The researcher who could

She may be petite, but Dr Quinette Louw packs a punch of grit and determination. A recent product of the MRC's Research Development Directorate's activities, she tells IZELLE THEUNISSEN how her dream became a reality.

Have you ever had a dream, only to see it slip away due to a lack of money? This almost happened to Dr Quinette Louw, but she didn't allow her obstacles to become dead-end streets.

Armed with a degree in physiotherapy from the University of the Western Cape (UWC), she was determined to further her education. Feeling limited by the lack of postgraduate physiotherapy courses in South Africa, she decided to apply to the University of South Australia for a master's of Applied Science in Sports Physiotherapy.

Proud mother Dr Quinette Louw with one of the adorable men in her life - Oden. (The other adorable man in her life is her husband, Denric.)

She was accepted for the course, but then the gremlins set in. She applied for funding to various institutions, but was turned down time and again. It was during these desperate time that she met Dr Romilla Maharaj, then Executive Director of the Research Development Directorate at the MRC.

Dr Maharaj remembers this meeting clearly. 'I saw a very determined young graduate who was passionate about becoming a researcher. She was determined enough to want to take a bank loan to pay for her master's course in Australia. When I told her that she would qualify for a MRC staff credentialling grant if UWC would commit to employing her on her return, she burst into tears, because finally there was some support for her to realise her dream.'

Quinette grasped the opportunity with both hands, earning her degree in 15 months instead of the usual 18 - with a number of distinctions and a place on the Dean's merit list for academic achievement.

'It was the best opportunity I've ever received, because it opened up so many other educational avenues,' she says. Armed with her newfound knowledge, she assisted with a postgraduate course at UWC and the University of Stellenbosch.

Quinette's research dreams didn't end there. She was keen to pursue a PhD at the University of South Australia because she had developed a close working relationship with researchers there during her master's - most notably Dr Prof Karen Grimmer.

But yet again, the issue of money raised its ugly head. 'Dr Maharaj helped me to develop a proposal, and I applied for an MRC self- initiated grant,' Quinette remembers.

She succeeded with the MRC grant, but additional funds were still needed - so Quinette applied for a very pres-tigious scholarship at the University of South Australia. 'This drew applicants from all over the world, from every possible discipline. It was extremely tough. I ended in fifth place - with scholarships only being awarded to the first four applicants out of a total of 106 applicants,' she explains.

But then fate stepped in. The university decided to make another grant available: the President's award. Quinette immediately applied and became the first student from the health sciences to bag this scholarship.

For her PhD, Quinette focused on knee injuries in adolescent basketball players. 'This is a fast-growing sport among youngsters in South Africa. During my master's studies I discovered that knee injuries are extremely common in this group. Besides being very painful, it can cause osteo-arthritis when the players grow older. My doctoral studies focused on devising exercises to improve neuromuscular control in the knee joint - which should prevent these injuries from occurring,' Quinette explains.

Her research comprised a series of field and laboratory studies - the latter being done at the laboratory of Prof Kit Vaughan of the MRC Medical Imaging Research Unit. 'I now know everything there is to know about basketball, having spent my weekends at sports fields recruiting subjects for my studies,' she quips. 'And my husband was invaluable in helping me to master the software required to analyse the movement studies. He was able to solve problems that we had battled with for weeks!'

Quinette analysed the forces and torques around the knee when players land after a jump, and eventually came up with a set of exercises that improves players' ability to absorb shock and provides dynamic knee support. Her exercises 'teach' the knee muscle how to support the knee joint before injury can take place - which she calls a 'feedforward' technique (see pages 4-6).

She received very good comments from her PhD examiners. 'Working with her and mentoring her has been an absolute pleasure. I have also learnt from her. Her commitment and capabilities have shone through over the eight years that I have known her,' Dr Maharaj comments.

But that is not the end of this special story. Besides the title of 'doctor' that Quinette can now proudly write next to her name, she has also earned another title in the meantime: that of mother.

'I had just returned from my studies in Australia and was attending the Olympic conference in Athens. I kept feeling tired and nauseous but blamed it on Athens' terrible pollution and heat. But back home, a visit to the doctor confirmed that it wasn't "smoke sickness" - it was pregnancy!', she laughs.

Not wanting to do pajama drill and work on a PhD thesis, Quinette rushed to finish her work before the birth of her baby. She was presented with another obstacle when her supervisor recommended that she rewrite the final chapter of her thesis at the same time. 'I nearly went mad! I was still wrapping up my teaching duties at UWC and had to work around the clock.'

Lucky for her, Quinette managed to hand in the final product two weeks before baby Oden was born.