Awards

Professor Jürg Baumann

Basel, 1983

1959: specialised in Surgery (Basel)

1963: specialised in Orthopaedics. Developed neuro-orthopaedic unit

Developed Gait Laboratory in Basel

Thesis: Gait Analysis based on cinematography and EMG

Professor of Orthopaedics (1983)

Strong link with David Sutherland. Pioneer of Gait Analysis in Europe

Andrew Roberts

Oslo, 2024

Andrew Roberts is a children’s orthopaedic surgeon who acts as the medical director of Oswestry’s gait laboratory.

Only by getting involved with the process of gait analysis can a clinician get the best out of this technology so he spends a good deal of his time examining patients and interpreting the data.

Sebastian Wolf

Athens, 2023

Sebastian Wolf is a physicist and moved to the field of Human Movement Analysis in 2001 when he started as technical head of the Movement Analysis Lab, Center for Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Spinal Cord Injury, Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany.

He is now the Director of the Division Human Movement Analysis responsible for clinical gait analysis and research. In 2015 he became associate professor and later an extra-ordinary professor for Orthopedic Biomechanics at the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University.

He founded the German speaking society for gait analysis GAMMA in 2005 and was President of ESMAC (2015–2019). He focuses on neurologic and orthopedic gait disorders, prosthetics, and orthotics. He teaches for both GAMMA and ESMAC.

Jean Stout

Dublin, 2022

Jean Stout is a pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, USA.

She lectures worldwide on gait analysis and outcome assessment in children with cerebral palsy. Her research includes crouch gait, muscle fatigue, and fitness. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota in Rehabilitation Science.

Martin Gough

Amsterdam, 2019

Martin is a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon with a special interest in the orthopaedic management of children with disability due to neuromuscular disease.
He trained in orthopaedic surgery in Ireland, and following fellowship experience in the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, he took up his present post working with the team in the Evelina London Children’s Hospital and the One Small Step Gait Laboratory in Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London in 1998.
His interests include the causes and treatment of deformity in children with cerebral palsy.

Caroline Stewart

Prague, 2018

Caroline Stewart has over 25 years’ experience in clinical gait analysis. She began her research at Strathclyde University, completing her PhD in prosthetic gait in 1995.
Subsequently she was employed as a clinical engineer in ORLAU, a specialist department of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry in the UK.
Caroline now manages these busy clinical services. In 2013 she took up a part time academic post at Keele University.
Caroline has also served on the committees of the UK and Ireland Clinical Movement Analysis Society (CMAS), taking a particular interest in the development of national standards.
Her research interests include musculoskeletal modelling and gait analysis as an outcome measure. She swims and excavates medieval ruins in her free time.

Eva Broström

Trondheim, 2017

Eva Broström is a notable contributor to gait analysis and movement science. Her lecture in Trondheim reflected her long-standing commitment to pediatric orthopedic care, combining clinical expertise and innovation in motion analysis.

Jaap Harlaar

Seville, 2016

Jaap Harlaar was educated in electrical engineering, specialising in biomedical engineering.
During his PhD project he developed instruments for motor function assessment focused on EMG and movement analysis.
His work focuses on neurorehabilitation and clinical gait analysis.
He is professor at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam and has led many EU projects related to musculoskeletal modeling.
Jaap is past president of ESMAC and SMALLL.

Leonhard Döderlein

Heidelberg, 2015

Leonhard Döderlein is a renowned expert in pediatric orthopedics and cerebral palsy. He introduced 3D gait analysis in Heidelberg and later led the clinic in Aschau.
His work integrates biomechanics and clinical treatment of gait disorders and deformities in children.

Tim Theologis

Rome, 2014

Tim Theologis’ lecture focused on the management of flexible flat feet in children, the mismatch between clinical severity and symptoms, and the role of motion analysis and imaging in understanding and treating this condition.

Ilse Jonkers

Glasgow, 2013

Ilse Jonkers is a professor at KU Leuven and head of Human Movement Biomechanics. Her research spans musculoskeletal simulation and the application of 3D motion analysis in optimizing rehabilitation and physical therapy practices.

