ANAHEIM, California — Dr. Kanika Bansal, assistant professor of physical therapy in the University of Mount Union’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, recently presented three different research topics at the 2026 American Physical Therapy Association's Combined Sections Meeting (APTA CSM). 

Bansal’s first presentation, titled “Every Step Tells a Story: Clustering Stroke Survivors based on Real-world Walking Recovery,” was one of six stroke platform presentations selected from scholars across the country. She also presented “Does Apple Watch accurately calculate step rate and heart rate post-stroke in the community?” in collaboration with a Ph.D. student she mentors at the University of Vermont.

Finally, for the first time, four Mount Union DPT students presented at the national conference with Bansal on a project titled “How Accurate Is Fitbit Sense? a Step-By-Step Validation in Rehabilitation Settings.” This research was funded by the Ohio Physical Therapy Association and afforded the students the opportunity to gain valuable presentation and networking experiences at the national level.

All three presentations have the common goal of improving the assessment and treatment of community walking in the everyday life of stroke survivors. 

Learn more about the impact of the work being done by Mount Union’s DPT program by visiting mountunion.edu/dpt.