW State Spinal Cord Injury Service and Senior Medical Specialist for the NSW Spinal Outreach Service located at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre in Sydney, as well as also being President of the Youthsafe Organisation (formerly known as the Spinesafe Prevention Program). He is a part-time Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney. As a strongly committed clinician-researcher, he undertakes collaborative, interdisciplinary research aimed to improve function, independence and quality of life after SCI. His research has focussed on using assistive technology, including orthoses and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to enhance mobility, studying biomechanics of balance and gait, managing clinical conditions such as neuropathic pain, and measuring functional, psychological and health outcomes after SCI. James currently leads a team of scientists, engineers and clinicians from the University of Sydney, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, the University of Technology, Sydney and NSW Health Spinal Cord Injury Units, funded by a Premier’s Spinal Program Grant from the Office for Science and Medical Research in NSW, to translate novel rehabilitation therapies and FES technologies into clinical practice.