Carolyn Berryman

Carolyn Berryman is a Research Fellow at the School of Biomedicine within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. With over 20 years of clinical experience as a physiotherapist and extensive teaching background, she focuses on improving outcomes for individuals recovering from injury or managing persistent pain.

Her educational background includes a Masters of Medical Science (Pain Management) from the University of Sydney (2005) and a PhD from the University of South Australia (2015), where her research examined the association between chronic pain, cognitive impairment, and somatic hypervigilance under the supervision of Prof Lorimer Moseley.

Berryman's research employs brain stimulation and imaging techniques to investigate the intersection between immune function, neuroplasticity, and cognition in healthy individuals, those with persistent pain, and recovered patients. Her work centers on understanding neural underpinnings of brain health to develop novel therapeutic interventions for motor, sensory, and cognitive rehabilitation. Current projects include investigating brain plasticity in recovery from persistent lower back pain and examining how immune challenges affect cortical excitability.

• NH&MRC early career fellowship

As an NH&MRC-funded researcher collaborating with Dr Nigel Rogasch and Prof Lorimer Moseley, Berryman supervises Masters and PhD students as a Co-Supervisor. Her work bridges clinical physiotherapy with advanced neuroscience techniques to address persistent pain conditions.

Berryman leads the Brain Stimulation, Imaging and Cognition Research Group, which focuses on investigating neural mechanisms underlying brain health in both healthy and disease states. The group conducts research at the Adelaide Health & Medical Sciences Building and SAHMRI, utilizing advanced neuroimaging and stimulation methodologies.