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Dr MARIETTA VAN DER LINDEN SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, PHYSIOTHERAPY I am Dr Marietta van der Linden and I am doing research on how exercise and assistive technology can improve the ability to perform activities of daily living in people with a neurological condition such as Multiple Sclerosis or Cerebral Palsy. Examples of our research are Pilates for people with MS who use a wheelchair and a community exercise programme for young people with Cerebral Palsy. Exercise can be a way of self-management, i.e. people can take care of their condition themselves, instead of relying on drugs or surgical interventions. Assistive technologies to aid walking such as splints allow people to walk further and more easily which can positively impact their participation and general health. Finding out from study participants how they feel a certain intervention has positively impacted their function and then showing these benefits through objectively measured outcomes is probably the most rewarding aspect of my area of research. ‘Finding out from study participants how they feel is probably the most rewarding aspect of my area of research.’ O E R A T I N G L B WOMEN RESEARCHERS INSPIRING RESEARCH CAREER JOURNEYS