On 28 May 2026, Prof. Manuela FERREIRA, Professor of Musculoskeletal Health at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, delivered a PAIR seminar titled “High-Impact Research Using Big Data Analysis – The Global Burden of Disease Study”. The lecture attracted over 70 scholars and students onsite, alongside 15,000 plus online viewers streaming via various social media platforms. Prof. Ferreira’s engaging and lively presentation style resonated with the audience, as she posed relatable questions rooted in everyday experiences and effectively translated complex epidemiological concepts into clear and accessible insights.
At the outset, Prof. Ferreira highlighted a key public health issue: “Without data, there is no disease; without global big data, we cannot truly understand the existence of disease”. She further emphasised that “data is the foundation of the entire health ecosystem”. She noted that, historically, major musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA) and low back pain (LBP) have been underestimated or overlooked by global health organisations due to insufficient documentation and data. To enhance awareness and advocate for greater healthcare resources, Prof. Ferreira compared traditional “cost-of-illness” studies with composite metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). She explained that DALYs provide a more standardised and equitable framework for comparing diseases, thereby strengthening the scientific basis and equity of health policy decision-making.
In her discussion of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study—a large-scale international collaboration—Prof. Ferreira pointed out that LBP remains the leading cause of Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) globally. Data show that approximately 619 million people were affected by LBP in 2020, with projections indicating that this number may rise to nearly 800 million by 2050. The findings also reveal a marked gender disparity, with women experiencing a significantly higher prevalence of LBP than men across almost all age groups. This pattern is closely associated with global risk factors such as smoking, high body mass index (BMI), and occupational ergonomic hazards.
The seminar also addressed the growing challenge of OA, which is projected to affect nearly 1 billion people by 2050, driven by population growth, ageing, and obesity. Currently, more than 1.5 billion people are living with MSK conditions globally—a figure set to rise by 70% to over 3 billion by 2050. In light of this pressing global health challenge, Prof. Ferreira underscored the importance of preventive care, early diagnosis, and promoting healthier lifestyles. The seminar concluded with a Q&A session, during which Prof. Ferreira called for greater efforts to collect high-quality national-level data to further refine disease models and advance global health policy.
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| Topics | PAIR Seminars |
|---|---|
| Research Units | PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research |
Prof. Manuela FERREIRA
Professor of Musculoskeletal Health
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Prof. Manuela FERREIRA is an NHMRC Investigator Fellow, Professor of Musculoskeletal Health, and Program Head of Musculoskeletal Health at The George Institute for Global Health, where she conducts research on the mechanisms, prognosis, and management of musculoskeletal disorders with a focus on low back pain. Before joining The George Institute, she was Professor of Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney, inaugural chair of the Musculoskeletal Priority Research Area (80+ researchers) at the Kolling Institute, and co-chair of the Musculoskeletal Clinical Advisory Group of Sydney Health Partners (an NHMRC, Sydney University, and health district research translation partnership). She currently leads multiple randomized controlled trials of musculoskeletal interventions, including an NHMRC-funded study establishing the efficacy of decompressive surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis—the first placebo-controlled randomized trial for spinal surgery. Her works have informed the development of clinical practice guidelines in multiple continents.
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