Rate My Professor Flavia Di Pietro

Flavia Di Pietro is a Senior Lecturer in the Curtin Medical School, part of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. She also serves as Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences and is a Senior Researcher at the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI) since January 2021. Additionally, she is a member of the Neurodegenerative and Pain research group within the Curtin MRI facility. Di Pietro earned her Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours) from the University of Notre Dame Australia in 2008. She completed her PhD at Neuroscience Research Australia in Sydney, affiliated with the University of New South Wales, where her research investigated brain activation patterns in the early development of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) following wrist fractures using neuroimaging techniques. Prior to her current roles, she held a Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar award in 2017, hosted at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, with her home institution being the University of Sydney. As a qualified physiotherapist, Di Pietro began her PhD candidature around 2010, supported by Australian Government funding.

Di Pietro's research specializations encompass the neuroscience of chronic pain, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy, sensory processing alterations, and neuroimaging applications for pain assessment and management. Her work explores brain changes in conditions such as CRPS, chronic low back pain, and post-fracture pain trajectories. Key publications include 'Primary motor cortex function in complex regional pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis' (Journal of Pain, 2013), 'Primary somatosensory cortex function in complex regional pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis' (Journal of Pain, 2013), 'Rasch analysis supports the use of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire' (Physical Therapy, 2013), 'Editorial: Neuroimaging for the measurement and management of pain' (Frontiers in Neurology, 2022), 'Post-fracture serum cytokine levels are not associated with a later diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome' (BMC Neurology, 2022), 'Tactile acuity improves during acute experimental pain of the limb' (PAIN Reports, 2023), and 'Body perception outcome measures in chronic non-specific low back pain: A systematic review' (The Journal of Pain, 2025). She received undergraduate honors including the Brian Edwards Memorial Award, Physio Research Foundation Award, and Dean’s Award from the University of Notre Dame Australia. Di Pietro served as corresponding author for the neuroimaging in pain editorial, contributing to advancing clinical applications of brain imaging in pain research.