Rana is a research physiotherapist and National Health & Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Health, Exercise & Sports Medicine at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on clinical trials of non-drug non-surgical treatment strategies for osteoarthritis, in particular exercise, rehabilitation and biomechanical interventions.

Her research aims to develop and evaluate strategies to support positive behaviour change in people with chronic musculoskeletal conditions, particularly adherence to exercise. Rana's research has a focus on implementation science, and she has a strong interest in developing and implementing methods to increase access to care, including telerehabilitation and digital health strategies. Rana has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and is an Editorial Board member for Journal of Physiotherapy.