Neha Gothe MA, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Originally from Mumbai, India, her research and training are in psychology, counselling, and kinesiology. Her work has focused on promoting physical activity, especially traditional modes of activity such as yoga, as a means to improve health and quality of life. Overall, the goal of her research is to enhance physical activity behaviour including yoga to improve various health outcomes, including reduced functional limitations in older adults and improved cognitive function and psychosocial health. Dr Gothe designed and conducted the first yoga based randomized controlled trial with sedentary older adults examining neuro-cognitive outcomes. She has done seminal studies that examined acute and long term effects of yoga practice on executive functions. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of yoga in improving cognitive and physical health.

Dr Gothe is the director of the Exercise Psychology Research Lab (www.epl.illinois.edu) and mentors undergraduate, masters and PhD students. She has published >40 peers reviewed papers and >50 conference proceedings in the fields of exercise science and behavioural medicine and has been featured in Time magazine, public radio, and newspapers throughout the world for her seminal research on yoga and cognition.