Neena Sharma, PT’00, PhD’09

2012 Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Alumna

Neena Sharma, Ph.D, was born in Pakistan but spent most of her

childhood in India before her family moved to the United States when she was a teenager. Growing up in Raymore, Mo., Sharma always wanted to become a health care professional, and doing so has fulfilled a childhood dream. 

After seeing a physical therapist working with patients – helping them get out of bed and walk – Sharma became fascinated with the profession. She earned an associate’s degree from Penn Valley Community College in 1993, and then a master’s in physical therapy at the University of Kansas Medical center in 2000. Inspired by the professional values modeled by her mentors and teachers, attracted by the school’s cultural and ethnic diversity, and motivated by a sense of responsibility, Sharma developed a passion for teaching and decided to pursue an academic career.

While practicing in outpatient settings, Sharma taught as a clinical instructor at KU while continuing to pursue her education. She completed advanced training in orthopedic physical therapy from North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy in 2004 and earned a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science from KU in 2009. She then joined the KU faculty in as a research assistant professor and was promoted to assistant professor in 2011.

Sharma’s research into chronic low back pain and exercise training has started to show exciting results. She has begun to receive grants to support her own research, and her Clinical Orthopedic Rehabilitation Research laboratory has become a productive space for her own work as well as that of other faculty. With few national experts in chronic back pain, Sharma is poised to make significant contributions to this new, important field of research. Moreover, she is highly regarded as a teacher, having developed new courses when the department initiated its Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and earning very high rankings from students for her course and instructor skills.

For her excellent clinical skills, her professionalism as an educator and her promising research, the KU Health Professions Alumni Association is proud to bestow the 2012 Early Career Achievement in Health Professions Award upon Neena Sharma.