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As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Fortin’s expertise combines the clinical approach of a specialist in rehabilitation, with the technical capacity and expertise in the realm of bioimaging. An integral part of her research program focuses on understanding the role of the paraspinal musculature in the development and recurrence of low back pain (LBP) and neck pain, using structural and advanced MRI and ultrasound imaging applications, to quantify temporal muscle degenerative changes and altered muscle function as possible factors associated with persistent pain and related disability. The 4 pillars of her research program are to: 1) Establish the relationship between lumbar and cervical muscle morphology (e.g., size, composition , asymmetry) and function (e.g., contraction, stiffness, elasticity, strength); 2) Identify and analyze the difference in multifidus muscle morphology and function between individuals with and without LBP and neck pain; 3) Investigate the effects of different exercise programs and therapeutic modalities on i) overall paraspinal muscle health, ii) patients’ disability and function and iii) psychological factors (e.g. catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances) in patients with chronic LBP; and 4) Standardization and automatization of paraspinal muscle morphometry and composition measurements from MRI imaging. The overall goal of her research program to improve the understanding of the epidemiology, diagnostic, prevention, and management of common spinal disorders