What first attracted you to the area of neuromuscular disease research  and why is it important? 

I have worked as a clinical physiotherapist for many years and started to see people with neuromuscular diseases in my clinic. An opportunity arose in 2004 to pursue a PhD exploring gait characteristics in people with Charcot Marie Tooth disease, an inherited peripheral neuropathy. This cemented my interest in muscle wasting diseases but also motion analysis and biomechanics of gait and posture. More recently I have extended the breadth of my work into rehabilitation interventions and self-management, incorporating behaviour change approaches. I do believe that it is very important to understand the physiological mechanisms underpinning physical impairments that we observe but also take the whole person into account. This is key when exploring aspects of treatments to address those impairments, and support people to live well with their disease.

Can you tell us about your most recent research project?

I have just been awarded a 5-year fellowship to set up a pipeline of research called Better Balance-NMD. It starts with exploratory studies to explore the impact of physical impairments on posture and gait in people with neuromuscular diseases. We can use this knowledge to develop rehabilitation interventions in partnership with people living with these diseases. We will create digital delivery methods for people to undergo these treatments in their own home with the support of physiotherapists, and then go on to test the efficacy of these complex interventions through phase 3 trials. For the fellowship we are completing each stage through two conditions: Charcot Marie Tooth disease and CANVAS (cerebellar ataxia neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome).

What aspect of your work most excites you and why?

I really enjoy the partnership process with people living with neuromuscular diseases that underpins a lot of the research I do. This ensures that the research is relevant and potentially more impactful on their day-to-day lives than if we had worked in our own individual silo. Being a clinician, I hear people's experiences regularly, so it is immensely gratifying to work with them and hear how they have interacted with and benefited from my group's research.

What would you say to someone who is considering whether to study Clinical Neuroscience at UCL?

The strength of the masters in clinical neuroscience is that you will be taught by a combination of clinicians and basic scientists. This ensures that you hear from real experts enabling you to bring together these very important pieces of the puzzle, to aid your knowledge of how and why we develop potential treatments for neurological diseases.

What’s the best advice you would give your younger self?

Follow your interests: the areas that you want to explore more, and that excite you (in and out of work). Also, collaborate with people who can help you find the answers. Teamwork is important in research, and you learn so much from every interaction and collaboration.

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Biography

Dr Gita Ramdharry is a Consultant Allied Health Professional in Neuromuscular Diseases at the Queen Square/ MRC Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCLH. She is an Honorary Associate Professor at UCL. She became an NIHR Advanced Clinical Academic & Practitioner Fellow in 2025. 

She has worked as a physiotherapist since 1995 and developed a special interest in neurology early on. She completed a PhD at UCL in 2008 looking at walking patterns in people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Gita is a research supervisor to MRes, MSc, and PhD students, plus HEE/NIHR ICA Clinical Doctoral Fellows. She is co-editor on two Elsevier book titles: "Physical Management of Neurological Conditions" (4th and 5th editions) and "Pocketbook of Neurological Physiotherapy" (2nd edition). 

She is the EDI committee Chair for the Department of Neuromuscular Diseases and lead for the Disability Awareness group at UCL Institute of Neurology.