Therex Portal, a telerehabilitation platform for physical therapists, is the latest winner of National Geographic’s Chasing Genius challenge.
Developed by Philadelphia-based neurological physical therapist Asha Gummadi, the app aims to help physicians prescribe virtual physical therapy to patients in developing countries, and for patients to access their physical therapy exercises in different languages.
The video submission for her app, “Empowering Tele Rehabilitation with Digital Connectivity,” collected the most audience votes among the 10 finalists. As her prize, she won $25,000 to develop the app further.
Gummadi developed the app to help patients who might not have access to nearby rehab clinics or to physical therapists who speak the same language.
She was inspired to do so when her mother was prescribed a particular type of physical therapy, yet had no nearby physical therapists to take her through it or to explain it in her language, according to a news item from the National Geographic.
“It is a great honor to be selected as the winner,” Gummadi says. “I would like to thank every person who voted for me.”
Gummadi adds that she plans to use the prize money to add multiple languages and voiceover instructions for exercises into her app.
[Source: National Geographic]
