Rate My Professor Hemakumar Devan

Dr. Hemakumar Devan serves as a Senior Lecturer and Pain Physiotherapist in the Department of Medicine (Wellington) at the University of Otago. He holds a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) from Madras Medical College (2002-2007), a Master of Physiotherapy (MPhty with Distinction) from the University of Otago (2010-2011), and a PhD in Physiotherapy from the University of Otago (2012-2016). His career at the University of Otago encompasses a Fellowship in the School of Physiotherapy (2016-2017), Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Physiotherapy (2017-2020), Lecturer and Pain Physiotherapist in the Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit (2022-2025), and his current position as Senior Lecturer. Devan supervises undergraduate and postgraduate research students.

Devan's research centers on fostering self-management support to empower people with persistent pain and their whānau. Key themes include the Pain BITS digital health programme for behavioural intervention technologies, co-development of culturally responsive pain management services with Māori, Pasifika, and Asian communities to address inequities, and art-based knowledge translation approaches such as stories, illustrations, and films. His publications include the highly cited "What works and does not work in a self-management intervention for people with chronic pain? Qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis" (Physical Therapy, 2018; 215 citations), "The social threats of COVID-19 for people with chronic pain" (PAIN, 2020; 193 citations), "Spinal, pelvic and hip movement asymmetries in people with lower-limb amputation: Systematic review" (Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 2015; 135 citations), "At my own pace, space, and place: a systematic review of qualitative studies of enablers and barriers to telehealth interventions for people with chronic pain" (Pain, 2022; 123 citations), and "Evaluation of self-management support functions in apps for people with persistent pain: systematic review" (JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2019; 122 citations). With over 1,960 citations on Google Scholar, his work impacts chronic pain, disability, and rehabilitation research. Devan delivered a plenary presentation on "Equity in pain management: We are all in this together" at the Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand and New Zealand Rehabilitation Association meeting (2025). He serves as New Zealand representative on the International Association for the Study of Pain Young Pain Leaders Global Taskforce (2021-present), Council member of the New Zealand Pain Society (2018-present), Steering Committee member for Pain@Otago (2020-present), and Management Committee member for the Division of Health Sciences Otago Early-Mid Career Researchers’ Group (2020-present). He is a regular reviewer for journals such as Disability and Rehabilitation, Prosthetics and Orthotics International, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Journal of Medical Internet Research.