PhD - Automated home assessment of movement disorders in children with DCP (QUO VADYS)

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated PhD student to work in the field of paediatric / neuromotor rehabilitation and movement analysis. This PhD position is based in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the KU Leuven's Bruges campus, this PhD position will be conducted in the Neurorehabilitation Technology lab (NTL). The NTL is a fast-growing, interdisciplinary research group that develops and evaluates technological solutions to improve the quality of life of people with complex motor impairments, including children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. Our research line focuses on innovative systems for mobility, communication and objective motion analysis. The lab works in a multidisciplinary and practice-oriented way, collaborating closely with clinical partners, technology spin-offs and industrial stakeholders. The PhD researcher will work closely with the Department of Paediatric Neurology at UZ Leuven, as well as with the M3-BIORES and M-Group technical research groups, ald also with link to Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Amsterdam UMC.

Project

Children and young adults with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (DCP) experience significant functional limitations due to involuntary movements and abnormal postures, such as dystonia and choreoathetosis. DCP results from a brain injury around birth and has a prevalence of 0.14 in 1,000 live births in Belgium. The current clinical assessment of these movement disorders is usually based on video images recorded in a hospital or laboratory context. These measurements are often insufficiently representative as symptom severity often increases in unfamiliar settings. Moreover, video assessment by experts is time-consuming and subjective. Within this project, video images will be combined with data from inertial sensors and heart rate measurements, collected via a smartphone application in the familiar home environment of the participants. This input will be used to train a multimodal model that can automatically classify the severity of dystonia and choreoathetosis. This will develop a practically applicable and cost-effective instrument for the evaluation of these movement disorders in the home environment. The project includes the refinement of the existing measurement protocol so that it can be carried out independently by parents, as well as the evaluation of the validity, reliability and responsiveness of the method. In addition, the implementation of this system in Flemish care practice is being prepared. This innovative methodology has the potential to significantly improve the medical and rehabilitation treatment of persons with DCP. Two PhD students will participate in this project : a clinically oriented PhD (this vacancy) and a technically oriented PhD. The clinical PhD student will mainly work at KU Leuven Campus Bruges (four days a week with the supervisor) and one day a week in Leuven (with the co-supervisor). Within the clinical PhD, the main objectives are : (1) to develop and refine a measurement protocol for home measurements, in close collaboration with users such as parents and adolescents with DCP; (2) to collect a high-quality multimodal dataset in the home or school environment of the participants; (3) to clinically score this data with regard to dystonia and choreoathetosis; (4) to provide substantive clinical input for the development of machine learning models; and (5) to prepare the implementation of the automated assessment tool within clinical practice for children and young adults with DCP in Flanders.

Profile

• You have a master's degree in rehabilitation science, movement science or equivalent.
• You have a strong interest in paediatric rehabilitation
• You have good communication skills and can interact well with children and young adults with disabilities and their representatives.
• You are interested in technology
• You are willing to perform measurements on location throughout Flanders.
• You can work accurately and independently and as part of a team.
• You are willing to perform your PhD at KU Leuven with location Campus Bruges within the NTL research group
• You speak fluently Dutch and have a good knowledge of English to communicate in an international environment and to prepare manuscripts for international peer-reviewed journals and to present at national and international conferences.
• You look forward to working with an interdisciplinary and international team of scientists.

Offer

Do you recognise yourself in the above description? If so, we would like to get in touch with you.

We offer an stimulating, entrepreneurial and international research environment, with guidance from a multidisciplinary team, as well as access to modern infrastructure, a competitive salary and excellent working conditions. We offer ample opportunities for professional development through the KU Leuven PhD programme, including participation in international conferences and workshops, involvement in teaching activities. The project offers a four-year, full-time PhD position, which is sufficient time to successfully complete the PhD. It begins with a one-year appointment, which will be extended to four-years period upon positive evaluation. More information on the terms and conditions of employment at KU Leuven can be found at https : / / www.kuleuven.be / personeel / jobsite / en / phd / phd-information .

Interested?

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