About

Rupal Patel is a faculty member at both the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and Bouve College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University. She is a founding member of the doctoral program in personal health informatics and the founder and director of the Communication Analysis and Design Laboratory (CadLab). Her research focuses on speech acoustics, speech signal processing, AI voice, and voice analytics. The CadLab is an interdisciplinary group that conducts fundamental research on speech production and applies empirical findings toward designing and developing novel human-machine communication interfaces. Her projects include analyzing prosody production across the lifespan in neurotypical speakers and those with neuromotor impairments, as well as implementing multimodal assistive communication interfaces. Dr. Patel has also contributed to the development of VocaliD.ai, a spin-out from CadLab that specializes in customized AI voices for individuals and organizations. She has spoken at TED and her work has been covered by NPR, BBC, The Atlantic, Wired, and others. She is recognized as a Voice Tech visionary and is a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Research topics

• Surgery
• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology

Selected publications

• Perceptions of Physical Therapist Clinical Instructors on Factors That Influence Their Decisions to Accept a Student Physical Therapist for a Clinical Education Experience

  Journal of Physical Therapy Education · 2026-02-10

  articleSenior author

  INTRODUCTION: Clinical education is essential for student physical therapists (SPTs), but supervising students may affect physical therapist clinical instructors' (PT CIs) stress and burnout levels, potentially influencing their decision to accept students. This study examined factors that influence PT CIs' decisions to accept SPTs for clinical education experiences and explored how these factors affect PT CIs' perceptions of stress and burnout. REVIEW OF LITERATURE: Physical therapist CIs have been found to experience moderate levels of burnout. SUBJECTS: Twenty-one PT CIs were experiencing varying levels of burnout. METHODS: Utilizing a phenomenological approach, participants were interviewed using a semi-structured guide. Participants were chosen from a prior survey study that assessed stress and burnout levels. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes using NVivo software. RESULTS: Six thematic constructs emerged: (1) Experiencing renewal and purpose: How mentoring students reinvigorates clinical instructors' professional identity, (2) Weighing capacity against commitment: Decision making about student supervision through the lens of professional exhaustion, (3) Navigating the dual demands: The lived experience of balancing teaching responsibilities with clinical pressures, (4) Transforming the supervisory burden: How student interactions reshape clinical instructors' experience of workplace stress, (5) Gauging readiness and risk: Clinical instructors' assessment of student preparedness as a pathway to mentorship decisions, and (6) Carrying forward the difficult past: How previous challenging student encounters shape future mentorship boundaries and approaches. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: PT CIs consider various factors when deciding to accept an SPT, including personal stress and burnout levels, SPT characteristics, and their past experiences with students. Although clinical education can increase workload and stress, particularly with early-rotation or challenging students, PT CIs generally view the experience as beneficial for their professional development and the field. Understanding these factors may help academic programs better support clinical sites and enhance students' and instructors' clinical education experience.

  PublisherDOI

• The impact of social vulnerability on rehabilitation success: A retrospective study of outpatient orthopedic physical therapy

  Physiotherapy Theory and Practice · 2026-02-23

  article

  BACKGROUND: Physical therapy is a cornerstone of musculoskeletal rehabilitation, yet limited research has explored how community-level factors influence outcomes in outpatient orthopedic settings. Understanding these factors is essential for addressing disparities in care and optimizing treatment effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between social vulnerability and patient outcomes in outpatient physical therapy within an urban, government-funded hospital system. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from 748 patients who received outpatient physical therapy between November 2018 and May 2021 in Houston, Texas. Social vulnerability scores were assigned using residential zip codes. Outcomes were assessed using the Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes (FOTO) measure. Binary logistic regression models evaluated the predictive value of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) on therapy success or failure, with secondary analyses examining attendance as an additional predictor. RESULTS: < .001). CONCLUSION: Social vulnerability was not associated with outpatient physical therapy outcomes in the overall sample, although an exploratory association was identified among patients with shoulder diagnoses. The inverse relationship between SVI and attendance suggests that social vulnerability may indirectly influence rehabilitation outcomes through its impact on treatment engagement. Although these findings are preliminary and limited by study design, they underscore the importance of considering social determinants of health when planning outpatient physical therapy care.

  PublisherDOI

• Geographic disparities in rehabilitation provider availability and community demographics in Texas: a cross-sectional geographic information systems study

  Physical Therapy · 2026-02-14 · 1 citations

  article

  IMPORTANCE: Availability of rehabilitation providers is a critical component of access to care, yet little is known about how workforce supply relates to community demographic characteristics within urban and rural regions. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine geographic variability in the availability of licensed physical and occupational therapy providers in Texas and evaluate the relationship between provider supply and community-level characteristics including race and ethnicity, disability, and poverty. DESIGN: The study used a descriptive, cross-sectional observational study design. SETTING: The setting was all 6896 census tracts across the state of Texas. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included all physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, and occupational therapy assistants who held a license in 2022 and resided in Texas. INTERVENTIONS/EXPOSURES: Provider workforce supply was derived from state licensure records and linked to population-level demographic and socioeconomic data from the American Community Survey using geospatial analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The population-to-provider ratio for physical therapy and occupational therapy providers per census tract and its relationship to community demographics was the main outcome measure. RESULTS: Among 45,114 licensed physical therapy and occupational therapy providers, provider availability varied widely across Texas census tracts, with population-to-provider ratios ranging from 4 to 11,147 individuals per provider. Bivariate mapping showed that census tracts with fewer providers often overlapped with areas of higher disability prevalence, larger proportions of Hispanic or non-White residents, and higher poverty rates, particularly along southern and border regions and within parts of urban centers like southern Dallas and eastern Houston. Statistical comparisons revealed significant differences in racial composition between areas with the highest and lowest provider availability (χ26 = 1,561,831; Cramér V = 0.36) and in ethnic composition (χ2₁ = 1,012,990; Cramér V = 0.29). Differences in poverty (χ2₁ = 38,746; Cramér V = 0.06) and disability prevalence (χ2₁ = 5175.9; Cramér V = 0.02) were also significant but had smaller effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial geographic variability exists in rehabilitation provider supply across census tracts in Texas, with lower availability in areas where populations may have higher needs. These findings highlight opportunities for workforce planning and targeted resource allocation to improve access to rehabilitation services in underserved regions. RELEVANCE: Understanding provider shortages at the census tract level combined with specific community demographics can inform workforce policy development, and initiatives to strengthen the rehabilitation workforce to meet population health needs. Addressing workforce diversity could improve access, patient-provider relationships, and culturally relevant care.

  PublisherDOI

• Geospatial Disparities in Access to Outpatient Physical and Occupational Therapy Services in Texas: Implications for Health Equity and Rehabilitation Workforce Policy

  Preprints.org · 2026-03-12

  preprintOpen access

  Equitable access to rehabilitation services is essential for individuals living with disa-bility, yet geographic disparities in outpatient rehabilitation care remain understudied. This study examined spatial accessibility to outpatient physical and occupational therapy services across Texas to identify regional inequities and inform workforce and policy planning. A descriptive cross-sectional geospatial analysis was conducted using outpa-tient clinic location data from the Texas Health and Human Services database (2022) and population data from the 2020 U.S. Census. Clinic addresses were verified and geocoded. Accessibility was measured using an origin–destination cost matrix to estimate travel time to the nearest clinic and the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to calculate an accessibility index. Spatial clustering of access was assessed using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic to identify hot and cold spots. The analysis included 2,255 outpatient rehabilitation clinics across 6,896 census tracts. Travel times varied substantially, with rural areas ex-periencing the longest travel burdens. The 2SFCA analysis revealed pronounced dis-parities, with low-accessibility clusters concentrated in rural and border regions and high-accessibility clusters in urban metropolitan areas. These findings demonstrate persistent geographic disparities in outpatient rehabilitation access across Texas, sug-gesting the need for targeted workforce placement, transportation investment, and policy interventions to improve equitable access.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Geospatial Disparities in Access to Outpatient Physical and Occupational Therapy Services in Texas: Implications for Health Equity and Rehabilitation Workforce Policy

