KITE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Project Student, Intern, and Volunteer
Job Titles:
- Barbara G. Stymiest Chair
Dr. Mihailidis is the Barbara G. Stymiest Chair in Rehabilitation Technology, and Leads the Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Team at KITE. He is faculty in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. He is also the Scientific Director of the AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence. Alex's research focuses on supporting older adults to live more independently and safely in their own homes and communities. This includes applying artificial intelligence and sensors to monitor the wellness of these individuals, and developing tools that can automatically predict changes in their health.
Dr. Grigorovich is an interdisciplinary health services and policy researcher who studies the role of stigma and other structural factors driving health inequity across rehabilitation and continuing care settings (e.g. home care, long term care). Her primary research areas are: 1) ethical, social and policy aspects of new technologies to improve care and quality of life for older adults; 2) organization, delivery, and experiences of dementia care; 3) development and evaluation of arts-based and digital knowledge translation innovations.
Dr. Novak is a Scientist at KITE, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto. Alison's primary research area focuses on understanding mobility in challenging environments (such as stairs, ramps, bathrooms) and the impact of aging and environmental factors to reduce the risk of falls and support aging-in-place strategies. Alison is actively involved with current changes to the National Building Code of Canada and Canadian accessibility standards to build an age-friendly and safe environment.
Dr. Iaboni is a geriatric psychiatrist and clinical researcher based at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network and is the Medical Lead of the Specialized Dementia Unit. She completed a doctorate as a Rhodes Scholar, followed by a research fellowship in geriatric psychiatry.
Her research interests include 1) development, evaluation, and implementation of technology for improving the safety and quality of dementia care, and 2) the impact of treatments for psychiatric illness on mobility in older adults. At present, Dr. Iaboni's research includes both clinical trials of technology for improving dementia care and pharmacoepidemiological research into psychotropic prescribing practices.
I'm a Bioethicist and Clinician-Scientist at the University Health Network in Toronto, an Assistant Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health- University of Toronto, and an Affiliate Scientist at KITE Research Institute. I completed my Ph.D. in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo where my research considered the ethics of sex and sexual consent for people with dementia. I am interested in bioethical issues related to geriatrics, people with dementia, and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I am currently working on a qualitative descriptive study exploring ethical issues related to feeding and nourishment in geriatric rehabilitation.
Dr. Colantonio is a Senior Scientist and leads the Acquired Brain Injury and Society team at KITE. She is the Director of the University of Toronto's Rehabilitation Sciences Institute and is also a professor of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy as well as an Adjunct Scientist at ICES. She heads a broad, internationally recognized research program on acquired brain injury focusing on women, vulnerable populations, violence, work-related traumatic brain injury and sex and gender analyses. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Spinal cord injury: determination/measurement of outcomes, management and prevention of secondary complications
Anthony S. Burns graduated from the Yale University School of Medicine in 1994, and afterwards completed combined residency training in Internal Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore - Johns Hopkins University program, followed by a SCI fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a past participant in the Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program, sponsored by the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) and funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. From 2000 through 2007, he was Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia PA; Assistant Director of the Regional SCI Center of the Delaware Valley; and adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia PA. In 2007, Dr. Burns joined the University Health Network - Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program, the largest program of its kind in Canada, and was the Medical Director from 2007 - 2012. Currently he is a Professor in the Division of Physiatry, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, and Affiliate Scientist, Neural Engineering and Therapeutics (NET) Team of the KITE (Knowledge Innovation Talent Everywhere) Research Institute. His clinical and research interests focus on the determination and measurement of outcomes following SCI, as well as the clinical management of spinal cord injuries and related secondary complications.
Dr. Asaf Gilboa received his M.A. degree in Clinical Neuropsychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem where he studied the neurocognitive effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He received his Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Toronto, where he studied the cognitive neuroscience of remote memory, focusing in hippocampal function and structure using neuroimaging and patient methodologies. He then pursued postdoctoral studies at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto focusing on prefrontal contributions to memory monitoring and control using electrophysiology combined with lesion analyses. Dr. Gilboa was a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Haifa University in Israel where he also served as co-director of the Clinical Neuropsychology program. He is currently a Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, with cross-appointments in Psychology at the University of Toronto and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. He investigates neurological and neuropsychiatric aspects of memory disorders. His research focuses on memory disorders such as amnesia, dementia and confabulation, employing various methodologies (lesion analysis, fMRI, Pupilometry, ERP and MEG) to investigate of the mechanisms underlying these disorders. He is also interested in learning-related cortical and hippocampal neuroplasticity, investigating the conditions that promote learning within different neural systems. Dr. Gilboa has authored or co-authored over 50 journal articles and 6 book chapters and has won several awards including the Dusty and Ettie Miller Fellowship for Outstanding Scholars and the Donald T. Stuss Award for Research Excellence. He is on the editorial board of the journal Cortex and has co-edited 3 special issues in leading neuropsychology journals.
