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Associate Professor Melissa Day
Associate Professor

Melissa Day

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56421

Overview

Background

I am an endorsed Clinical and Health Psychologist, and my main area of research interest is in optimising non-pharmacological treatment options for chronic pain. My program of research is primarily focused on implementing randomised controlled trials designed to evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of cognitive-behavioural and mindfulness-based interventions for heterogeneous chronic pain conditions. My concurrent line of research aims to further our understanding of the experience of chronic pain via converging methodologies (including experimental pain paradigms and electroencephalogram), as well as advance our capacity to accurately assess its multidimensional nature. I have led the development, application, and evaluation of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for chronic pain, and I disseminated this treatment approach for research and clinical use via my sole-authored book, published by Wiley in 2017. My US-based collaborators and I have a number of on-going NIH and foundation funded treatment trials underway at the University of Washington, Seattle. I am also an Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington.

Availability

Associate Professor Melissa Day is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, The University of Alabama
  • Masters (Coursework), The University of Alabama
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Alabama

Research interests

  • Chronic pain

    Assessment and management of chronic pain

  • Pain

    Understanding the mechanisms of pain and its relief

  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

    Efficacy and mechanisms for chronic pain management

  • Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

    Efficacy and mechanisms for chronic pain management; adapting the literacy level of CBT for use in low-SES groups.

Research impacts

In leading large, multidisciplinary teams my research is determining the mechanisms underpinning pain and its relief and advancing precision medicine to tailor chronic pain treatments for optimised outcomes for the one in five Australian adults living with unremitting chronic pain. In the context of the opioid epidemic, non-pharmacological treatments – such as the psychological treatments I have developed – are now the recommended first line treatment approach for chronic pain. The research I lead informs policy, including within NICE guidelines in the UK that provide evidence-based recommendations on how healthcare professionals should treat and care for people living with chronic pain. I am a team leader of the impactful clinical trials arm of UQ’s newly launched Centre for Innovation in Pain and Health Research (CIPHeR) which brings together >200 multidisciplinary pain researchers.

Works

Search Professor Melissa Day’s works on UQ eSpace

107 works between 2010 and 2026

101 - 107 of 107 works

2012

Journal Article

The communal coping model of catastrophizing: patient-health provider interactions

Tsui, Patricia, Day, Melissa, Thorn, Beverly, Rubin, Nancy, Alexander, Chelley and Jones, Richard (2012). The communal coping model of catastrophizing: patient-health provider interactions. Pain Medicine, 13 (1), 66-79. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01288.x

The communal coping model of catastrophizing: patient-health provider interactions

2012

Journal Article

The continuing evolution of biopsychosocial interventions for chronic pain

Day, MELISSA A., Thorn, Beverly E. and Burns, John W. (2012). The continuing evolution of biopsychosocial interventions for chronic pain. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 26 (2), 114-129. doi: 10.1891/0889-8391.26.2.114

The continuing evolution of biopsychosocial interventions for chronic pain

2011

Journal Article

Randomized trial of group cognitive behavioral therapy compared with a pain education control for low-literacy rural people with chronic pain

Thorn, Beverly E., Day, Melissa A., Burns, John, Kuhajda, Melissa C., Gaskins, Susan W., Sweeney, Kelly, McConley, Regina, Ward, L. Charles and Cabbil, Chalanda (2011). Randomized trial of group cognitive behavioral therapy compared with a pain education control for low-literacy rural people with chronic pain. Pain, 152 (12), 2710-2720. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2011.07.007

Randomized trial of group cognitive behavioral therapy compared with a pain education control for low-literacy rural people with chronic pain

2011

Journal Article

A qualitative analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing a cognitive-behavioral treatment with education

Day, Melissa A., Thorn, Beverly E. and Kapoor, Shweta (2011). A qualitative analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing a cognitive-behavioral treatment with education. Journal of Pain, 12 (9), 941-952. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2011.02.354

A qualitative analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing a cognitive-behavioral treatment with education

2011

Journal Article

Race and sex differences in primary appraisals, catastrophizing, and experimental pain outcomes

Forsythe, Laura Pence, Thorn, Beverly, Day, Melissa and Shelby, Grace (2011). Race and sex differences in primary appraisals, catastrophizing, and experimental pain outcomes. Journal of Pain, 12 (5), 563-572. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2010.11.003

Race and sex differences in primary appraisals, catastrophizing, and experimental pain outcomes

2011

Journal Article

Literacy and cultural adaptations for cognitive behavioral therapy in a rural pain population

Kuhajda, M. C., Thorn, B. E., Gaskins, S. W., Day, M. A. and Cabbil, C. M. (2011). Literacy and cultural adaptations for cognitive behavioral therapy in a rural pain population. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 1 (2), 216-223. doi: 10.1007/s13142-011-0026-2

Literacy and cultural adaptations for cognitive behavioral therapy in a rural pain population

2010

Journal Article

The relationship of demographic and psychosocial variables to pain-related outcomes in a rural chronic pain population

Day, Melissa A. and Thorn, Beverly E. (2010). The relationship of demographic and psychosocial variables to pain-related outcomes in a rural chronic pain population. Pain, 151 (2), 467-474. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.08.015

The relationship of demographic and psychosocial variables to pain-related outcomes in a rural chronic pain population

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2028
    DISCERN - Disciplinary Integration to Solve the Enigma of Chronic Pain: Evaluating Personalised Care and its Impact with Innovative Clinical Trials and Research in Neurobiology, Psychology and Society
    NHMRC Synergy Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2015 - 2018
    Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation, Cognitive Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Low Back Pain
    NHMRC Early Career Fellowships
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Associate Professor Melissa Day is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A transdiagnostic approach to understanding co-occurring substance use and chronic pain.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Tony Barnett

  • Master Philosophy

    Lived Experience of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Chronic Pain - A Qualitative Review

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Davies

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Psychology in the Intensive Care Unit: An Australian Context

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Elizabeth Ward

  • Doctor Philosophy

    What makes a good pain clinician: partnering withconsumers and supervisors

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Michele Sterling

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Melissa Day directly for media enquiries about:

  • Chronic Pain
  • Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy
  • Coping
  • Mindfulness
  • Pain
  • Psychosocial Pain Management

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au