PROF DAVID HUNTER

PRESENTING: SATURDAY 17TH JULY, 2021

PRESENTATION TITLE:
Innovations in osteoarthritis management

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION: 
Osteoarthritis (OA) is at the forefront of an exploding epidemic of non-communicable chronic diseases. It affects over 3 million Australians and is a leading cause of disability and health service utilisation. Beyond the pharmacological and surgical advances, there are population-based interventions that have proven effective for preventing the development of OA. These measures include lifestyle management, maintaining a healthy weight, remaining active, and avoiding joint injury. For the person with osteoarthritis, management is typically inappropriate, which has enormous downstream activity consequences for health services and contributes to poor health outcomes. Modern health care systems are typically reactive and focused upon acute care whereas the management of OA is ideally efficient, coordinated and patient centred to support integration of evidence into practice. Inflation in the cost of health care is driving changes to health systems that will not only enhance the organizational costs of OA delivery but also health outcomes. This presentation will focus on research and implementation activity targeting both disease prevention and evidence-based health service delivery along with innovations in disease modification.

BIO:
Dr David Hunter, Florance and Cope Chair of Rheumatology and Professor of Medicine at University of Sydney is a rheumatologist epidemiologist. He completed his medical degree at the University of New South Wales, a fellowship in Rheumatology at the Royal Australian College of Physicians, earned a Masters of Medical Science (Clinical Epidemiology) from the University of Newcastle, a Masters of Sports Medicine from UNSW and a PhD from the University of Sydney. He completed his doctoral thesis looking at the genetics of osteoarthritis.

He is a member of the Australian College of Physicians, Australian Rheumatology Association, American College of Rheumatology, Orthopaedic Research Society and International Osteoarthritis Research Society. He is a board member of the International Osteoarthritis Research Society and a founding member of the Osteoarthritis Imaging Group. He is an advisory editor for Arthritis Care and Research, and an associate editor for Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, and BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Dr Hunter has over 500 peer reviewed publications in international journals, numerous book chapters, has co-authored a number of books, and recently completed his second book on self management strategies for the lay public. In his current work he is investigating a number of key elements in osteoarthritis including (but not limited to) the epidemiology of osteoarthritis, the role of biomarkers in understanding OA etiopathogenesis and the role of knee braces and orthotics in disease management.Specialties: RheumatologyEpidemiology