Personal profile
Biography
Donna Urquhart is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and a NHMRC Career Development Fellow (Level 2)/Senior Research Scientist. She is also a physiotherapist with over 20 years of clinical experience in the management of musculoskeletal conditions.
Donna’s research program involves a wide range of projects relating to low back pain and musculoskeletal conditions, including NHMRC-funded clinical trials examining the effectiveness of interventions for low back pain, MRFF funded research examining the overuse of narcotics and imaging for musculoskeletal pain, and internationally awarded work investigating the role of physical activity and obesity in musculoskeletal conditions.
Donna is currently supervising a number of PhD, Masters and honours students in cross-disciplinary collaborations. She is also on the International Editorial Review Board for the Cochrane Back Review Group and Journal of Physiotherapy, and is a board member for the Australian New Zealand Musculoskeletal Clinical Trials Network Scientific Advisory Group (SAG).
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 21 Finished
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Improving outcomes in low back pain: targeting specific therapies to patient subgroups
Urquhart, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (Australia)
1/01/18 → 30/11/23
Project: Research
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Identifying the determinants of narcotic and radiological imaging overuse for low back pain in community-based women.
Urquhart, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Cicuttini, F. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Teede, H. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Mishra, G. D. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (Australia)
22/12/17 → 31/12/18
Project: Research
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Smart-mattress development and feasibility testing for spinal alignment functions
Wang, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Barnes, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cheng, W. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cicuttini, F. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Goldschlager, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Urquhart, D. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/10/15 → 25/12/15
Project: Research
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Does emotion regulation differ between individuals with chronic low back pain and health controls? A functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
Fitzgibbon, B. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Urquhart, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Cicuttini, F. (Chief Investigator (CI))
5/05/15 → 4/11/15
Project: Research
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Does the structure of the spine matter in low back pain?
Ranger, T. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Urquhart, D. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/01/15 → 31/12/15
Project: Research
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Body Composition and Incident High-Intensity Back Pain and/or High Disability: A 10-Year Prospective Population-Based Male Cohort
Estee, M., Wang, Y., Heritier, S., Urquhart, D., Cicuttini, F., Kotowicz, M., Brennan-Olsen, S., Pasco, J. & Wluka, A., Feb 2025, In: Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. 16, 1, 10 p., e13641.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Metformin for Knee Osteoarthritis in Patients With Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Pan, F., Wang, Y., Lim, Y. Z., Urquhart, D. M., Estee, M. M., Wluka, A. E., Wolfe, R. & Cicuttini, F. M., 27 May 2025, In: JAMA. 333, 20, p. 1804-1812 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
33 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Metformin for low back pain: Study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Lim, Y. Z., Urquhart, D. M., Wang, Y., Estee, M. M., Wluka, A. E., Heritier, S. & Cicuttini, F. M., Mar 2025, In: Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open. 7, 1, 6 p., 100486.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Other › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Bone mineral density is not associated with incident high-intensity back pain: a 10-year cohort study in men
Estee, M. M., Wang, Y. Y., Heritier, S., Urquhart, D. M., Cicuttini, F. M., Kotowicz, M. A., Anderson, K. B., Brennan-Olsen, S. L., Pasco, J. A. & Wluka, A. E., Aug 2024, In: JBMR Plus. 8, 8, 7 p., ziae076.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Negative back beliefs are associated with increased odds of low back pain and disability: a 10-year cohort study in men
Estee, M. M., Wang, Y., Heritier, S., Urquhart, D. M., Cicuttini, F. M., Kotowicz, M. A., Brennan-Olsen, S. L., Pasco, J. & Wluka, A., Dec 2024, In: Rheumatology. 63, 12, p. 3353-3359 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access5 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)