Karin Gerrits
Dr. H.L. (Karin) Gerrits
Faculty of Human Movement Sciences
Van der Boechorststraat 9
1081 BT Amsterdam
Tel: +31 (20) 59 88592
Room: D-651
Email: k_gerrits@fbw.vu.nl
Biosketch
I received my PhD in Human Movement Sciences (“Muscle adaptations in people with spinal cord injury”) in 2000 from the VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands. From 2001 I have been working as an assistant-professor at the research institute MOVE, VU University of Amsterdam. The last five years my research focused on understanding the influence of different neurological and neuromuscular disorders on (neuro)muscular and cardiovascular properties, how this relates to impaired functional performance such as impaired gait, and how training and/or rehabilitation can improve these properties. Because effects of chronic disorders are not independent of ageing and disuse, throughout my research I also included studies on elderly as well as on individuals with an inactive (sedentary) lifestyle. With this research I am devoted to improve rehabilitation/training strategies aimed at restoring lower motor function and to improve our fundamental knowledge on the mechanisms involved.
Key words: stroke, spinal cord injury, nemaline myopathy, neuromuscular discorder, muscle properties, electrical stimulation, robot-driven gait therapy, disuse, ageing
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
- Robot-assisted treadmill training after stroke and spinal cord injury
- PROTECT
- FACTS-2-PPS
- Muscle properties in patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Grants
- “Effects of robot-assisted treadmill training in combination with resistance exercise on locomotor performance and quality of life as well as cardiovascular and neuromuscular properties in patients after stroke.” Dutch Heart Foundation (2007)
- “Effects of robot-assisted treadmill training in combination with resistance exercise on locomotor performance and quality of life as well as cardiovascular and neuromuscular properties in patients after stroke and spinal cord injury.” Nationaal revalidatiefonds (2008)