Carlo Frigo

Stockholm, 2012

Carlo Frigo is a biomechanical engineer and expert in human motion analysis. He co-developed the ELITE system and the SAFLo protocol, and has been instrumental in clinical gait analysis in Italy. His lecture addressed musculoskeletal modeling and its applications.

Anand Nene

Vienna, 2011

Dr. Anand Nene has made significant contributions in cerebral palsy gait analysis and spasticity management. His lecture focused on the bi-functional nature of the rectus femoris and its distinction from the quadriceps group in pathology and rehabilitation.

Kaat Desloovere

Miami, 2010

Kaat Desloovere is a leading researcher in clinical movement analysis and cerebral palsy. She played a key role in advancing standards and protocols for gait analysis across Europe and beyond.

At Hof

London, 2009

At Hof, from the University of Groningen, has significantly contributed to understanding human balance and gait. His lecture discussed biomechanical mechanisms of balance and their clinical relevance in gait analysis and rehabilitation.

John Patrick

Antalia, 2008

John Patrick presented on key advances in pediatric rehabilitation and gait measurement. His work has informed standards in clinical gait labs globally.

Ann Jenkinson

Athens, 2007

Ann Jenkinson has been a pioneer in motion capture technology application in pediatric neurorehabilitation. Her insights into clinical decision-making using gait data were central to the 2007 lecture.

Richard Baker

Amsterdam, 2006

Richard Baker is a global authority in clinical movement analysis. He developed widely adopted methods in kinematics and was a key figure in setting standards across gait labs.

James Robb

Barcelona, 2005

James Robb’s work on cerebral palsy intervention and outcome measurement shaped multidisciplinary approaches in pediatric orthopedics and neurology.

Peter Huijing

Warsaw, 2004

Peter Huijing is recognized for his fundamental research in muscle mechanics and inter-muscular force transmission. His contributions have influenced biomechanical modeling in gait science.

Diane Damiano

Marseille, 2003

Diane Damiano is a leader in pediatric movement science, particularly in cerebral palsy research. She emphasized evidence-based interventions supported by motion analysis.

John O’Connor

Leuven, 2002

John O’Connor has contributed extensively to biomechanics and motor control in orthopedic rehabilitation. His lecture brought biomechanics to clinical reality for gait labs.

Reinald Brunner

Rome, 2001

Reinald Brunner is a trailblazer in pediatric gait analysis. His work in Switzerland laid groundwork for integrating gait labs into pediatric orthopedic care for cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental disorders.

The deadline for the Dr. Tom Shannon Promising Scientist Award is the 14th May 2025 23:59 CET.

The Dr Tom Shannon Promising Scientist Award is introduced to acknowledge those early in their career who have performed research and demonstrated leadership that has had a significant impact in the field of movement analysis. The award includes a certificate, an award of 1000 GBP, a free ESMAC membership for one year and a Spotlight webinar to showcase the research organized by the Early Career Network. The award money should be used for scientific purposes, such as attending a conference, visiting another research group, buying research equipment, or funding open-access publications.

The competition is held each year in which there is an Annual ESMAC meeting. In alternating years, an outstanding emerging scientist (up to 4 years after PhD) or promising scientist (up to 8 years after PhD) will be awarded. This year, we are looking for our most Emerging Scientist that has started establishing themselves within the field of (clinical) movement science. The panel will take into account the years post-PhD relative to the impact on the field. We welcome all eligible applications!

The winner of the award is expected to be present at the upcoming ESMAC to receive the award. In addition, they are expected to provide an ESMAC ECN webinar presentation (scheduled with the awardee in the weeks after the congress) on the recent studies and research vision that have contributed to the award. The winner should be able to provide a copy of their PhD diploma or equivalent.

Requirements:

To be eligible for the award, a candidate should:
(1) be a member of ESMAC in good standing;
(2) be within 4 years after their PhD graduation (or equivalent) at the time of the Annual Meeting (in justified cases this is prolonged – see the application form).

To apply, download and submit the application form ‘ESMAC PS Award template 2025’. It includes a maximum of 2 pages detailing the application and a short CV.

Please send your application to the ESMAC Early Career Award Committee (info@esmac.org with the subject ‘PS award application’) before the 14th of May 2025.