Dr. Mansfield studies how aging and neurologic injury affect balance and mobility, and how to best measure balance and mobility in clinical practice. This work has led to her developing exercise-based interventions to improve independent mobility and prevent falls. She is also evaluating whether an education and self-management program can increase how much people exercise. Avril works closely with clinicians to make sure that these evidence-based interventions are implemented in clinical practice.
Behrang is a Scientist at KITE and an adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at Ryerson University. Behrang's research focuses on human factors in virtual environments, with particular focus on increasing driving safety for younger and older drivers and preventing adverse effects of simulators, such as nausea and disorientation that are related to simulator sickness. He is also involved in exploring the neurocognitive and behavioral aspects of self-motion perception in virtual reality applications.
Dr. Haycock is a Scientist at KITE and the lead engineer for real-time computing in the Challenging Environment Assessment Laboratory. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. Bruce's background and research focus is primarily human-in-the-loop vehicle simulation, including simulator technologies, vehicle dynamics, and human control of vehicles. This experience is now being applied at the unique simulation facilities at TRI to enable a broad range of research, notably through the development and optimization of DriverLab and control of the CEAL hardware.
Job Titles:
- Registered Speech - Language Pathologist
Catherine Wiseman-Hakes, Ph.D., is a registered speech-language pathologist and clinical neuroscientist. She is an assistant clinical professor (adjunct) in the School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and an affiliate scientist with the Hull Ellis Concussion and Research Clinic and KITE-University Health Network, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. She is a member of the Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS) and the International Neuroethics Society. Catherine has devoted her clinical and research career toward a better understanding of the factors that impact recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and developing interventions to support positive outcomes and quality of life. She has two intersecting research foci: cognitive-communication and social communication disorders and TBI, and, sleep and TBI. She has authored and co-authored numerous research publications, provincial and international practice guidelines, a textbook, a book chapter on pediatric brain injury, and contributed to a rehabilitation manual. Catherine is also the founder and director of The Compassionate Justice Fund, which in partnership with the Ontario Brain Injury Association, aims to provide financial support for rehabilitation services to marginalized and vulnerable individuals with brain injury.
Job Titles:
- Scientist in the Neural Engineering and Therapeutics Team
Dr. Craven is a clinician scientist in the Neural Engineering and Therapeutics Team at KITE and Medical Lead of the Spinal Cord Rehab Program at Toronto Rehab. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Craven's research redefines patients' experiences with the health conditions that come after a spinal cord injury, helping them avoid or better manage heart disease, diabetes and fracture. She leads the SCI-HIGH project, reshaping SCI rehabilitation by 2020 through developing and implementing indicators of quality care linked with accreditation standards. She leads TRI's Central Recruitment program with vision and tenacity.
Catriona M. Steele is a Senior Scientist leading the Swallowing Science team at KITE. She directs the Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Laboratory. She is a Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto. Catriona's research focuses on helping people who lose the ability to swallow - something we all take for granted. This includes studying how foods and liquids move through the throat, establishing international definitions for food and liquid consistency in diets for people with swallowing difficulty, and developing exercise-based therapy that helps people return to normal eating and drinking.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Chair of the Division of Anatomy
Dr. Morshead is a tenured Professor and Chair of the Division of Anatomy, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto. She is cross-appointed to the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and Rehabilitation Science Institute, and is a member of the Institute of Medical Science, Next Generation Precision Medicine (PRIME), Collaborative Program in Neuroscience (CIPIN) at the University of Toronto, and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (KITE) and the Center for Advancing Neurological Innovation to Application (CRANIA) at the University Health Network.
