Dr Emma Karran

Senior Research Fellow UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance

City East Campus (C7-37)
tel +61 8 830 21128

mob +61 451 631 511
email Emma.Karran@unisa.edu.au

Research Degree Supervisor

About me

Emma is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of South Australia. She completed her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Lorimer Moseley in 2018, her thesis investigating areas of uncertainty related to the clinical management of low back pain. Emma’s current projects and interests relate to exploring the social determinants of pain outcomes, optimising the management of low back pain in primary care, implementation research and health communication. Emma’s mixed-methods research is both driven and informed by her extensive experience as a Physiotherapy Clinician and Educator.

UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance

Focused on shaping community wellbeing, UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance educates future health professionals and delivers solutions-based research that addresses global health needs.

Tweets by @UniversitySA

Orcid
Scopus

Research

Research focus

Medical and Health Sciences
Clinical Sciences
Neurosciences
Psychology
Biological Sciences

Research

Outputs

Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID or Scopus

Open access indicates that an output is open access.

Journal Articles

Year	Output
2025	Grant, AR, Westhorp, G, Mardon, A, Karran, EL, Hibbert, PD, Roeger, C & Moseley, GL 2025, 'Realist needs assessment investigating the factors affecting implementation of guideline-based care for chronic pain in rural Australia: program theory generation', International Journal of Qualitative Methods, vol. 24, pp. 1-12. Open access
2025	Grant, AR, Westhorp, G, Mardon, A, White, M, Hibbert, PD, Karran, EL, Roeger, C & Moseley, GL 2025, 'How is chronic pain managed in rural Australia? A qualitative study exploring rural healthcare professional and consumer experiences', Australian Journal of Rural Health, vol. 33, no. 1, article no. e70000, pp. 1-12. Open access
2025	Grant, AR, Westhorp, G, Murray, CM, De La Perrelle, L, Dettwiller, P, Davey, A, Norrish, A, Walsh, S, Scinta, G, Karran, EL, Hibbert, PD & Moseley, GL 2025, 'Increasing access to pain care services to improve rural pain management: a realist review investigating factors affecting uptake, implementation, and sustainability', Pain, vol. 166, no. 6, pp. 1250-1267. 2
2025	Karran, EL, Cashin, AG, Barker, T, Boyd, MA, Chiarotto, A, Maxwell, LJ, Mohabir, V, Sharma, S, Tugwell, P & Moseley, GL 2025, 'Developing consensus on the most important equity-relevant items to include in pain research: a modified e-Delphi study', Pain, online, pp. 1-10.
2025	Karran, EL, Cashin, AG, Barker, T, Boyd, MA, Chiarotto, A, Mohabir, V, Petkovic, J, Sharma, S, Tugwell, P & Moseley, GL 2025, 'It is time to take a broader equity lens to highlight health inequalities in people with pain', British Journal of Anaesthesia, vol. 134, no. 1, pp. 235-237. 122
2025	Mardon, AK, Leake, HB, Wilson, M V, Karran, EL, Parker, R, Malani, R, Moseley, GL & Chalmers, KJ 2025, 'Pain science education concepts for pelvic pain: an e-Delphi of expert clinicians', FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH, vol. 6, article no. 1498996, pp. 1-11. Open access
2024	Howlett, CA, Stanford, T, Berryman, C, Karran, EL, Bellan, V, Coussens, S, Miles, S & Moseley, GL 2024, 'Investigating self-report and neuropsychological assessments of cognitive flexibility in people with and without persistent pain: an online, cross-sectional, observational study', British Journal of Pain, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 176-196. Open access 5 3 3
2024	Karran, EL, Cashin, AG, Barker, T, Boyd, MA, Chiarotto, A, Mohabir, V, Petkovic, J, Sharma, S, Tugwell, P & Moseley, GL 2024, 'Development of recommendations for a minimum dataset for Identifying Social factors that Stratify Health Opportunities and Outcomes (ISSHOOs) in pain research', MethodsX, vol. 12, article no. 102496, pp. 1-9. Open access 3 1
2024	Leake, HB, Heathcote, LC, Ferencz, N, Birnie, KA, Davis, A, Karran, EL, Starr, TS, Thorpe, M & Moseley, GL 2024, 'Co-design and evaluation of pain science messages on social media with adolescents with a history of chronic pain', Journal of Pain, vol. 25, no. 9, article no. 104580, pp. 1-16. 1 12
2024	Ryan, CG, Karran, EL, Wallwork, SB, Pate, JW, O'Keeffe, M, Fullen, BM, Livadas, N, Jones, N, Toumbourou, JW, Gilchrist, P, Cameron, PA, Fatoye, F, Ravindran, D & Moseley, GL 2024, 'We are all in this together-whole of community pain science education campaigns to promote better management of persistent pain', Journal of Pain, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 902-917. Open access 11 10 111
2023	Karran, E, Grant, A, Lee, H, Kamper, S, Williams, C, Wiles, L, Shala, R, Poddar, C, Astill, T & Moseley, G 2023, 'Do health education initiatives assist socioeconomically disadvantaged populations? A systematic review and meta-analyses', BMC Public Health, vol. 23, no. 1, article no. 453, pp. 1-49. Open access 14 13 4
2023	Karran, EL, Cashin, AG, Barker, T, Boyd, MA, Chiarotto, A, Dewidar, O, Mohabir, V, Petkovic, J, Sharma, S, Tejani, S, Tugwell, P & Moseley, GL authors are part of The ‘Identifying Social Factors that Stratify Health Opportunities and Outcomes (ISSHOOs) in Pain Research’ Collaboration 2023, 'Using PROGRESS-plus to identify current approaches to the collection and reporting of equity-relevant data: a scoping review', Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, vol. 163, pp. 70-78. Open access 21 15 4
2023	Karran, EL, Cashin, AG, Barker, T, Boyd, MA, Chiarotto, A, Dewidar, O, Petkovic, J, Sharma, S, Tugwell, P & Moseley, GL 2023, 'The 'what' and 'how' of screening for social needs in healthcare settings: a scoping review', PEERJ, vol. 11, article no. e15263, pp. 1-19. Open access 19 18 8
2023	Karran, EL, Fryer, CE, Middleton, JW & Moseley, GL 2023, 'Pain and pain management experiences following spinal cord injury - a mixed methods study of Australian community-dwelling adults', Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 455-468. 9 11
