Shankar Kulkarni, Ph.D., MSPT

IMG_0753Shankar graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Bombay University in 1975. He researched Behavioral Neurogenetics of Fruit-fly (Drosophila) for his Master’s thesis at Bombay University (1981) and a Ph.D., in Biology from Brandeis University in 1989. He worked on the genetics of Glutamate acid Decarboxylase (GAD) in Drosophila during the postdoctoral fellowship at Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology (1988 to 1991).

In 1991, Shankar decided to enter healthcare by obtaining Master’s in Physical Therapy from the University of Massachusetts (1993). Since completion of graduate school in physical Therapy, Shankar has worked in outpatient settings including outpatient orthopedics and  neurology at Fairlawn Rehab Hospital, Wocester, MA (1993 to 2003) and Shands Rehab Center at Magnolia Parke (2004 to 2012). Recently, he moved to work full time at the Center for MovementDisorder.

Shankar provides Physical therapy evaluations and treatment for patients with Parkinson Disease. He has teamed up with Heather Simpson, OTR/L to provide therapy services to Ataxia and Muscular Dystrophy clinics. He also evaluates and treats a variety of other movement disorders diagnoses including Parkinsonism, Dystonia, and Essential Tremor. He uses his skillsin Orthopedic manual therapy including soft tissue mobilization to treat his patients.