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2026-04-17

  articleOpen access

  Equitable access to rehabilitation services is essential for individuals living with a disability, yet geographic disparities in outpatient rehabilitation care remain understudied. This study examined spatial accessibility to outpatient physical and occupational therapy services across Texas to identify regional inequities and inform workforce and policy planning. A descriptive cross-sectional geospatial analysis was conducted using outpatient clinic location data from the Texas Health and Human Services database (2022) and population data from the 2020 U.S. Census. Clinic addresses were verified and geocoded. Accessibility was measured using an origin-destination cost matrix to estimate the travel time to the nearest clinic, and the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to calculate an accessibility index. Spatial clustering of access was assessed using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic to identify hot and cold spots. The analysis included 2255 outpatient rehabilitation clinics across 6896 census tracts. Travel times varied substantially, with rural areas experiencing the longest travel burdens. The 2SFCA analysis revealed pronounced disparities, with low-accessibility clusters concentrated in rural and border regions and high-accessibility clusters in urban metropolitan areas. These findings demonstrate persistent geographic disparities in outpatient rehabilitation access across Texas, suggesting the need for targeted workforce placement, transportation investment, and policy interventions to improve equitable access.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with More Intense Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Day-Shift Nurses: An Observational Study

  Occupational Health · 2026-03-02

  articleOpen access

  Musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) and sleep problems are prevalent in nurses. Evidence exploring associations between sleep and MSS in nurses is limited by self-reported sleep measures and recalling MSS over a long period. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between MSS and sleep in nurses using objective sleep measures and real-time MSS assessment. This 7-day observational study included 31 nurses who work day shifts. Sleep duration and efficiency were measured using accelerometers, and MSS were reported using ecological momentary assessment. Sleep metrics and MSS were compared between workdays and days off, and a regression model analyzed the effect of sleep duration on MSS while controlling for age and body mass index (BMI). On average, nurses did not sleep the minimum recommended duration of 7 h (6.28, SD = 1.31), and they slept significantly less prior to a workday (5.98 h, SD = 1.12) than a day off work (6.69 h, SD = 1.43) (t(185) = −5.92, p &lt; 0.0001). Short sleep duration was associated with 18% higher MSS when controlling for age and BMI (t(822) = 2.63, p = 0.009). Understanding the association between sleep and MSS is important to healthcare organizations and policy makers because sleep is essential for health and recovery, and occupational characteristics, such as shift length and consecutive shifts, influence sleep. Nurse fatigue is detrimental to patient safety and the health of the nursing workforce, and musculoskeletal problems contribute to nurse attrition. This study may inform future research on organizational policies related to nurse fatigue and musculoskeletal symptoms.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Safety and Effectiveness of Belatacept Conversion in Obese versus Non-Obese Kidney Transplant Recipients

  American Journal of Transplantation · 2025-08-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Mapping Provider Availability Using Public Licensure and Population Data: Feasibility of Using A GIS-Based Protocol for Workforce Planning (Preprint)

  2025-06-30

  preprint

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Access to rehabilitation services is a critical, yet an understudied, dimension of health equity. Among the six domains of access, provider availability, defined as the presence of sufficient providers to meet population needs, is particularly underexplored in rehabilitation professions such as physical and occupational therapy. Current data reporting often lacks the geographic granularity required for effective workforce planning. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> The purpose of this study was to present a protocol for mapping rehabilitation provider availability at the census tract level using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), integrating public licensure and population data to inform equitable workforce planning. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using publicly available state licensure data for physical and occupational therapists and demographic data from the American Community Survey. Residential provider addresses were geocoded and matched to 2020 census tracts. Provider-to-population ratios were calculated and mapped using choropleth and bivariate mapping techniques. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare sociodemographic characteristics between areas with high and low provider availability. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> Provider availability varied widely across census tracts in Texas, with population-to-provider ratios ranging from 4 to 11,147 individuals per provider. Bivariate maps highlighted census tracts where high disability prevalence intersected with low provider availability, identifying areas of high need. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> This GIS-based protocol offers a novel, replicable approach to mapping rehabilitation provider availability. The methodology enables small-area spatial analysis and can be adapted for use across other health professions and geographic regions. Findings support its utility in health equity research and </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• Safety of Concomitant Use of Tacrolimus and High-Intensity Statins in Liver and Kidney Transplant Recipients

