Padma is currently the Head of Department of Neurology and the Chief of the Neurosciences Center at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. She pioneered the work on “hyperacute thrombolysis program in acute ischemic stroke” in India and authored the first publication from India on the experience. She redefined the relevance of  investigations such as PT, aPTT, platelet count prior to thrombolysis (which further delayed and increased costs of treatment in the developing countries) and due to this work, it is no longer mandatory to perform these tests if patients could be identified with appropriate clinical and radiological criteria.

She has been the National Co-ordinator for the SITS-NEW registry, the SITS-SEARS registry and the National Co-ordinator for designing the National guidelines for thrombolysis in stroke, and has been on board for the National Commission on Non-communicable Diseases, Diabetes, and Stroke in designing the National Stroke Registry, with the Public Health Foundation of India in designing programs for primary, secondary and tertiary care and prevention of stroke in the country.

Padma was the past president of the Indian Stroke Association and launched the Stroke Summer School for young physicians and neurologists who wish to develop stroke care in their respective regions. As Nodal officer she has been instrumental in  launching acute stroke care pathways across India in all states at secondary  level free of cost and accessible to all, irrespective of socio-economic and geographic barriers across the country, using the telestroke facilities and empowering the physicians at the grass root level of health care delivery.

She has done pioneering work in the field of stem cells in Stroke.

Padma played a key role in successfully bridging gaps in stroke care delivery systems in India through innovative low cost measures in establishing the acute stroke pathways across the country, the Stroke Unit launch, and Stroke Rehabilitation modules.  

She is participating in several ongoing projects on low cost high yield rehabilitative techniques for disability after stroke. In collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, developed  a robotic arm; pioneered the inclusion of low cost non invasive brain stimulation techniques, effect of Dual-Task Exercise in conjunction with Fluoxetine & Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on postural stability and gait in stroke patients, elucidating the science of yoga as a therapeutic intervention in post stroke recovery and elucidating the pathobiology of  classical ayurvedic interventions in post stroke recovery using Magnetic Resonance and other techniques based structural, functional and chemical biomarkers.