Q&A: Why KITE-UHN invests in future biomedical engineers
March 24, 2025
The KITE Research Institute at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute—part of the University Health Network (UHN)—is committed to shaping the future of rehabilitation science by supporting the next generation of researchers. As a world leader in complex rehabilitation research, KITE is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by disability, illness, and aging through innovative discoveries and technological advancements. This year, KITE is reinforcing that commitment by sponsoring the student-organized Toronto Biomedical Engineering Conference (ToBE), hosted by the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of Toronto on May 9th.
As a close collaborator with BME, KITE recognizes the value of fostering emerging talent, sharing resources, and creating opportunities for students to present their research. Through its sponsorship, KITE aims to inspire the next generation of biomedical engineers and demonstrate how their expertise can drive life-changing advancements in rehabilitation and disability care.
Can you provide an overview of KITE-UHN and its core mission?
KITE is the research arm of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and a world leader in complex rehabilitation. Our scientists are dedicated to improving the lives of people living with the effects of disability, illness, and aging through cutting-edge research and ground-breaking innovations. We cover a wide breadth of rehabilitation and disability, from aging to spinal cord injuries.
As part of the University Health Network, Canada’s #1 Hospital, KITE researchers have the chance to work alongside clinicians and other UHN institutions. We also have a strong relationship with the University of Toronto. Our Institute’s director, Dr. Milos R. Popovic, is also the Director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, and trainees from U of T make up a crucial part of our team.
We recently launched the KITE Collaborative, which allows researchers from KITE and BME to share resources, such as trainees, money, data and intellectual property, without red tape, bringing our two teams closer.
Can you briefly describe KITE’s role in rehabilitation in Toronto, Canada, and beyond?
KITE is advancing knowledge and technologies in Toronto and around the globe in various ways. We play a pivotal role in rehabilitation research, publishing more than 700 papers a year.
KITE also ensures that the insights from that research are put into practice and widely shared through events, such as our International Conference on Aging, Innovation & Rehabilitation (ICAIR), and our scientists' leadership roles in groups such as Ontario’s Spinal Cord Injury Implementation and Evaluation Quality Care Consortium.
Our influence goes beyond the scientific community with our FIBRE and KITE Creates teams, which connect healthcare entrepreneurs with creatives to refine products and share our expertise. Finally, through initiatives like NovaKonexus, KITE brings our life-changing healthcare products to markets worldwide.
What challenges does the rehabilitation space face, and how is KITE addressing them?
There are a few. One is the upcoming demographic shift in Canada as the number of older people increases. New Statistics Canada research predicts that the number of Canadians 85 and older will grow from 911,900 people in 2004 to between 3.2 million and 4.1 million by 2074. That will drive an increased demand for technology and therapies to help seniors maintain their mobility, cognitive function, and ability to live independently and reduce the burden on caregivers.
Another is the ongoing challenges around taking innovations from the clinic to commercialization. That’s why KITE is focused both on making discoveries and ensuring that new technologies make it to market, where they can help as many people as possible.
What are some key trends in rehabilitation that students and young researchers should be paying attention to?
Engaging patients in every step of the research process is an essential shift in research. At KITE, that shift has been driven by Dr. Catharine Craven, a senior scientist at KITE. She leads UHN's Pride in Patient Engagement in Research (PiPER), which includes patient partners and community organizations that share their lived experiences.
Changing technology also offers new opportunities for rehabilitation. The volume and quality of data from health wearables lends itself to new opportunities for research, prevention and treatment. For example, KITE's Health Metrics and Clinical Events study looks at how Apple Watch data such as heart rate and exercise connect to long-term cardiovascular outcomes.
Another side of this trend is wearable tech, such as smart clothing that can track health at home.
And, of course, AI is affecting all technology. It’s being used in research and enhancing rehab tools by people such as KITE’s Dr. Brokoslaw Laschowski, who is creating AI robotics for use in rehab programs, prosthetics and more.
What motivated KITE to sponsor this student-organized research conference (ToBE)?
KITE is committed to helping the next generation of researchers in rehabilitation science reach their full potential, including through interactions with organizations and conferences such as ToBE. As part of UHN, our mandate goes beyond research and care and includes showing leadership in education and investing in the next generation of researchers. With that mission in mind, we are proud to be a gold sponsor at ToBe.
What impact does KITE hope to have on the students and researchers attending this event?
Overall, we hope that students and young researchers at ToBE will feel inspired by this event and our support. By sharing more about the work that we do, KITE would like to ignite a spark in attendees – empowering them with knowledge, guiding them towards opportunities (perhaps at KITE itself), and instilling in them the vision that they could use their biomedical expertise to contribute to life-changing discoveries in rehabilitation and disability.
