Biography and qualifications

Rawipa Khunnarong, MD (Dr Praew) graduated Doctor of Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine, Rangsit University (attached to Rajavithi Hospital), in 2019.

After that she added knowledge and expertise in the field of rehabilitation medicine on the specialist programme in rehabilitation medicine, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand, and received the Diploma of the Thai Board certifying expertise in the practice of medicine, field of rehabilitation medicine, from the Royal College of Physiatrists of Thailand in 2025.

At present she is a specialist physician in the field of rehabilitation medicine at Police General Hospital.

Core abilities and expertise

• The management of pain and interventional rehabilitation medicine, the rehabilitation of the nervous system, including the rehabilitation of patients with stroke and spinal cord injury
• The assessment and management of difficulty swallowing (Dysphagia)
• Sports and exercise medicine
• Expertise in rehabilitation medicine, with an emphasis on reducing pain and restoring the nervous system
• Skill in carrying out procedures for musculoskeletal conditions
• Strong skills in communication and teaching, with experience as a mentor to resident physicians from other fields
• Working with a multidisciplinary team both in hospital and in academic institutions

Working experience

Physician in the field of rehabilitation medicine
Police General Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand (2025 – present)

• Giving comprehensive care to patients in the groups of musculoskeletal pain, abnormalities of the nervous system, and loss of function
• Working with a multidisciplinary team to increase the effectiveness of the results of treatment
• Having a part in teaching and supervising resident physicians from other fields in practice involving rehabilitation medicine

Education and certification

• Diploma of the Thai Board certifying knowledge and expertise in the practice of medicine, field of rehabilitation medicine, 2025
• Completed the residency programme in rehabilitation medicine, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2025
  • King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society
• Completed the Doctor of Medicine programme, First Class Honours, 2019
  • Thammasat University

Research and presentations

• Principal investigator: the effect of vibration stimulation on gait in patients with Parkinson's disease and parkinsonian syndromes

Specialist training

• Sports Rehabilitation: Beyond Strength, 2025
• The Dry Needling course, Phramongkutklao Hospital, 2025
• The 3rd Musculoskeletal Intervention training, Vachira Phuket Hospital, 2025
• The BASEM study visit, 2024
• The Olympus FEES demonstration for the management of difficulty swallowing, 2024
• The Asian-Oceanian Congress of Neurorehabilitation (AOCNR) conference, 2023
• The course "Individualizing the Treatment of Osteoarthritis", Viatris, 2023
• The annual general conference of the Thai Rehabilitation Medicine Association (TRMA), 2022
• The Painless Day event, Viatris, 2022

Rehabilitation medicine and giving back quality of life to patients with office syndrome

Rawipa Khunnarong, MD, or Dr Praew, a rehabilitation physician with expertise in pain, has spoken of the challenge in treating chronic pain and of the importance of changing habits, so that the treatment brings a lasting result. Her motivation in becoming a physician is to be "of use in one person's life" and to make them happier.

"When we treat a patient and the patient gets better, it is something that makes us feel: this is what we were looking for. It is the answer to everything, to why we wanted to become a rehabilitation physician."

— Dr Praew

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