Maaike Goris, the first FWO-Demoucelle Parkinson Charity PhD Fellowship laureate, recently reported that receiving the four-year grant in 2023 had already significantly benefitted her research.
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- Maaike has been able to expand her PhD research to look at EEG measurements for detecting ‘Freezing of Gait’ in Parkinson’s patients, or blocking the feet while walking.
“Without the contribution of this grant, it would not have been possible to incorporate this innovative research within my PhD. This research has the potential to contribute significantly to ‘freezing’ detection and better understanding the physiology of ‘freezing’.”
- She has also been able to raise the profile of her work, learn from experts, share her findings and receive valuable feedback, including through attending international conferences.
“It gives me the opportunity to disseminate my work within the clinical and research community.”
- As a young researcher, the grant provides Maaike with a sense of financial security so that she is able to concentrate on research.
“I can fully concentrate on my research without having to worry about financial aspects or the feasibility of my work, which … allows me to focus my energy fully on the research.” “Overall, it improves the quality of my research.”
Milestones achieved so far:
- A first academic paper discussing the reliability of an algorithm for detecting freezing during turning is ready for publication.
- Greater attention: Attended two conferences and in September, she will participate in the MDS conference in Philadelphia.
”An important opportunity to present my work.”
- Data collection is complete for her second study on an AI model for automatic freezing detection has been completed.
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- “I am currently fully engaged in the processing and analysis of this data. Initial analyses show that the model has good reliability and even exceeds current state-of-the-art technology.”
- Research will continue in this area with another PhD student developing and improving the algorithm.
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- Won an international competition for young researchers on the topic of gait and balance.
“As a result, I have been invited to present live at the ISPGR conference next year.”
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The FWO-DPC PhD Fellowship aims to encourage more researchers at the start of their career to become interested in Parkinson’s disease with a view to increasing the scientific activity focused on this fast-growing neurodegenerative condition.
Maaike is a PhD student within the Parkinson’s Rehabilitation Research Group (www.PRO-Labo.be) under supervision of Prof. Moran Gilat at KU Leuven. To find out more about her PhD research project, please click here.