Dr. Elise Duchesne is a Full Professor in the Physical Therapy program at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval. She is also a researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS), the CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, and the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Neuromuscular DIseases (GRIMN). With a background in muscular physiology and physical therapy, Dr. Duchesne focuses her research on rare diseases with muscular impairments, particularly using a translational approach to bridge the gap between laboratory findings and clinical application.

Her work is primarily centered on rare neuromuscular diseases such as Autosomal Recessive Spastic Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay, Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy, and Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1). She is involved in several groundbreaking studies, including a multicenter randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of rehabilitation intervention in rare diseases.

Dr. Duchesne’s research has gained international recognition, with her recent work on senescent muscle stem cells in DM1 being highlighted in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. Additionally, her studies were named among the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2023 by Québec Science magazine. She is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and she collaborates with an interdisciplinary, intersectoral team of experts to advance understanding and treatments for rare diseases.

Her efforts to explore exercise interventions in neuromuscular conditions, particularly through randomized controlled trials, underscore her commitment to improving patient care and understanding the pathophysiological changes induced by physical activity. Dr. Duchesne’s leadership in international consortiums further solidifies her as a leading figure in the field of neuromuscular research.