Dr. Swati Mehta joined the University of Windsor's Faculty of Human Kinetics in 2025 (FILE/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
Inhabiting the intersection between kinesiology, psychology and computer science, Dr. Swati Mehta’s research is the definition of interdisciplinarity.
A new faculty member in kinesiology as of 2025, Mehta takes a holistic approach to mental and physical health while exploring novel technological supports.
Her interdisciplinary stance makes perfect sense given her varied educational background, which began with an undergraduate degree in anatomy before later returning to school for a master's in counselling psychology.
“My trajectory is very different from traditional faculty members,” Mehta acknowledges. “I liked the research aspect and the clinical aspect, and I just wanted to combine the two.”
To this end, she completed a PhD in health and rehabilitation sciences at Western University, later completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Regina under Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos to study online mental health programs.
Before eventually coming to Windsor, Mehta worked as a scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ont., which supports the well-being of those with chronic health conditions.
These varied experiences led her to focus on research that breaks down boundaries between mental and physical health and combines clinical practice with technology-based interventions.
“A lot of my research is community focused,” Mehta explains.
“It’s looking at access to mental health care for people with neurological conditions, working with the ministry and looking at health systems as to how we can integrate virtual care into models of care.”
Mehta describes the University of Windsor as an ideal place to carry out this type of work.
"Looking at the culture here, I felt really drawn to Windsor,” she says.
“I’d heard such great things about the kinesiology department. When I came here, I connected with people during my interview process. I really just felt at home.”
Community and connection are central to Mehta’s research process as she works with people with spinal cord injuries, stroke and brain injuries, incorporating sustainable mental health supports into the rehabilitation typically offered to these populations.
“There’s such a bidirectional relationship between mental health and physical health that I felt passionate about incorporating holistic approaches in this population,” Mehta explains.
Drawing from her postdoctoral work in online mental health programming, she has been able to implement technology-based interventions to help participants thrive.
“Think of it like Pokémon Go,” she says. “But for cognitive health and physical health. Combining the two to help people with disability engage in the community through cooperative gaming.”
The technological aspects of her research also allow Mehta to partner with not only health researchers but computer scientists to help develop these programs. “This can be challenging but fun,” she says.
Working with partners across disciplines is made easier by the welcoming community at the University of Windsor.
“It’s a whole culture of being supportive and authentic and passionate about what we do. I really enjoy that,” Mehta says.
Going into 2026, she is looking to share her love of statistics and data with a new population as she teaches research methods in the Faculty of Human Kinetics, hoping to create experiential opportunities and make stats more accessible for undergraduate students.
Mehta is also excited to continue expanding the collaborative opportunities in her research as she settles in at the University of Windsor.
“I’m excited about connecting to the hospital network, to WE-Spark,” she says.
“Seeing how I can serve as a bridge with the hospital, the faculty of nursing, the computer science department, business and human kinetics and to see how we can develop genuine collaborations.”
Get to Know is a series profiling new faculty members who joined the University of Windsor in 2025.