Neeta Suresh Kanekar

Neeta Kanekar is building an impressive career as a researcher working to improve the lives of people with stroke.

Kanekar came to UIC after earning a bachelor of physiotherapy at Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in Nashik, India. After completing her master’s degree in physical therapy, she was awarded a two-year predoctoral fellowship training grant from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The award funded her research as a principal investigator studying the mechanisms and enhancement of postural control in individuals with stroke.

Her current research focuses on the organization and execution of human movement and postural control, particularly related to motor learning, neural plasticity and movement rehabilitation.

Kanekar has volunteered with You’re the Cure, the AHS/ASA’s grassroots public information and advocacy network. She has given her time to HelpAge India, which fights isolation and neglect among India’s seniors, and Alert India, which fights leprosy through prevention and treatment.