Dr. Ryan's focus of research evaluates the relationship between sleep apnea and cardiopulmonary disorders. She is also interested in the adherence to therapies for sleep apnea in young adults during their transition from the paediatric to adult healthcare systems.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Vice Chair for Research
Dr. Alastair Flint is Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Director of the Labatt Family Network for Research on the Biology of Depression. He is also a Senior Scientist in the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, an affiliate scientist in the Kite Research Institute of Toronto Rehab, and a member of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Flint obtained his medical degree and training in psychiatry at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He completed a clinical research fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Flint's research focuses on depressive disorders in later life, with a particular focus on improving the treatment and outcome of severe depression; treating psychotic depression across the adult lifespan; and investigating the intersection of mental disorders with balance and mobility in older adults. The methodological foci of his research include randomized controlled trials, longitudinal observational studies of treatment outcome, and drug treatment. These studies have integrated behavioural, pharmacokinetic, genetic, and neuroimaging markers of efficacy, tolerability, and safety of treatments as part of the study design.
Dr. Flint has received peer-reviewed funding from federal and provincial granting agencies and scientific foundations for the past 30 years. He has authored numerous scientific articles, many of which have been published in leading journals such as JAMA, BMJ, JAMA Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, British Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, and Neuropsychopharmacology.
Dr. Flint's former leadership roles were head of the UHN Geriatric Psychiatry Program at the University Health Network, head of the UHN Division of Neurosciences and Psychiatry, and the Director of Psychiatric Research at UHN. He has been listed in "The Best Doctors in Canada" and "The Best Doctors in America" for his clinical and academic contributions to psychiatry. He was formerly a triage editor and editorial board member of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and is currently a triage editor and member of the editorial board of International Psychogeriatrics. He has served as a reviewer for a number of scientific agencies, including the National Institute of Mental Health.
Dr. Alfonso Fasano holds a Chair in Neuromodulation and Multidisciplinary care and is a Professor in the Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology) at the University of Toronto. He is staff neurologist and co-director of the Surgical Program for Movement Disorders at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. He is also staff neurologist at the Hospital of Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Fasano is a Clinician Investigator at the Krembil Research Institute and KITE - Toronto Rehabilitation Hospital. Dr. Fasano leads the Core E (closed-loop capabilities) of the CenteR for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application (CRANIA) and sits in the scientific advisory board of the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation and International Essential Tremor Foundation. He's the chair of the Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus study group of and member of the study group on tremor of the International Parkinson Movement Disorders Society; he's also member of the Tremor Research Group and the Parkinson Study Group.
Dr. Fasano received his medical degree from the Catholic University of Rome, Italy, in 2002 and became a neurologist in 2007. After a 2-year fellowship at the University of Kiel, Germany, he completed a PhD in neuroscience at the Catholic University of Rome. His main areas of interest are the treatment of movement disorders with advanced technology (infusion pumps and neuromodulation), pathophysiology, and treatment of tremor and gait disorders. He authored more than 300 scientific papers and book chapters. Dr. Fasano is the co-editor of the section "Gaps and Controversies" of Movement Disorders Journal and editorial board member of Annals of Neurology, Movement Disorders Journal, Movement Disorders Clinical Practice and Parkinsonism and Related Disorders. He is also the principal investigator of several clinical trials.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
Dr. Charlene Chu is an Assistant Professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, and an Affiliate Scientist at KITE Toronto Rehab at the University Health Network. She is also cross-appointment (status only) with the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work's Institute for Life Course & Aging at the University of Toronto. As a Registered Nurse with 14 years of experience working with older adults across the health spectrum, Dr. Chu's primary area of research is in designing interventions that support the mobility and daily function of older adults in post-acute care settings (e.g. long-term care, rehabilitation, community).
Job Titles:
- Media Contacts
- Senior Advisor, Public Affairs and Communications, KITE - UHN
Job Titles:
- Member of the Academic Advisory Committee
- Associate Director - Academic
Dr. Oh is the GoodLife Fitness Chair in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Prevention, Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Program at Toronto Rehab and a Senior Scientist at KITE. A leading expert on the role of exercise in rehabilitation, he leads a comprehensive research program that includes investigating best practices in cardiac rehabilitation and analyzing cardiovascular databases to better understand long-term patient outcomes. The statistics are strong: Participation in cardiac rehabilitation programs, which emphasize exercise, can lower chances of dying from a future cardiac event by about 50 per cent.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Academic Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Academic Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Academic Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Academic Advisory Committee