Chae, John, MD

A physician-scientist with clinical and scientific expertise in hemiplegia and hemiplegia-related pain, Dr. John Chae has combined his engineering and clinical training to develop novel electrical stimulation solutions for motor restoration and pain management.

Dr. Chae’s research interests are in the areas of post-stroke, upper and lower limb motor and functional restoration, and shoulder pain in hemiplegia. He co-invented percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) for chronic hemiplegic shoulder pain — a system that received FDA clearance in 2016 and has since been placed in over 50,000 individuals with chronic pain — and co-invented Contralaterally Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation (CCFES), which received FDA clearance in June 2025. He has authored over 135 peer-reviewed publications and holds 34 patents.

Dr. Chae is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has served the NIH as co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Medical Rehabilitation Research, chair of the Advisory Board of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, and chair of the Function, Integration and Rehabilitation Sciences review panel.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• Percutaneous and implanted PNS for hemiplegic shoulder pain and chronic musculoskeletal pain
• FES for motor restoration in hemiplegia
• Upper limb neuroprosthesis for stroke survivors with severe hemiparesis
• Cerebellar deep brain stimulation for post-stroke motor rehabilitation
• Body structure, function, activity limitations, and quality of life in stroke survivors

MAJOR PROJECTS & FUNDING

• Percutaneous PNS System — co-inventor; FDA cleared 2016; placed in 50,000+ patients; Medtronic announced $650M acquisition of commercializing company SPR Therapeutics
• Contralaterally Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation (CCFES) — co-inventor; licensed to Synapse Biomedical; FDA cleared June 2025
• Cerebellar Deep Brain Stimulation for Chronic Post-Stroke Motor Rehabilitation — Phase I clinical trial published in “Nature Medicine”
• Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial of CCFES for Upper Extremity Recovery Following Stroke

HONORS & RECOGNITION

• Commercialization Award (Innovation Week), Case Western Reserve University, 2024, 2023
• Discovery Award, Case Western Reserve University, 2022
• Meaningful Innovation Award (Novel SCS Therapy Enabling Rapid Onset and Significant Pain Relief Team), Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, 2019
• Technical Achievement Award (pinnacle of individual achievement within technical and scientific ranks), Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, 2017
• Pete Nicholas Award (Business Impact), Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, 2017
• Outstanding Patent Award (US Patent 8,412,345), Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, 2017
• John Abele Technical Award (Vercise PC & Directional Lead System Team), Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, 2016
• Meaningful Innovation Award (Illumina3D SCS Algorithm Team), Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, 2013