Rate My Professor Wei-Ju Chang

Dr. Wei-Ju Chang serves as Honorary Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle, having held the position of Lecturer in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy there from January 2022 to June 2024. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Western Sydney University, where his doctoral research examined neuroplasticity in the transition from acute to chronic musculoskeletal pain and non-invasive brain stimulation for chronic pain management. Prior degrees include a Master of Orthopaedics, Sports and Manual Physiotherapy from the University of South Australia and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from National Taiwan University. With 25 years of clinical experience, Chang is an APA Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at a private practice in Sydney and a Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia.

Chang's research investigates brain mechanisms in musculoskeletal pain disorders, including low back pain and knee osteoarthritis, with emphasis on cortical excitability, sensorimotor plasticity, and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation. He has published extensively in high-impact journals like The Journal of Pain, eLife, and Pain, with over 900 citations on Google Scholar. Key publications include "Altered primary motor cortex structure, organization, and function in chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis" (The Journal of Pain, 2018), "Addition of transcranial direct current stimulation to quadriceps strengthening exercise in knee osteoarthritis: A pilot randomised controlled trial" (PLOS ONE, 2017), "Low somatosensory cortex excitability in the acute stage of low back pain causes chronic pain" (The Journal of Pain, 2022), and "Cortical function and sensorimotor plasticity are prognostic factors associated with future low back pain after an acute episode" (Pain, 2023). He has received funding from the NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship, Physiotherapy Research Foundation, and University of Newcastle grants.