RESEARCH
Physical exercise, functioning and the meaning of rehabilitation
My research addresses two complementary questions: what effects do exercise-based interventions have in clinical settings, and what do those effects mean in people’s lives? My work combines experimental research, functional assessment, qualitative inquiry and conceptual reflection in Rehabilitation Nursing.
I am an integrated researcher at LiveWell – Research Center for Active Living and Wellbeing.
01 / Physical exercise as a therapeutic intervention
I study the prescription, implementation and evaluation of physical exercise in clinical populations, with particular attention to safety, feasibility, muscle strength, functional capacity and clinical relevance.
02 / Chronic kidney disease and rehabilitation
Exercise in people with chronic kidney disease, particularly those receiving haemodialysis, has long been a core focus of my research. I am interested in incorporating rehabilitation interventions into routine care and evaluating respiratory and functional outcomes.
Featured project / RespDialysis
RespDialysis is a research project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. It investigates intradialytic inspiratory muscle training, respiratory parameters and functional outcomes.
03 / Lived experience and intervention meaning
Qualitative inquiry can complement quantitative findings by exploring experiences of effort, motivation, acceptability, agency and meaning from the perspective of participants.
04 / Conceptual foundations of Rehabilitation Nursing
My ongoing work explores connections between physical exercise, functioning, autonomy, recognition and Bem Viver. This is a developing research agenda, not an assertion that a formal theory has already been established or validated.
Methodological commitments
Methodological rigour, transparency, clinically meaningful interpretation and responsible knowledge translation guide my scientific work.
