Cat Pollard has worked within the Auckland Regional Pain Service (TARPS) interdisciplinary team for over 15 years.

Cat provides expert knowledge, skills and clinical reasoning for complex clinical cases referred for tertiary service care from all across New Zealand. She runs group-based and individualised therapy programmes designed to assist patients to learn to manage pain, improve their function and quality of life. She has a special interest in complex regional pain syndrome and is involved in providing expert consultation and guidance to local therapy providers to improve patient care.

Cat is involved in clinical audit and research, particularly focusing on integrating new technology into clinical practice. She has investigated the clinical application of virtual reality for chronic pain management and the benefits of point-of-care ultrasound for assisting assessment processes, especially within her work as a specialised clinician for the Northern Haemophilia Services. Her work has been presented nationally at the New Zealand Pain Society and Physiotherapy New Zealand conferences and internationally at International Association for the Study of Pain World Congresses, World Physiotherapy Congress, Australasian Haemophilia and Associated Bleeding Disorders conferences and AHAD-Asia-Pacific Scientific Meetings.  Cat has also published work in national and international journals.

Cat enjoys teaching and is currently involved in delivering a number of education seminars to patients, physiotherapists and other health professionals; including guest lecturing on post-graduate papers through the Auckland University of Technology.

Cat completed her undergraduate physiotherapy degree at Sheffield Hallam University in 2003. She worked within the National Health Service in the UK prior to moving to New Zealand in 2007 to commence work within Te Toka Tumai (formally the Auckland District Health Board). Cat holds a Master of Health Practice in Rehabilitation with Distinction through the Auckland University of Technology.

Cat is currently on the PNZ Auckland Branch committee and is a member of the Te Toka Tumai Clinical Ethics Advisory Group. She also represents on several Haemophilia related management groups within New Zealand and Australia.

When she is not working as a physiotherapist, Cat is a busy mum to her children aged 8 and 4 years and a keen rock climber and kayaker.