Emily C. White-Vannavan, DPT (she/her/hers)

PhD Student
Northwestern University

Emily White, DPT, is a doctoral student pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. Her research interests include motor control in individuals with neurological impairments and optimizing patient outcomes in rehabilitation. She earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from George Washington University in 2025, building on her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame (2018). She is a practicing physical therapist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, IL. Her research at George Washington University focused on investigating age-related differences in neuromuscular control during cognitive-motor dual-tasking. Dr. White’s professional experience also includes serving as a systems engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she contributed to the design and development of modules for NASA's Artemis Program. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and was recently recognized with a Second Place Poster Award at the George Washington University Research Symposium.

Poster(s):

• Perceived vs Quantified Dual-tasking Ability in Community Dwelling Older Adults