Every year the PRF hosts an essay competition inviting medical, physiotherapy, nursing, occupational therapy, and clinical psychology students to submit an essay on an aspect of chronic pain. This year the standard was high, and three essays were selected by Samuel Adler, Luke Solomi and Ritika Devadas.

Talk titles:

Samuel Adler: The potential use of Electroconvulsive Therapy in the management of Chronic Pain.

Luke Solomi Meditation in Motion: Tai Chi and its effects on chronic pain

Ritika Devadas: The Role of Lifestyle Medicine in the Management of Fibromates – North West Fibromyalgia Support Group

More about the speakers and the talks:

Samuel Adler is a 5th Year Medical Student at the University of Edinburgh. He completed his pre-clinical years at the University of St Andrews, graduating in 2023, and moved to Edinburgh in August 2023 to complete his clinical years. His talk will briefly overview Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), including its mechanisms of action and current clinical applications. He will discuss the established link between depression and chronic pain. Finally, the talk will review some of the current literature concerning ECT and chronic pain and discuss potential future applications of this treatment in the area of pain.

Luke Solomi is a recent medical graduate from the University of Plymouth. Now a Foundation Year 1 doctor at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, he is enjoying his time working in General Surgery. His interests are in anaesthesia and pain medicine. The talk will focus on the potential role of Tai Chi in the management of chronic pain. In the context of pain, it will briefly discuss Tai Chi’s history, meaning, and application, elucidating some of the scientific mechanisms underpinning its effects.

Ritika Devadas is a fifth-year medical student at the University of Edinburgh and holds a BMedSci (Hons) in Anthropology and Sociology of Medicine. Her interests lie in the influence of socio-economic and cultural factors on healthcare access and outcomes She is passionate about promoting healthy lifestyles as a means to improve overall well-being and exploring strategies to make healthcare more equitable and accessible. This talk explores the role of lifestyle medicine in the management of fibromyalgia, with a focus on its six core pillars: physical activity, mental wellbeing, sleep health, healthy eating, healthy relationships, and minimising the use of harmful substances. It will touch upon some current challenges in fibromyalgia management and explore the potential of evidence-based lifestyle interventions to enhance clinical practice, improve patient outcomes, and promote a more holistic and sustainable approach to care.

Presentations of their essay will be available on our website shortly.