Travis Haber receives OARSI Travel Scholarship

Congratulations to Travis Haber for receiving the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) Travel Scholarship, announced at the 2024 OARSI World Congress.

Travis is a Doctor of Physiotherapy graduate and currently PhD candidate with the Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine at the University of Melbourne. Clinically, as a private practice physiotherapist, he primarily helps people manage chronic pain and improve their quality of life, focusing on lifestyle treatments and patient-centred care. His PhD research seeks to better understand how peoples' beliefs about hip pain and its management may influence their uptake of recommended nonsurgical care.

The randomised control trial forming part of Travis's thesis won the OARSI Rehabilitation Group ECI paper of the year which was awarded at the OARSI World Congress. He was also awarded the OARSI Travel Scholarship, which will help fund an international collaboration with researchers at the University of Denmark and Næstved-Slagelse-Ringsted Hospitals, Denmark. Supervised by Professor Søren Skou and Associate Professor Alessio Bricca, they will investigate the relationships between sleep, physical activity, and health outcomes among people with multi-morbidity.

The aim of the OARSI Scholarship program is to provide early career researchers with enriched international and national exchange that will foster the acquisition of skills in specialised scientific methods, knowledge translation, and dissemination of osteoarthritis research. The scholarship also provides educational, networking and partnerships opportunities.

Other highlights of the conference include Professor Rana Hinman being awarded one of the Reviewers of the Year for the Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Journal, and Dr Belinda Lawford providing a presentation on "Year in Review - Rehabilitation and Outcomes".