A neuro physical therapist from Guntur has won the National Geographic Chasing Genius Challenge in the U.S. for designing a web/mobile application that helps patients with home exercise programmes in their native language.
Dr. Asha’s web application — Therax Portal — is now helping physiotherapists to prescribe, customise and share home exercise programmes with their patients in their native language. Thousands of people living in rural areas across the world now use the app to get access to physiotherapy and rehabilitation exercises. In places where there is no internet facility, people are taking printouts of the programmes. “People in rural areas are forced to travel long distances to get quality treatment, and by using the application, they can do the exercises at home. The exercises can be modified by their physiotherapists during check-ups. I have watched my grandparents struggle to get access to effective rehabilitation as they were living in rural areas in India,” Dr. Asha said.
The Natgeo challenge is part of a marketing strategy to popularise a television series — Genius — and rewards innovative ideas. Participants have to create a one-minute video about an idea they had to solve a problem using wireless connectivity. Over 1,050 entries competed for the award, and of them, 10 ideas were considered for final round held in March and the winner was chosen based on votes through social media platforms such as Facebook.
Dr. Asha entered the competition with an idea, “Empowering Telerehabilitation with digital connectivity”, and stood out as the winner. She is at present residing at Philadelphia in the U.S. where she works at Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital. Daughter of former principal of Government College for Women, Guntur, Gummadi Narayana Rao, Dr. Asha graduated from Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, and later moved to the U.S. to pursue Master of Science in Physical Therapy at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
