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Associate Professor
Northeastern University, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
I am a Faculty in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. My academic training is in the fields of psychology and kinesiology, with specific research training
and expertise in physical activity, yoga, neurocognition, and conducting social cognitive theory-based exercise interventions for middle aged and older adults. My research agenda has focused on promoting physical activity, including non-traditional modes such as yoga, as a means to improve health and quality of life. My
experience and publications with RCTs have examined the effects of various modes of physical activity – aerobic walking, dancing, stretching-strengthening, as well as yoga. The goal of these interventions has always
been to improve health outcomes, including i) cognitive function and neurocognitive health, ii) improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce functional limitations in older adults, iii) improve psychosocial well-being and quality of life, and iv) enhance physical activity behavior and promote an active lifestyle by targeting self-efficacy. I have also designed and implemented sedentary behavior reduction interventions to test for their
feasibility and preliminary efficacy to improve health outcomes. My particular interest and emphasis has been on examining the efficacy of yoga in improving health outcomes among older adults and cancer survivors. I am the PI for the first yoga-based RCT to examining effects of yoga compared to aerobic walking on brain health
and cognitive performance in older adults (1R01AG066630). I have also received and successfully completed several projects that were funded by competitive intramural grants as the Principal Investigator. Additionally, I
have served as a Consultant on two NIH funded RCTs both examining the effects of exercise-based interventions on neurocognition (1R01AG053952-01) and physical activity promotion (1R01NR016093-01A1).