Tanvi Bhatt named 2024-2025 Distinguished Researcher of the Year
Tanvi Bhatt, PT professor and director of the Cognitive Motor Balance Rehabilitation Lab, was named a Distinguished Researcher of the Year in the area of Clinical Sciences for the 2024-2025 term.
Selected by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Office of Technology Management, only five UIC faculty members received this honor. The award recognizes scholars who advance knowledge and demonstrate outstanding achievements in their fields.
Bhatt’s research explores alternative cognitive and motor therapies. In late 2024, she was awarded two major grants, exceeding $1.5 million and $3 million, from the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Institute on Aging. The first grant supports a three-year study on functional balance interventions for people with multiple sclerosis, a condition that affects approximately one million adults in the U.S. The second studies task-specific balance training to reduce the risk of falls among aging adults.
“Both of these studies aim to develop interventions that can be implemented in clinical or community settings,” said Bhatt, “emphasizing functional, real-world relevance and enhancing participants' everyday lives.”
“Patient centered research is at a crossroads and there is a need for is leaders in this space to emerge,” said Ross Arena, PT department head. “Dr. Bhatt is certainly a leader. Her research informs patient care and improves treatment strategies in real time. She is extremely innovative and will continue to have an international impact for years to come.”