  Progress in Transplantation · 2025-06-27 · 3 citations

  article

  Due to increased risk of myalgia and rhabdomyolysis associated with the use of simvastatin with cyclosporine, use of high-intensity 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) is often avoided in transplant recipients. Aim: This program evaluation aimed to determine the safety of high-intensity statins in liver and kidney transplant recipients taking tacrolimus. Design: All liver and kidney transplant recipients who filled prescriptions for tacrolimus and any statin except for simvastatin between June 15, 2020 and July 22, 2022 were screened for inclusion. High-intensity was defined as atorvastatin 40 or 80 mg, or rosuvastatin 20 or 40 mg. The primary outcome was a composite of statin-related myalgia, statin-related rhabdomyolysis, and creatine kinase above the upper limit of normal. Secondary outcomes included liver function tests above 3 times the upper limit of normal, statin discontinuation, and statin dose decrease and associated reason. Results: A total of 178 recipients were included, with 100 receiving low-to-moderate-intensity statins and 78 receiving high-intensity statins. There were no differences between groups for statin-related myalgia, and no reported cases of statin-related rhabdomyolysis in either group. Low to moderate intensity statin use was associated with an increased rate of liver function test elevation (26% vs 11.5%, P = .014) occurring a median of 306 days (interquartile range [IQR] 134–725) post-statin initiation. Conclusion: In liver and kidney transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus, the use of high-intensity statins was not associated with an increased risk of myalgia, rhabdomyolysis, or elevated creatinine kinase when compared with low-to-moderate-intensity statin use.

  PublisherDOI

• High Amount of Physical Activity on Work Days Is Associated with More Intense Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Nurses: Seven-Day Observational Study

  Nursing Reports · 2025-04-27 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background: Musculoskeletal problems contribute to nurse attrition, which compromises patient safety and costs healthcare organizations millions of dollars. Recent research describes a physical activity paradox in which high amounts of work-related physical activity may be detrimental to health; however, there is a lack of evidence on the physical activity paradox with respect to musculoskeletal health in nurses. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between musculoskeletal symptoms (MSSs) and high amounts of physical activity at work in nurses. Methods: This was a 7-day observational design using direct measurement of physical activity and self-reported MSSs in nurses. Physical activity was measured in step counts using a wearable accelerometer and MSSs were reported using ecological momentary assessment. Step counts and MSSs were compared between work days and days off, and a regression model analyzed the combined effect of physical activity and work days on MSSs while controlling for age, exercise, and body mass index. Results: Musculoskeletal symptoms and step counts were significantly higher on work days compared to days off. Higher step counts on work days resulted in significantly higher expected MSS ratings than the same number of steps taken on a day off. Conclusions: This study supports the existence of a physical activity paradox in nurses with respect to MSSs. Understanding this paradox in the nursing workforce can translate to interventions that reduce the detrimental health effects of high levels of physical activity at work, which can minimize nurse attrition, improve patient outcomes, and reduce costs in healthcare organizations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• SBIR Phase II: VocaliD - Infusing Unique Vocal Identities into Synthesized Speech

  NSF · $1.1M · 2016–2020

• NIH Grant R03DC006118

  NIH · $157k · 2007

• Prosody in Congenital and Acquired Dysarthria.

  NIH · $412k · 2013–2016

• HCC-Small: Displaying Prosodic Text for Reading Aloud with Expression

  NSF · $498k · 2009–2015

• NIH Grant R03HD064787

  NIH · $165k · 2014

Frequent coauthors

• Reed Hall

  University Health System

  22 shared

• Helen Sweiss

  University Health System

  22 shared

• Christina Long

  University of the Incarnate Word

  18 shared

• Suverta Bhayana

  CHRISTUS Transplant Institute

  12 shared

• Elizabeth Brooke Avant

  Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation

  9 shared

• Carolyn P. Da Silva

  Bickley Day Hospital

  9 shared

• Abhinit Bhatt

  Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation

  9 shared

• Frank H. Guenther

  Boston University

  9 shared

Labs

• Communication Analysis and Design Laboratory (CadLab)PI

Education

• PhD, Health Promotion and Wellness

  Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions

  2016

• MS, Physical Therapy

  Texas Woman's University - Houston Center

  1991

• BS, Biology and Physical Therapy

  Texas Woman's University

  1990

Awards & honors

• Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network
• Voice Tech Visionary