Dr. Pavawalla is a board-certified neuropsychologist who specializes in traumatic brain injury (TBI), with additional expertise in aging/memory disorders. She completed her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology at Washington State University, where she studied cognitive recovery following moderate-to-severe TBI. She completed her pre-doctoral internship training in the Polytrauma program within the VA Palo Alto Healthcare system where her clinical work focused on TBI, acute neurorehabilitation, and aging/memory disorders. She went on to complete her post-doctoral fellowship in the Polytrauma program at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, FL, where her clinical work continued to focus on TBI, acute rehabilitation, and aging/memory disorders. While on fellowship, her research focused on the full severity range of TBI, such as non-neurological factors that impact post-concussive symptoms, and the natural course of recovery in disorders of consciousness (DOC) following severe TBI.

Dr. Pavawalla has practiced in various settings, including acute neurorehabilitation with a focus on implementing evidence-based practices for managing inpatient TBI care. Her outpatient practices have involved a broad range of referral populations, including concussion/TBI, stroke, and aging/memory disorders. She has also developed and directed a comprehensive, interdisciplinary concussion assessment and management program that involved not only concussion diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, but also involved baseline and post-concussion ImPACT testing for high school athletes.

Currently, in addition to her time at CBHC, Dr. Pavawalla works in private practice and as a per diem Neuropsychologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center/California Rehabilitation Institute in Los Angeles. In her role at Cedars Sinai/Cal Rehab, she works with acute inpatient, acute neurorehabilitation, and outpatient populations. Her clinical work in the acute inpatient and acute neurorehabilitation environments focuses on neurobehavioral evaluation and management of individuals with various neurological disorders, including but not limited to TBI and stroke.

Dr. Pavawalla has served in various professional roles including serving on the Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group (BI-ISIG) of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM).