Distinguished rheumatology researcher awarded AAHMS Outstanding Female Researcher Medal

Internationally renowned researcher Professor Rachelle Buchbinder AO has been awarded the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences 2023 Outstanding Female Researcher Medal.

Awarded annually to a woman researcher who has made exceptional and impactful contributions to the health and medical sciences in Australia, Professor Buchbinder has been recognised for her outstanding discoveries and achievements in public health campaigns and musculoskeletal clinical trials.

A rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, Professor Buchbinder is also an Officer of the Order of Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and a National Health and Medical Research Council Lead 3 Investigator Fellow. She is the Head of the Musculoskeletal Health and Wiser Health Care Units in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and the Chair of the Australia and New Zealand Musculoskeletal (ANZMUSC) Clinical Trial Network.

Professor Buchbinder has published over 700 research papers in major journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Cochrane and the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. She has received over $97 million in research funding from 120 research grants across seven countries and is a current Clarivate Highly-Cited Researcher.

Professor Buchbinder first developed a global reputation in the late 1990s due to the success of Back Pain: Don’t Take It Lying Down, a world-first mass media public health campaign designed to address widespread misconceptions about low back pain. Delivered by the Victorian WorkCover Authority to combat a rise in back pain-related compensation claims, the campaign gave the public clear advice about staying active, not resting for prolonged periods, and remaining at work. The campaign was found to have successfully challenged the prevailing wisdom of both the general public and doctors, who had previously prescribed rest, time off work, medicines and surgery as the standard treatment for low back pain.

This public health approach was highly novel and transformational, with a significant reduction in the number, duration and costs of workers’ compensation back claims reported, and follow-up studies showing the effects were maintained at four years. Professor Buchbinder received the prestigious Volvo Award for her efforts, an international prize awarded annually by the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS), and the work has formed the basis of at least nine campaigns in other countries, including Scotland (Working Backs Scotland), Canada (Backactive Canada), Norway (Active Back Norway), Wales, the Netherlands and France.

The basis of her PhD awarded in 2006, Professor Buchbinder was also recognised with Monash University’s 2006 Mollie Holman Award for the best PhD thesis in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, and a 2007 Commendation for the Premier’s Award for Health and Medical Research.

Professor Buchbinder is also internationally known for her seminal trials in the musculoskeletal field and her advocacy and support for clinical trials as Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Musculoskeletal Clinical Trials Network. Professor Buchbinder has completed over 23 clinical trials, including a renowned vertebroplasty trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2009.

The trial was a world-first randomised placebo-controlled parallel-group trial of vertebroplasty for painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Previously, based on clinical experience and uncontrolled studies, vertebroplasty had been widely accepted to provide rapid pain relief for vertebral fractures. Yet, the trial results found no actual beneficial effect of vertebroplasty compared with a placebo procedure, leaving patients with painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures no better off after surgery.

The results were widely communicated in local and international news outlets, including the New York Times and Reuters and were reported to have been praised by US President Barack Obama and mentioned in a speech by then-Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as an example of the value of comparative effectiveness research.

Professor Buchbinder’s work led to changes in practice and policy worldwide. In Australia, the procedure was withdrawn from the Medicare Benefits Schedule and procedure numbers were drastically reduced elsewhere around the world. The work not only improved patient safety but highlighted the critical necessity of performing high-quality randomised controlled trials to answer clinically important questions about the efficacy and safety of new procedures, before their acceptance and introduction into practice.

Regrettably, the trial also generated controversy, opposition and vitriol, with criticisms and harassment directed towards her as the trial lead. In Professor Buchbinder’s personal reflections, she believed that some of the forceful pushback was due to her gender. While men are also often harassed when they produce evidence that challenges accepted wisdom, she feels that greater invective seems to be reserved for women who do the same.

Undeterred, Professor Buchbinder has continued to be a powerful advocate for high-quality clinical trial evidence of medical interventions. She spearheaded The Lancet’s low back pain series which included contributions from 31 authors from 12 countries, launched in Australia by former Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and resulted in over 15 million Twitter impressions and global news coverage. In 2021, she and colleague Professor Ian Harris published Hippocrasy: How Doctors Are Betraying Their Oath, a book exploring the true state of modern medicine and how doctors are letting their patients down.

Professor Buchbinder said that she was honoured and proud to receive the Medal. “Improving people’s lives through evidence-based medicine, and challenging the status quo to ensure that no harm is done, has been the driving force of my career,” she said. “I am delighted and thankful to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences for recognising my efforts with this Medal. However, it’s important to me to acknowledge that it’s never been a solo effort, but the collective efforts of everyone I have collaborated with over many years. A special mention to the wonderful team I lead at Monash, and my colleagues in ANZMUSC and Wiser for also inspiring me.”

Head of the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Professor Sophia Zoungas, said that Professor Buchbinder was a deeply worthy recipient of the Medal. “Rachelle has been an incredible model for female researchers, showing them how they can carve out a compelling and impactful career in medical research, and how to effectively influence policy and practice,” she said. “She’s combined her inherent skills as a networker and collaborator with her research passions, to effectively identify and fight against low-value health interventions, saving Australians countless dollars, time and avoidable pain.”