Carmen Würth (m.) received honorary citizenship from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) from President Wolfgang A. Herrmann (r.) and Prof. Renée Lampe (l.) (Photo: Uli Benz / TU München)

Carmen Würth has received honorary citizenship from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) for her tireless commitment to the social integration of people with mental and physical disabilities. Thanks to her support, the Markus Würth Endowed Professorship for Pediatric Neuro-Orthopedics and Cerebral Palsy was founded at TUM in 2012. The endowed professorship allows orthopedist Prof. Renée Lampe and her team to research the health development of children with cerebral palsy. She and her team are also developing innovative therapy concepts based on their findings. One example includes technical developments in perception research for people with disabilities, as a proper perception of the body and one’s environment is a prerequisite for movement. A second therapeutic project takes an entirely different approach: one possible form of therapy for those affected is playing the piano. Playing the piano helps to develop the connections in the brain and improves the sensory-motor functions of the fingers. In order to make it easier for children with cerebral palsy to play the piano, Professor Lampe and her colleagues have developed a special sensorimotor system.