Dr Zheng Cao is the Research and Education Lead at Progressive Sports Medicine, a part-time role she moved into in 2024 after several years co-managing the clinic's operations. She graduated as a physiotherapist in 2005 and brings more than 21 years of clinical experience, with deep specialisation in neurological rehabilitation.

Zheng has completed a PhD in Neurological Physiotherapy and concurrently holds a Clinical Lecturer position at the Australian Catholic University, where she contributes to the training of the next generation of physiotherapists. Her earlier career includes more than eleven years as a Senior Physiotherapist at HammondCare's Greenwich Hospital, followed by a senior neurological physiotherapy role at Concentric Healthcare Services.

At PSM, Zheng's portfolio spans thought leadership, education, and research. She engages clinical and industry partners in collaborative knowledge-sharing, and organises the practice's internal training program alongside external education events for referrers and peers. As lead for research, she oversees the setup and ongoing maintenance of eCaptis, PSM's electronic patient-reported outcome measurement system, ensuring timely follow-up and meaningful data capture. Her research remit also covers ethics approval pathways, study design, and implementation across the clinic's research and quality improvement projects.

Zheng's combination of senior clinical practice, formal research training, and active university teaching positions her to translate current evidence into the everyday standards of care at Progressive Sports Medicine.