Prof. Dr. Asha Chitnis

Asha Chitnis

Profession: Physical Therapist

Current Role: Clinical Director and Founder, Vedanta Program, Mumbai, India

Clinical Experience

With over 28 years of experience, Asha Chitnis is a leading pediatric physiotherapist specializing in neurological rehabilitation. She has worked across diverse settings including NICU, early intervention, outpatient clinics, schools, and acute care. Currently a consultant pediatric therapist at Bombay Hospital, she also collaborates with a not-for-profit providing intensive therapy to children in rural India. Her clinical expertise spans conditions like Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, congenital syndromes, and muscular dystrophies in children from 1 month to 18 years.

Academic Contributions

Asha has contributed extensively to professional training. Between 2006 and 2011, she assisted in NDTA-approved NDT/Bobath Certificate Courses in India, the USA, and Singapore. In 2011, she became the first Indian physical therapist to be nominated as a Coordinator Instructor (CI) by the Neurodevelopmental Treatment Association (NDTA), USA. She continues to publish and present widely in the field. She currently serves as Professor of Practice at MGM Physiotherapy School, Navi Mumbai, mentoring the next generation of pediatric therapists.

Leadership and Administrative Roles

Asha holds key leadership positions in national and international bodies. She is Vice President of the Indian Academy of Cerebral Palsy (IACP) since 2011 and Vice President of the Society of Indian Physiotherapists (SIP), where she is also a founder and governing council member. She serves on the editorial board of the Indian Journal of Cerebral Palsy since 2012.

Internationally, she has been part of the NDTA Network Committee, USA, since 2011. Since 2020, she has actively contributed to the NDTA Conference Planning Committee, Course Review Committee, and Community Connections initiatives. She is also a Member of the IAACD Conference Planning Committee, contributing to global advancement in childhood disability care.

Community Engagement and Voluntary Work

Deeply committed to community service, Asha has led and participated in numerous grassroots rehabilitation initiatives. She worked with the Indian Association for Promotion of Adoption and Child Welfare for over a decade and continues her association with the Family Service Centre since 2006. She helped establish orthopedic camps for children with cerebral palsy at Hiranandani and Lilavati Hospitals, and in 2007, set up a free pediatric rehabilitation clinic in Srinagar, training local therapists.

She is an integral part of the Paediatric Neurology Rural Initiative Program in Maharashtra, conducting free therapy camps in rural and underserved areas across India, including Jammu & Kashmir. She also supports Jay Vakeel Foundation, India’s oldest nonprofit for intellectual disabilities, focusing on inclusion and independence.