Dr. Kanika Bansal

A Passion for Helping Others

I chose to be a Neuro PT as I feel immensely passionate about helping people with life-altering neurological disorders become functional, independent and content with their "new normal" life. Additionally, I chose to be a rehabilitation scientist as I have always been curious to find solutions to the unanswered questions in the world of neuro PT! I am passionate for not only utilizing the evidence but also creating the evidence for improved PT practices.

Implimenting Resarch in the Classroom

I love to develop active learning-based teaching modules and it gives me great pleasure to see my students apply the knowledge and skills they have learnt in my classroom in real life clinical scenarios! I also love developing, conducting and disseminating my research work focused on improving gait-related dysfunctions post-stroke.My dissertation work suggested that one's community ambulation status post-stroke cannot be accurately judged based on clinical gait-related measures alone. Community ambulation is in fact impacted by a number of social, personal, and environmental factors and is best measured through wearable sensors like activity monitors and GPS devices. Based on my research, I always encourage my students to utilize this exponentially advancing wearable sensor technology in their assessment of people with stroke and other neurological disorders. My research also focuses on the benefits of backward walking, both an assessment tool and an intervention strategy, and my students learn the application of the same in people with neurological disorders.

Friendly Environment and Latest Resources

The first thing that attracted me to Mount Union was the very supportive, encouraging and friendly nature of all the faculty members in the physical therapy department. Secondly, I loved the small class sizes at Mount Union as it gives me an opportunity to focus closely on each and every student's journey in becoming a healthcare professional! Lastly, I chose Mount Union as the College of Natural and Health Sciences provided me with the latest infrastructure, space (Motion Analysis Laboratory) and resources to conduct quality and collaborative research work!

Life-long Learners

The physical therapy department at Mount Union is committed in providing the best educational experience to our students and facilitate their growth as life-long learners. We are constantly adapting our pedagogy to meet the evidence-based recommendations for clinical practice, research and entry-level PT education. Our small class sizes allow us to focus on each individual student's journey as they blossom into compassionate and exceptional physical therapists!

Recipient of the 2022 Post Professional Student Research Award from the National Physical Therapy Association.