Dr. Ketaki Inamdar is a licensed pediatric physical therapist with over a decade of experience in early intervention and outpatient clinical settings. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Physiotherapy with a specialization in Pediatric Neurosciences in India, where she was born and raised.

Practicing in India’s rich and diverse cultural landscape gave Ketaki the unique opportunity to adapt her care across a wide range of settings. One day, she worked in a high-tech neurorehabilitation clinic, using advanced tools like functional electrical stimulation for strengthening. The next, she found herself in a low-resource home, fashioning weighted cuffs out of rice bags to achieve the same therapeutic goal. This challenge of adapting her practice and understanding the child's environment, continues to inspire her research and clinical practice even today.

Ketaki moved to the United States to pursue her PhD at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she studied how wearable sensors can track infant play postures. Beyond her own research, she worked on multiple clinical trials with her mentors, gaining hands-on experience and refining her research skills. 

In January 2023, Ketaki joined the Department of Human Performance at West Virginia University as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy. Here, her research focuses on developing innovative techniques for the early identification of developmental disabilities in high-risk infants.  She is dedicated to ensuring that these methods are accessible to families from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

As a baby, Ketaki rocked bangs. One day, she decided to test her fine motor skills by cutting them into mountain shapes. A complete head shave was the only fix! Needless to say, scissors were off-limits for a while. Guess she was destined to be a mountaineer from the start! :)

Alaina Thornburg is a second-year exercise physiology major at West Virginia University. She loves learning about anything healthcare-related and plans to attend dental school to become an orthodontist. She is especially interested in the outreach side of research and is managing social media for the CRADLE Lab. Through these platforms, she will help recruit infants to participate in the study.

As a baby, I was born on my due date (which only about 4–5% of babies are), and I like to think that’s why schedules are so important in my life.

J’Naya is an undergraduate student at West Virginia University majoring in Forensic Biology. She plans to attend medical school, with the aim of becoming a Forensic Pathologist. J’Naya is a Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) student. In the lab, she analyzes motor deficits in children with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder and the effectiveness of interventions using technology-based exercise techniques.

As a baby, J’Naya was very reserved and shy as a kid; frequently hiding behind her mom upon meeting new people!

Lama is a Biology (Pre-Medical) Undergraduate student at West Virginia University with interests in neuroscience and clinical research. She supports the lab through REDCap data management and organizational tasks that keep studies running smoothly.  Curious and detail-oriented, Lama is passionate about understanding how research translates into meaningful patient care. She plans to pursue medical school with a long-term interest in surgery.

As a baby, Lama used to love drinking lemon juice!

Izaiah graduated from Virginia Tech in May of 2024 with a degree in Public Health and will receive his Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) degree in May 2027. Izaiah is interested in becoming a pediatric physical therapist once obtaining his degree. Izaiah’s current role in the lab is to capture video footage of motor learning in infants and compile the data.

As a baby, Izaiah’s favorite food was mashed potatoes and he loved making a mess with his food! 

Elizabeth is a second-year occupational therapy student at WVU and will receive her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree in May 2027. Elizabeth wants to be a pediatric occupational therapist and, eventually, a professor. In the lab, Elizabeth works to capture video footage of motor learning in infants and code kicks.

As a baby, Elizabeth was obsessed with the swings!