Professor Elaine Biddiss Awarded Kids Brain Health Network Funding to Advance Innovative Supports for Children and Youth with Neurodisabilities

Professor Elaine Biddiss, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Senior Scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, is among the project leads for one of 14 initiatives receiving national funding from Kids Brain Health to improve outcomes for children and youth with neurodisabilities and their families across Canada.  

Kids Brain Health Network has announced more than $4 million in funding to support innovative, evidence-based solutions that address long-standing gaps in access to care for children and youth with neurodisabilities. The investment is supported by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s Strategic Science Fund, with partnership funding from Brain Canada through the Canada Brain Research Fund.  

Professor Biddiss’s research focuses on designing and translating interactive, technology-enabled therapies that help children and youth with neurodisabilities participate more fully in rehabilitation, physical activity, play, and creative expression. Her work brings together engineering, rehabilitation science, and user-centred design to create tools that are engaging, personalized, and practical for use in homes, schools, and clinical settings. By emphasizing co-design with children and families, her research aims to reduce barriers to access and improve equity in pediatric care.  

An internationally recognized leader in pediatric rehabilitation engineering, Professor Biddiss directs the Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL) at Holland Bloorview and holds the Bloorview Children’s Hospital Foundation Chair in Pediatric Rehabilitation. Her research has been widely cited and has influenced how assistive and therapeutic technologies are designed to better reflect the priorities and lived experiences of young people with disabilities.  

Professor Biddiss has received numerous honours for her contributions to innovation and accessibility, including the Ontario government’s Minister’s Award of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Accessibility Excellence in Research Award. Through this latest Kids Brain Health–funded initiative, her work will contribute to a coordinated national effort to accelerate the translation of research into real-world impact, supporting healthier futures for children and youth with neurodisabilities and their families across Canada.