Awardies

ESMAC 2024, Oslo, Norway

Dr. Hans Kainz

Hans is establishing his Neuromechanics Research group at the Department for Biomechanics, Kinesiology and Computer Science in Sports of the University of Vienna. His research focuses on using 3D motion analysis, motor control studies, neuro-musculoskeletal computer simulations and personalized models based on medical images, to enhance our understanding of movement problems in various groups, including children with cerebral palsy, athletes and obese people.

ESMAC 2023, Athens, Greece

Dr. Tamaya van Criekinge

Tamaya is a rising postdoc at KU Leuven who aims to improve rehabilitation for patients with neurological disorders. She has a special interest in the role of the trunk on balance and motion decline in the aging population.

This award is presented annually to the authors of the best scientific paper. The highest scoring abstracts are nominated as candidates for the best paper award in the programme for the meeting and the oral presentations are assessed during the meeting. The award includes expedited publication in Gait & Posture and registration for attendance of the principal author at following year’s main congress.

ESMAC 2024, Oslo, Norway

1st Lanie Gutierrez Farewik

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Dept. Engineering Mechanics

Multiple exoskeletons, multiple objectives: Simulating optimal assistance of active, quasi-passive, and passive assistive devices

2nd Barbara Postolka

KU Leuven, Department of Movement Sciences

Influence of muscle activation on articular ankle joint mechanics

3rd Morgan Sangeux

UKBB, Centre for Clinical movement analysis

On the clinical interpretation of overground gait stability indices in children with cerebral palsy

ESMAC 2023, Athens, Greece

1st Willi Koller

Centre for Sport Science and University Sports, University of Vienna, Austria

Femoral growth plate stresses in children with cerebral palsy compared to typically developing children

2nd Erik Meilak

University of Keele, United Kingdom

Subtalar joint axis alignments in pathological feet of children with cerebral palsy

3rd Brian Horsak

St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria

Concurrent assessment of a smartphone-based markerless and marker-based motion capture system in pathological gait

ESMAC 2022, Dublin, Ireland

1st Jente Willaert

KU Leuven,Movement sciences, Leuven, Belgium

Increased muscle responses to balance perturbations in children with cerebral palsy

2nd Mark McMulkin

Shriners Children’s, Motion Analysis Center, Spokane, USA

Outcomes of intensive versus minimal spasticity management for individuals with cerebral palsy gait: outcomes for a long-term multi-center study

2nd Nathalie De Beukelaer

KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Pellenberg, Belgium

Longitudinal muscle growth in young children with spastic cerebral palsy: evolution of medial gastrocnemius muscle volume

Virtual ESMAC 2021

1st Wouter Schallig

Amsterdam UMC, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Optimizing multi-segment foot model measurements with the Amsterdam Foot Model (O036)

2nd Laure Everaert

KU Leuven, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation (eNRGy), Pellenberg, Belgium

The influence of ankle-foot orthoses on gait pathology in children with cerebral palsy: a retrospective study (O028)

3rd Leonie Bartsch

Heidelberg University Hospital, Clinic for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Heidelberg, Germany

Hindfoot flexibility predicts biomechanical effects of ankle-foot orthoses and laterally wedged insoles in medial knee osteoarthritis (O025)

Virtual ESMAC 2020

1st Lizeth Sloot

Heidelberg University, Institute of Computer Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany

Walk this way: elderly walk like the young, just more slowly

2nd Francesco Cenni

University of Jyväskylä, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland

Medial gastrocnemius muscle and tendon interaction during gait in typically developing children and children with cerebral palsy

3rd Michael Wade Shrader

Nemours duPont Hospital for Children, Orthopedics, Wilmington, USA

Factors Associated with Walking Activity in Adults with Cerebral Palsy

ESMAC 2019, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1st Nicole Zaino

University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seattle- WA, USA

Spasticity reduction in children with cerebral palsy is not associated with reduced energy during walking

2nd Melvyn Roerdink

Vrije Universiteit, Human Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Haste makes waste: on the trade-off between walking speed and target-stepping accuracy

3rd Wouter Schallig

Amsterdam UMC, Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The influence of soft tissue artefacts on foot kinematics according to the Oxford foot model and Rizzoli foot model