2023	Karran, EL, Wiles, LK, Wilson, DJ & Moseley, GL 2023, 'Best practice care for persistent pain in adults with spinal cord injuries: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of clinical practice guideline recommendations', Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 45, no. 15, pp. 2539-2548. 4 5 2
2022	Howlett, CA, Wewege, MA, Berryman, C, Oldach, A, Jennings, E, Moore, E, Karran, EL, Szeto, K, Pronk, L, Miles, S & Moseley, GL 2022, 'Back to the drawing board-the relationship between self-report and neuropsychological tests of cognitive flexibility in clinical cohorts: a systematic review and meta-analysis', Neuropsychology, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 347-372. 25 24 4
2022	Karran, EL, Fryer, CE, Middleton, JW & Moseley, GL 2022, 'Exploring the social determinants of health outcomes for adults with low back pain or spinal cord injury and persistent pain: a mixed methods study', Journal of Pain, vol. 23, no. 9, pp. 1461-1479. 20 19 5
2022	Leake, HB, Mardon, A, Stanton, TR, Harvie, DS, Butler, DS, Karran, EL, Wilson, D, Booth, J, Barker, T, Wood, P, Fried, K, Hayes, C, Taylor, L, Macoun, M, Simister, A, Moseley, GL & Berryman, C 2022, 'Key Learning Statements for persistent pain education: an iterative analysis of consumer, clinician and researcher perspectives and development of public messaging', Journal of Pain, vol. 23, no. 11, pp. 1989-2001. Open access 20 16 137
2022	O'Hagan, ET, Skinner, IW, Jones, MD, Karran, EL, Traeger, AC, Cashin, AG, Wand, BM, Schabrun, SM, O'Neill, S, Harris, IA & McAuley, JH 2022, 'Development and measurement properties of the AxEL (attitude toward education and advice for low-back-pain) questionnaire', Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, vol. 20, article no. 4. Open access 5 5 8
2022	Yap, ZL, Summers, SJ, Grant, AR, Moseley, GL & Karran, EL 2022, 'The role of the social determinants of health in outcomes of surgery for low back pain: a systematic review and narrative synthesis', Spine Journal, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 793-809. 32 31 14
2021	Howlett, CA, Wewege, MA, Berryman, C, Oldach, A, Jennings, E, Moore, E, Karran, EL, Szeto, K, Pronk, L, Miles, S & Moseley, GL 2021, 'Same room - different windows? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between self-report and neuropsychological tests of cognitive flexibility in healthy adults', Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 88, article no. 102061, pp. 1-21. 34 34 11
2020	Gardner, C, Moseley, GL, Karran, EL, Wiles, LK & Hibbert, P 2020, 'Implementing high value back pain care in private physiotherapy in Australia: a qualitative evaluation of physiotherapists who participated in an 'implementation to innovation' system', Canadian Journal of Pain, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 86-102. Open access 7 7 2
2020	Riis, A, Karran, EL, Thomsen, JL, Jørgensen, A, Holst, S & Rolving, N 2020, 'The association between believing staying active is beneficial and achieving a clinically relevant functional improvement after 52 weeks: a prospective cohort study of patients with chronic low back pain in secondary care', BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, vol. 21, no. 1, article no. 47, pp. 1-9. Open access 6 6 17
2020	Stanton, TR, Karran, E, Butler, DS, Hull, MJ, Schwetlik, SN, Braithwaite, FA, Jones, HG, Moseley, GL, Hill, CL, Tomkins-Lane, C, Maher, C & Bennell, K 2020, 'A pain science education and walking program to increase physical activity in people with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a feasibility study', Pain Reports, vol. 5, no. 5, article no. e830, pp. 1-13. Open access 21 22 42
2019	Medalian, Y, Moseley, GL & Karran, EL 2019, 'An online investigation into the impact of adding epidemiological information to imaging reports for low back pain', Scandinavian Journal of Pain, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 629-633. Open access 5 5 6
2019	Riis, A, Karran, EL, Hill, JC, Jensen, MB & Thomsen, JL 2019, 'A conceptual framework for increasing clinical staff member involvement in general practice: a proposed strategy to improve the management of low back pain', BMC Family Practice, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1-7. Open access 5 5 10
2018	Karran, EL, Hillier, SL, Yau, Y-H, McAuley, JH & Moseley, GL 2018, 'A quasi-randomised, controlled, feasibility trial of GLITtER (Green Light Imaging Interpretation to Enhance Recovery)-a psychoeducational intervention for adults with low back pain attending secondary care', PEERJ, vol. 6, aticle no. e4301, pp. 1-20. Open access 10 10 2
2018	Karran, EL, Yau, Y-H, Hillier, SL & Moseley, GL 2018, 'The reassuring potential of spinal imaging results: development and testing of a brief, psycho-education intervention for patients attending secondary care', European Spine Journal, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 101-109. 13 13 62
2018	Wheeler, LP, Karran, EL & Harvie, DS 2018, 'Low back pain: can we mitigate the inadvertent psycho-behavioural harms of spinal imaging?', Australian Journal of General Practice, vol. 47, no. 9, pp. 614-617. Open access 19 7 1
2017	Karran, E, Medalian, Y, Hillier, SL & Moseley, GL 2017, 'The impact of choosing words carefully: an online investigation into imaging reporting strategies and best practice care for low back pain', PEERJ, vol. 5, article no. 4151, pp. 1-12. Open access 24 24 121
2017	Karran, EL, McAuley, JH, Traeger, AC, Hillier, SL, Grabherr, L, Russek, LN & Moseley, GL 2017, 'Can screening instruments accurately determine poor outcome risk in adults with recent onset low back pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis', BMC Medicine, vol. 15, no. 1, article no. 13, pp. 1-15. Open access 122 118 36
2017	Karran, EL, Traeger, AC, McAuley, JH, Hillier, SL, Yau, Y-H & Moseley, GL 2017, 'The value of prognostic screening for patients with low back pain in secondary care', Journal of Pain, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 673-686. 31 30 26

