Carol Richards is a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University and Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation (CIRRIS). She was the founding Director (1994-2003) of the Quebec Provincial Rehabilitation Research Network and co-founder of the Canadian Consortium of Disability and Rehabilitation Research. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Rehabilitation and the Laval University Research Chair in Cerebral Palsy, and is a member of the Governing Council of CIHR. As one of the first physiotherapists in Canada to obtain a doctorate degree she has played a leadership role over the years in the evolution of physiotherapy as a clinical science. Her research has contributed to a better understanding of locomotor disorders of persons with neurological and musculoskeletal impairments by combining basic laboratory research with controlled clinical studies. She has received numerous awards including: an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Ottawa, a Green Visiting Professorship from the University of British Columbia, the Enid Graham Memorial Lectureship from the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and the Jonas Salk Award from the Ontario March of Dimes.