PainSA is a chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Our mission is to improve all aspects of pain management in Southern Africa.
We are a multidisciplinary society whose membership includes all healthcare professionals
PainSA is a chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Our mission is to improve all aspects of pain management in Southern Africa.
We are a multidisciplinary society whose membership includes all healthcare professionals
President – Occupational therapist
Linda Hiemstra holds a Masters in Clinical Pain Management from the University of Edinburgh. She qualified as an Occupational Therapist from the University of Stellenbosch in 2002 and also obtained a post-graduate diploma in vocational rehabilitation from the University of Pretoria, and a post-graduate diploma in Interdisciplinary pain management from UCT. She is the Chief Clinical Officer of the Health Collective PTY, a company that runs the PAIN Collective, a group of private practitioners working in 20 interventional pain management clinics across the country. She manages the clinical services at all of the clinics and carries an active case load as an Occupational Therapist, seeing patients with complex persistent pain. Linda teaches part-time at UCT on the post-graduate pain management program in the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Pain , and on the Occupational Therapy undergraduate curriculum. She regularly presents at courses, workshops and conferences.
Past-president – Psychiatrist
Michelle King qualified as a psychiatrist in 2007. In 2011 she completed her Masters in Early Childhood Intervention through UP. Since then she has completed Post Graduate diplomas in both Interdisciplinary Pain Management and Palliative Medicine through UCT.
As part of her private practice, she works with an interdisciplinary pain and palliative care team. She believes in empowering people so that they can take charge of their physical and mental health, and as a result, live their lives to the fullest.
Honorary Secretary – Occupational therapist
Gill Coetsee is an OT working in private practice in Johannnesburg. She qualified in 1990 and has post graduate diplomas in neurotherapy, vocational rehabilitation, hand therapy and interdisciplinary pain management. Her work experience includes working at Natalspruit Hospital for 4 years (spinal rehabilitation, orthopaedics, plastics, paediatrics and adult neurology), 1 year working in London and Belfast and since then private practice in Johannesburg. Her practice focuses on the treatment of clients with hand injuries and adult neuro and she has a special interest in treatment of persistent pain and preventing persistent pain in the clients that she sees. She is also involved in Functional Capacity Evaluations and medico-legal work. Gill is passionate about learning and sharing knowledge and has been involved in lecturing and external examining for undergraduate and post–graduate courses and presented many workshops and lectures. Over the years she has been involved in OTASA, INSTOPP, SASHT (past president), IFSHT, OTPMG (past secretary), PainSA council member and congress organising committee 2025 & 2026.
Treasurer – Consultant Anaesthetist
Sudha Bechan works as a consultant anaesthetist at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH), and is an honorary lecturer in the Discipline of Anaesthesiology at the University of Kwazulu-Natal Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, and an examiner for the College of Medicine of South Africa. She is the Head Clinical Unit of Acute and Chronic Pain Services and High Risk Obstetric Anaesthesia at IALCH and runs the IALCH Pain Clinic. Her interests are in education and training of medical personnel, anaesthesia for high risk obstetric anaesthesia, and paediatric anaesthesia. Her research interests are in pain and perioperative medicine and include interdisciplinary, spiritual and holistic patient centred care, and the international PAINOUT postop pain project. She also supervises a number of MMed research projects focusing on pain, and anaesthesia related topics, for registrars.
Council member – Physiotherapist
Tory Madden is a clinician-researcher and associate professor at the University of Cape Town, with additional affiliations to the University of South Australia and KU Leuven, Belgium. She chairs the research portfolio group of PainSA. Tory’s research brings aspects of neuroscience, psychology, physiology, and immunology into both observational and basic experimental studies in humans, to make sense of the complex interactions between systems that underpin pain. She believes that a thorough understanding of pain mechanisms is the first step towards better treatments to relieve or prevent persistent pain.
Council member – Neurosurgeon
Dr Adriaan Liebenberg is a neurosurgeon who works as a clinician in the Pain Collective and is the director of several healthcare companies. He is driven to create solutions that will improve the lives of all people who live in chronic pain.
Council member – Occupational therapist
Helen Roome qualified as an OT at Wits University in 1996 and works in independent practice in KZN offering individual and group-based therapy to people living with persistent pain. Her paincare builds on 30 years of broad clinical experience and is also informed by her post-graduate diploma in Interdisciplinary Pain Management, Masters in Theology and Practical Diploma in Labour Law. Helen has held leadership roles in OTASA, OTPMG, SASSH and other NPOs. She has a special interest in Fibromyalgia and has facilitated a Fibromyalgia support group for over 10 years. Helen is passionate about supporting pain self-management and building communities of care for, and with, people living with pain and published her book “Your Pain Playbook” in 2023. She writes, trains and presents regularly on national and international platforms on pain-related topics.
Council member – Physiotherapist
Gill Bedwell is a clinician-researcher, lecturer, and Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cape Town. Gill’s research investigates the interplay between psycho-neuro-immune processes to better understand both vulnerability and protective factors that influence pain and its persistence. Gill is committed to advancing contextually relevant pain research in Africa and believes that meaningful improvements in pain care require collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experiences of pain.
Council member – Anaesthetist
Marshall Sithole works as an anaesthetist and pain practitioner in private practice. He runs a pain and peri-operative clinic in Limpopo, Tzaneen. He is passionate about pain and aims for a pain-free society. His main interests are acute pain management, perioperatively, and chronic pain management, particularly in the cancer patient. He completed his Diploma in anaesthesia in 2015 and completed his post-graduate diploma in interdisciplinary pain management with UCT.
Council member – General medical practitioner
Therden van Heerden is a general medical practitioner with a special clinical interest in pain medicine and anaesthesia, especially in the context of minimally–invasive procedures to alleviate chronic pain. He has been working full time in this role for the past 3 years, with the Pain Collective in Worcester. He is passionate about helping chronic pain patients live better, teaching, training, and advocating for better access to pain services across all spheres of society.
Council member – Palliative care practitioner
Lashistha Parthab is a Durban-based palliative care and pain-informed practitioner. She provides inpatient palliative care consultancy services in the private sector and also manages a sessional palliative care clinic at a tertiary-level public hospital. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine and a Postgraduate Diploma in Interdisciplinary Pain Management, both from the UCT. Her work is centred on encouraging the early integration of palliative care into the management of serious illness, with a particular focus on effective, comprehensive pain management. She is deeply committed to improving quality of life, preserving dignity, and supporting patients and families throughout the illness journey.
Co-opted member – Patient advocate
Alicia Koedijk is a dedicated patient advocate with 21 years of lived experience of chronic pain. She is pursuing a BA (Anthropology and Psychology) through UNISA, specialising in chronic pain management. She is committed to strengthening patient representation, promoting accessible and plain-language education resources, and supporting ethical, evidence-informed advocacy. Her focus is on ensuring that PainSA’s work remains relevant, inclusive, and responsive to the real-world experiences of people living with pain. Alicia has participated in international pain advocacy platforms, as a panellist in discussions focused on the role of storytelling in improving health outcomes, and contributing to global conversations on neuropathic pain. She conceptualised the first Groote Schuur Hospital Pain Clinic Peer Support Group and serves as co-facilitator and a patient leader. She also serves as Secretary of UNISA’s Students with Disabilities Forum (WC region), a SADAG Peer Support Group Leader and is currently training as a volunteer counsellor.
