Dr. Cynthia Gagnon, is a full professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sherbrooke University in Canada. She has a background in occupational therapy and now a career award researcher. She is the head of the Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire sur les maladies neuromusculaires (GRIMN). This interdisciplinary and intersectorial team includes researchers in the field of neuropsychology, physical therapy, social work, occupational therapy, neurology, mathematics, engineer, epigenetics, social participation, etc. The GRIMN also have patient partners to support the patient’s voices in research.

Her work aims at improving clinical care and speed up trial readiness in the most prevalent neuromuscular diseases in Canada including myotonic dystrophy type 1. She has conducted one of the largest natural history of the disease through an interdisciplinary perspective to be able to document the progression of the disease and to identify significant predictor and explanatory factors related to participation in daily activities and social roles of patients such as work and autonomous living. She is also leading several initiatives related to outcomes selection and validation for clinical trials. She work on several initiatives related to knowledge translation including practice guidelines and interactive waiting room. Click here to learn more on the GRIMN website.