Dr. Wani is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the NRL. She has a background in physical therapy and biomechanics. She earned her Bachelor's of Physical Therapy from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in India, and a Master's of Physical Therapy (Orthopedics) from Mumbai University, India. Her keen interest in biomechanics led her to pursue and earn a PhD in Physical Therapy research from New York University.
She has presented her research work at various conferences and has received a doctoral student travel fund award during her time as a doctoral student. Dr. Wani has experience working as a clinical physical therapist in both in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation environments. In addition, she loves teaching and has taught students from various programs, including Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy.
Dr. Wani’s research aims to enhance the understanding of the factors associated with injury risk, which can help develop screening tools to identify individuals at risk of injury and reduce injury incidence rates. Her dissertation examined the influence of visual attention on the dynamic motor task and lower limb kinematics using the framework of the theory of attention. Her ongoing work in the NRL explores wearable sensor use, balance assessment, and biomechanics among persons with neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.
Her non-academic interests involve cooking, reading, and painting. In addition, she is a nature lover and has visited many national parks in the United States, and seeing the remaining is on her wish list.