ESMAC 2018, Prague, Czech Republic

1st Mike Schwartz

Gillette Children’s Speciality Healthcare Center for Gait and Motion Analysis, St. Paul, USA

A flexible omnibus matching algorithm (FOMA) to support treatment decisions for children with cerebral palsy

2nd Michael Wachowsky

Klinikum Stuttgart-Olgahospital, Orthopädische Klinik – Ganglabor, Stuttgart, Germany

Comparison of anatomical Tibia-Hindfoot-Alignment and Oxford-Foot-Model marker-set measurement in weight bearing CT – effect of adjustment in the static model

3rd Lorenzo Pitto

KU Leuven, Department of Movement Sciences, Leuven, Belgium

Post-treatment muscle coordination patterns during gait are highly similar to pre-treatment ones in CP children

ESMAC 2016, Seville, Spain

Alessandra Scarton

Assessing trans-femoral residuum/socket interface coupling using 3D motion capture – effect of terrains and walking speed

ESMAC 2015, Heidelberg, Germany

Ayman Assi

Faculty of Medicine, University of Saint Joseph, Beirut, Lebanon

Validation of hip joint center localization methods during gait analysis using 3D EOS imaging in typically developing and cerebral palsy children

This award is presented annually to the authors of the best scientific poster. The highest scoring abstracts from the poster presentations are nominated for the award. The posters will be assessed by a panel during the poster presentation sessions when the authors are available to discuss their work. The winners receive a certificate, and details are published on the ESMAC website.

ESMAC 2024, Oslo, Norway

1st Paulo Lucareli

Movement Deviation Profile and pain intensity: Insights from three-dimensional gait analysis in women with patellofemoral pain

2nd Niels J. Nedergaard

Knee joint kinematics with the new conventional gait model (CGM2): A comparison of inverse versus directs kinematics

3rd Joel Kearney

Changes in trunk and lower body gait kinematics in children following a Theia3D update

ESMAC 2023, Athens, Greece

1st Sylvia Augustine

The effects of tight or loose-fitting clothing on markerless gait kinematics in adults

2nd Gautier Grouvel

Impaired spatiotemporal gait parameters in patients with unilateral and bilateral vestibular deficits

3rd Albuquerque Tadeu

Exploring the potential of combining kinematics and EMG to enhance identification of individuals with subacromial shoulder pain

ESMAC 2022, Dublin, Ireland

1st Mark Mcmulkin

Use of hamstring muscle-tendon length modeling to guide surgical intervention

2nd Simon Noë & Kaat Desloovere

Influence of patient characteristics on the shape of the medial gastrocnemius in children with cerebral palsy

3rd Catherine Huenaerts

Differences in surface electrode placement and its effect on duration of EMG activity

3rd Paulo Lucareli

Grouping of kinematic factors affect the differentiation of women with patellofemoral pain from controls during dynamic activities

Virtual ESMAC 2021

1st Heleen Huijsmans

Markerless motion tracking to assess upper limb dyskinesia in children and young adults with cerebral palsy

2nd Jacob Beesley & Hannah Shepherd

The Effect of a Medial Knee Thrust Gait Modification on Single Plane and 3D Peak Moments

3rd Marjolein Piening

Midfoot kinematics of valgus and varus foot types in children with cerebral palsy using the Amsterdam Foot Model

Virtual ESMAC 2020

1st Meghan Munger

Outcomes of intensive versus minimal spasticity management strategies on individuals with cerebral palsy: preliminary results of a long-term multi-center study

2nd Jennifer Nelson

Perceived limitations of walking in individuals with cerebral palsy

3rd Laura Oudenhoven

The effect of habituation on differences in energy cost between overground and treadmill walking in typically developing children

3rd Sebastian Durstberger

Evaluating 3D free-hand ultrasound as an alternative approach to register anatomical landmarks: a test-retest study in lean and overweight participants

This award is presented to the authors of the best clinical case study. All presentations given in the clinical case studies session are eligible and will be assessed by a panel of judges during the session. The winners will be announced during the closing ceremony of the meeting and will receive a prize of 200 EUR.

ESMAC 2024, Oslo, Norway

1st Hanneke Van Duijnhoven

Personalized clinical decision-making by evaluating the effects of a selective nerve block on cycling and gait: A clinical case study