Corinna Welling

Corinna Welling, PhD, is a senior leader in medical robotics and healthcare technology with more than 20 years of experience in the medical device industry. She currently works as Director of Applied Robotic Technology Development at Johnson & Johnson, based in Hong Kong SAR, a role she has held since July 2021. In this position, she leads applied robotic technology programmes, supports system architecture and strategy, and works closely with cross-functional and multidisciplinary teams across engineering, clinical, regulatory, and business areas. Her work focuses on general surgery, emerging technologies, healthcare IT, and long-term innovation in medical robotics.

Corinna is known for her strong focus on patient-centric healthcare and her aim to make medical technologies more accessible worldwide. She has extensive international experience across APAC and EMEA regions, combining corporate leadership with deep technical and clinical understanding. Alongside her corporate role, she is a mentor for MedTech and Biotech at Inspiring Girls Hong Kong and serves as a role model, encouraging young women to pursue careers in science and technology.

Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Corinna was Assistant Director of Strategy (Medical Robotics) at NISI (HK) Limited, a MedTech start-up developing non-invasive surgical robotic platforms. Earlier in her career, she worked in Germany as a Senior Physiotherapist and Physiotherapist specialising in exoskeleton robotics, giving her strong hands-on clinical experience.

Corinna holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (Medical Robotics) from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. During her PhD, she designed and developed robotic exoskeleton systems for stroke rehabilitation and led multiple randomised clinical trials involving over 60 stroke patients. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from universities in Germany.

She has published several peer-reviewed research papers on robot-assisted rehabilitation and exoskeleton systems. Her achievements include being named Top 25 Voices of Healthcare Robotics, Women Leaders in Healthcare Asia (2021 and 2022), winning a Gold Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, and receiving multiple academic and research awards. Corinna is widely recognised for bridging clinical care, engineering, and strategic leadership in medical robotics.

Corinna Welling was born in Germany, where she began her professional journey in healthcare at an early stage. Her initial training was in physiotherapy, a field that shaped her long-term focus on patient care, rehabilitation, and practical clinical outcomes. From 2001 to 2004, she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy at the Universität des Saarlandes. This education gave her direct experience with patients and rehabilitation needs, especially in neurological and mobility-related conditions.

After completing her physiotherapy degree, Corinna worked as a Physiotherapist specialising in exoskeleton robotics at D & W Jungmann Physiotherapy in Germany from 2004 to 2007. She later advanced to the role of Senior Physiotherapist – Exoskeleton Robotics at Michels & Vella, where she worked from 2007 to 2013. During this period, she gained deep hands-on experience using robotic systems in rehabilitation and developed a strong understanding of how technology can improve recovery outcomes for patients.

To strengthen her technical knowledge, Corinna pursued a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes, which she completed between 2008 and 2013. This marked her transition from clinical practice to engineering-led healthcare innovation.

In 2013, Corinna moved to Hong Kong after receiving the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship. She completed her PhD in Biomedical Engineering (Medical Robotics) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University between 2013 and 2016. During her doctoral research, she designed and developed robotic knee and ankle exoskeleton systems for stroke rehabilitation. She also led and executed multiple randomised clinical trials involving more than 60 stroke survivors. Her responsibilities included ethical approvals, patient recruitment, clinical monitoring, training protocols, and data analysis. Her PhD work resulted in several peer-reviewed publications and international conference papers.

Between 2016 and 2021, Corinna worked as Assistant Director – Strategy (Medical Robotics) at NISI (HK) Limited, a Hong Kong-based MedTech start-up. At NISI, she played a key role in strategy, clinical planning, partnerships, and the development of non-invasive surgical robotic platforms aimed at making surgery safer and less invasive.

In July 2021, Corinna joined Johnson & Johnson as Director of Applied Robotic Technology Development, based in Hong Kong SAR. In this role, she leads applied robotics programmes in the medical and surgical space, working across engineering, clinical research, system architecture, and business strategy. Her work supports innovation in MedTech, AI, and healthcare robotics, with a strong focus on patient safety and accessibility.

Alongside her corporate role, Corinna is a mentor and role model at Inspiring Girls Hong Kong, supporting young women entering science and technology fields. She has been recognised as one of the Top 25 Voices of Healthcare Robotics and has received several honours, including Women Leaders in Healthcare Asia (2021 and 2022) and a Gold Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.

Corinna Welling continues to work at Johnson & Johnson, leading robotic technology development while contributing to research, mentorship, and global discussions on the future of healthcare robotics.

Corinna Welling’s vision is to improve healthcare by using medical robotics and technology that are safe, effective, and focused on patients. She believes technology should support doctors and healthcare teams while making treatment less invasive and recovery faster for patients. Her work aims to make advanced medical technologies available to more people across different regions of the world. By combining clinical experience, engineering knowledge, and business strategy, she focuses on turning research into real medical solutions. She also supports education and mentorship, especially for young women, to build a stronger and more inclusive future workforce in healthcare and medical technology.

Corinna Welling has received several important awards for her work in healthcare and medical robotics. She was recognised as one of the Top 25 Voices of Healthcare Robotics by BIS Research in 2020. She was named Women Leaders in Healthcare Asia in both 2021 and 2022. Her research work earned a Gold Medal in the Medicine category at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva in 2016. She also received the Top Prize from the Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association in 2014 and was awarded the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship for her academic excellence.