Post by Iressa ( I-Han ) Cheng

💡 And then came the dissertation — my beloved tendon-transfer project This project meant the world to me. There were ups and downs, breakthroughs and long nights, doubts and small victories — all part of the process. 🩺 Thank you, Karan Malhotra, for every clinic shadowing session and the countless times you explained tendon anatomy — pasta in one hand, foot model in the other. Those moments shaped the entire study. 🙏 Thank you, Rui Loureiro, for telling me on day one to aim for a Distinction. Your belief became the fuel behind the project. 🤝 Thank you, Peter Snow, for your constant support and generosity with your knowledge. For a newcomer to research, that meant everything. This was my first fully independent project bridging medicine and engineering. Any success belongs to the people who stood with me along the way. 🌟 And a special thank you to Prof Stephen Taylor One lunch with him completely transformed my approach — from inverse vs forward dynamics to rethinking my entire study design overnight. His feedback was sharp, honest, and brilliantly insightful. A glimpse of what decades of expertise look like. Thank you also to Alexander Thomas for the pep talks and Sam Wisdish for introducing me to OpenSim. There were moments when I was so close to giving up. But every message, every bit of encouragement, every push reminded me: ✨ You’re allowed to dream big, and you’re allowed to try again. ✨ 🚀 So… this beautiful chapter at UCL comes to an end. I’m grateful. I’m proud. And I’m excited for whatever comes next. A new journey is beginning — and I can’t wait to keep building, learning, and contributing to MSK science and medical engineering. 💫