Joost Van Wijchen

Field of work

Areas of Work and Competence

As program lead for the Bachelor's Programme in Physiotherapy at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), I navigate the roles of educator, leader, and clinician in an integrated and dynamic way. My professional journey began in manual therapy and sports physiotherapy and has evolved toward a deep engagement with migration health, socially engaged practice, and sustainable health education. I work at the intersection of theory and practice, constantly striving to co-create meaningful, autonomous, and transformative learning experiences for both students and staff.

My pedagogical philosophy is rooted in critical pedagogy, viewing learning as a relational, active, and meaning-seeking process. I am particularly interested in how hope, creativity, and critical reflection can act as forces for transformation in health education. This perspective informs all dimensions of my work—from leadership and educational design to teaching and clinical practice development.

As a member of the Executive Board of the Environmental Physiotherapy Association and the Education Committee of World Physiotherapy, I contribute to fostering a global and ecologically conscious approach to physiotherapy education. At HVL, I also serve as the FHS contact for HVL Skape, a role through which I work to bridge academic knowledge with societal needs, emphasizing social justice, inclusion, and cross-sectoral collaboration.

My approach is informed by both theoretical perspectives—including Camus’ existential philosophy, Freire’s pedagogy of liberation, and the Capability Approach—and decades of experience as a physiotherapist and educator. I am dedicated to fostering a health education that not only responds to today’s challenges but also opens space for future hope, critical insight, and sustainable agency.

Teaching Areas

My teaching practice is guided by a commitment to developing professional judgment, ethical reflection, and societal awareness among students. I teach across the following areas:

• Intercultural Sensitivity and Social Justice
  Emphasizing the importance of cultural understanding and equity in healthcare practices.

• Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
  Integrating biomechanical knowledge with ecological and relational understandings of the body and movement.

• Clinical and Critical Reasoning
  Supporting the development of professional judgment through philosophy-informed, context-sensitive reasoning approaches.

• Health Models and Theories
  Exploring a wide range of models—from biomedical to ecological and planetary perspectives—framing health as a systemic and social phenomenon.

• Interprofessional Collaboration
  Highlighting the value of teamwork and dialogue in person-centred, sustainable health practices.

• Innovation, Creativity, and Digital Health
  Encouraging exploration of how technology can support relational, ethical, and creative practice in health and education.

• Pain Education and Patient Partnership
  Co-constructing approaches to pain that empower patients and move beyond reductive biomedical narratives.

• Future Literacy and Systems Thinking
  Preparing students for complexity by fostering interdisciplinary thinking and the capacity to adapt in a rapidly changing world.

Research Interests

My research is situated at the crossroads of physiotherapy, health education, and sustainability, with a strong commitment to social and planetary justice. Current areas of focus include:

• Assessment as Learning and Liberation
  Investigating how assessment can be used as a tool to promote learning, autonomy, and professional development.

• Planetary Health and Sustainable Practices
  Exploring physiotherapy’s role in responding to climate change, ecological crisis, and social inequality in health.

• Digitalisation and Pedagogical Innovation
  Critically examining the role of digital technologies in education and clinical practice, with attention to relational and ethical implications.

• Social and Educational Justice
  Drawing on the Capability Approach and critical pedagogy to challenge structural inequalities and support more inclusive and just health education systems.

My ambition is to contribute to a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient health system—through research that is both theoretically grounded and action-oriented.