Nitika Kumari
Doctoral Candidate/ Research Assistant
Phone: 0273707917
Email: nitika.kumari@aut.ac.nz
Physical Address:Room AB104
Auckland University of Technology
Akoranga Campus
Private Bag 92006
Auckland 1142
Postal Address:
Auckland University of Technology
Akoranga Campus
90 Akoranga Drive
Northcote
Auckland 0627
Links to relevant web pages:
Neurological Rehabilitation
Qualifications:
- 2013, Masters of Physiotherapy (Rehabilitation)
- 2010, Bachelors of Physiotherapy
Memberships and Affiliations:
- Neuro Rehabilitation Research Team AUT
Biography:
I completed a Masters of Physiotherapy degree specialising in Rehabilitation in 2013. I am now pursuing PhD under the supervision of Dr Nada Signal and Professor Denise Taylor.Prior to commencing my PhD, I worked as a full-time physiotherapist in India for 2 years working in areas such as neurology, community based rehabilitation, musculoskeletal, and cardio-pulmonary conditions.
In addition to pursuing my PhD, I have been working as a Research Assistant at AUT in projects like outcomes after trauma study (June, 2016-March,2017) and traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation study (April, 2016 to present).
My research interest revolves around stroke rehabilitation and the use of neuro-modulatory interventions to facilitate motor learning.
Research Areas:
Stroke RehabilitationNeuromodulation
Locomotor Adaptation
Research Summary:
My PhD investigates the use of non-invasive brain stimulation for people with chronic stroke to enhance learning of novel gait patterns. I am particularly interested in stimulating the cerebellum with transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) and exploring its effects on motor learning. I conducted phase one of this trial, where the efficacy of tDCS was investigated in healthy adults. During this, I gained experience in 3 dimensional motion analysis which was used to measure the learning of novel walking pattern on a split-belt treadmill.Current Research Projects:
PhD Topic: The effect of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on locomotor re-learning in people with chronic strokeI am currently working on Phase One of my PhD research topic:
- The effect of anodal cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on learning a novel walking task in healthy adults.
Publications:
- Ganesh S., Chhabra, D., & Kumari, N. (2016). The effectiveness of rehabilitation on pain-free farming in agriculture workers with low back pain in India. Work, 55(2).
- Kumari, N. (2014). Identification of aspects of functioning, disability and health relevant to patients experiencing Low Back Pain: A qualitative study using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Journal of Rehabilitation (The official journal of Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research, India) 1(1).