Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 4 832 3256
- hemakumar.devan@otago.ac.nz
- Position
- Lecturer
- Department
- Department of Medicine (Wellington)
- Qualifications
- BPT (Chennai) MPhty (Distn)(Otago) PhD (Otago)
- Research summary
- Chronic pain, Self-management, Behavioural Intervention Technologies, Knowledge Translation
- Teaching
- Undergraduate and postgraduate research supervision
- Memberships
Leadership roles (Invited):
- 2021 – current NZ representative to lead the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) – Young Pain Leaders Global Taskforce
- 2018 – current Council member, NZ Pain Society (Lead patient advisory group establishment and social media communications)
- 2020 – current Steering committee member, Pain@Otago Research Theme (Lead Early Career Research initiatives)
- 2020 – current Management committee member, Division of Health Sciences, Otago Early-Mid Career Researchers’ Group (Lead Social Media and Science Communication initiatives)
Research
Dr Devan's primary research interest is to foster self-management support to empower people with persistent pain and their whānau (family and significant others).The programme has three main themes.
The first theme is a digital health programme (Pain BITS – Behavioural Intervention Technologies), to support self-management via technology, which involves co-creation of digital resources (website, apps and social media) by and for people living with persistent pain.
The second theme focuses on partnering with Māori, Pasifika and Asian communities to co-develop culturally responsive pain management services (online and in-person) to address inequities to pain management. As part of this theme, he is currently co-leading a project to develop a community-led pain support programme for Māori with pain.
The third theme aims to improve societal representations of people with pain using art-based integrated knowledge translation approaches (e.g. stories, illustrations and films).
Strategically, his goal is to address health inequities and improve health outcomes for people with persistent pain and their whānau.
Additional details
Regular reviewer for:- Disability and Rehabilitation
- Prosthetics and Orthotics International
- Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Journal of Medical and Internet Research
- Physical Therapy Reviews
- New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy