Areas of Expertise: Health Equity Research, Functional Outcome Measures, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Obesity, Community-Based Physical Therapy,
Faculty Biography: Dr. Annabel Núñez-Gaunaurd is a Tenure-Earning Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Miami, where her research focused on the impact of obesity on motor function and participation in school-aged children. With over 20 years of experience in school- and community-based physical therapy research, she is committed to addressing health disparities in underserved and neurodiverse populations.
Dr. Núñez-Gaunaurd completed the NHLBI-funded Obesity Health Disparities (OHD-PRIDE) fellowship and served as Principal Investigator on a Small Research Program (SRP) grant that explored physical activity co-participation among racially and ethnically underrepresented autistic adults. Building on this work, she currently leads an FIU-RCMI-funded pilot study investigating racial and ethnic disparities in physical activity, functional mobility, and quality of life among autistic adults. This telehealth-based study has successfully enrolled over 130 participants and employs wearable devices and validated assessments to examine links between physical performance, activity, and autism traits, offering a scalable model for inclusive health research. She is also Co-Investigator on a Foundation for Physical Therapy Research grant studying national rehabilitation service access among emerging adults with autism.
A passionate educator, Dr. Núñez-Gaunaurd mentors undergraduates, DPT and PhD students and teaches in clinical and applied science areas. She recently completed Harvard’s “AI in Clinical Medicine” course, which explores the ethical and predictive uses of AI in healthcare. She actively serves on departmental and college committees, serves as a reviewer for several high-impact journals, and was recently appointed to the ACSM Exercise Is Medicine – Underserved and Community Health Committee (2024–2027).
Education: Ph.D., University of Miami M.S.P.T., Florida International University B.S., Florida International University
National Leadership & Recognition: ▪ ACSM EIM Committee, 2024–2027 ▪ OHD-PRIDE Fellow, NHLBI