Dr. Ranita Manocha is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. Dr. Manocha is a physiatrist, a medical doctor that specializes in working with people with injuries and chronic conditions such as amputations, cerebral palsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, and workplace accidents. Dr. Manocha also runs the Better Mobility Lab, where she researchers how walking aids, braces, and exercises affect human movement. 

Dr. Manochar says, “I started out with CAGIS as a member where I had a lot of fun learning about math, writing code, building things like a balloon-powered vehicle and a device to protect an egg from cracking when it was launched off a building, and visiting women working in STEM fields like a dentist and an ecologist. I started volunteering with CAGIS when I was in high school and I loved sharing my love of STEM with young women through running events like Science Jeopardy, the physics of skating, the physics of cycling, and the chemistry of cooking. From 2004-2008 I edited the CAGIS newsletter and wrote articles about neat STEM events in Canada and globally. From 2006-2008 I was a CAGIS Board Member where I learned how to discuss and implement policy changes to counteract discrimination against females in STEM fields. There were several experiences in my career from being an undergraduate student to even now as a professor where I am the only female in the room. My experiences with CAGIS reinforced to me that it was normal to be good at STEM, even if teachers, family members, or students around me were trying to persuade me to consider different fields because of their own gendered prejudices. Being involved as a leader with CAGIS also gave me the confidence to continue to lead in my work today, and to consider how leaders can promote STEM careers to all people, regardless of their gender, age, or other background factors.”