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Organisation	Country
Aalborg Universitet	DENMARK
Aalborg University	DENMARK
Australasian College of Physicians	AUSTRALIA
Australian Capital Territory Pain Centre	AUSTRALIA
Australian National University	AUSTRALIA
Charles Darwin University	AUSTRALIA
Charles Sturt University	AUSTRALIA
Clarkson University	UNITED STATES
Deakin University	AUSTRALIA
Erasmus MC	NETHERLANDS
Erasmus University Rotterdam	NETHERLANDS
Flinders University	AUSTRALIA
Griffith University	AUSTRALIA
In Balance Physiotherapy and Fitness	AUSTRALIA
Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research	AUSTRALIA
John Hunter Hospital	AUSTRALIA
Keele University	UNITED KINGDOM
King's College London	UNITED KINGDOM
La Trobe University	AUSTRALIA
Macquarie University	AUSTRALIA
Manchester Metropolitan University	UNITED KINGDOM
MGM School of Physiotherapy	INDIA
Mount Royal University	CANADA
Neuroscience Research Australia	AUSTRALIA
Northern Adelaide Local Health Network	AUSTRALIA
NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI)	AUSTRALIA
Osnabrueck University	GERMANY
Ottawa Hospital	CANADA
Private Individual	UNITED KINGDOM
Royal Adelaide Hospital	AUSTRALIA
Rural Doctors Workforce Agency	AUSTRALIA
Silkeborg Regional Hospital	DENMARK
Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre	INDIA
South Australian Health and Medical and Research Institute (SAHMRI)	AUSTRALIA
Swinburne University of Technology	AUSTRALIA
Teesside University	UNITED KINGDOM
The Hospital for Sick Children	CANADA
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital	AUSTRALIA
The University of Notre Dame Australia	AUSTRALIA
University College Dublin	IRELAND
University Medical Center	UNITED STATES
University of Adelaide	AUSTRALIA
University of Calgary	CANADA
University of Cape Town	SOUTH AFRICA
University of Melbourne	AUSTRALIA
University of New South Wales	AUSTRALIA
University of Newcastle	AUSTRALIA
University of Ottawa	CANADA
University of Oxford	UNITED KINGDOM
University of South Australia	AUSTRALIA
University of Sydney	AUSTRALIA
University of Technology Sydney	AUSTRALIA
Western Sydney University	AUSTRALIA
Women's and Children's Health Network	AUSTRALIA

Teaching & student supervision

Research degree supervision

Supervisions from 2010 shown

Thesis title	Student status
110375 - Designing better pain care for refugees	Current
Co-designing better pain care for refugees	Current
Pain care in rural Australia - what's working, what's not, and where to from here?	Current

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Dr Emma Karran

About me

About me

UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance

About me

Professional Associations

Experience

Qualifications

Research

Research focus

Projects

Outputs

Journal Articles

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Collaborations

Teaching & student supervision

Courses and programs

Research degree supervision

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