Toronto Biomedical Engineering Conference
Since its inception in 1985, the Toronto Biomedical Engineering Conference (ToBE) has proudly held the distinction of being the longest-running student-run conference, serving as a testament to its enduring legacy of excellence and innovation. Held annually at the University of Toronto, ToBE has established itself as a premier platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas within the biomedical engineering community. Each year, ToBE attracts internationally renowned speakers who share their expertise and insights with attendees, enriching the conference experience and inspiring the next generation of biomedical engineers. Moreover, students affiliated with the biomedical engineering community at the University of Toronto get the opportunity to present their research and projects, showcasing their contributions to the advancement of the field and fostering meaningful collaborations and discussions among peers and professionals alike.
Time until the 2025 Conference
May 9th, 2025
2024 Event Schedule
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | Check-in, Poster set-up, Breakfast | Quad |
| 9:00 | Conference Welcome from BME Director and ToBE Co-Chairs | Great Hall |
| 9:15 | Keynote Speaker 1: Dr. Jennifer Doudna | Great Hall |
| 10:25 | Keynote Speaker 2: Dr. John-Ross Rizzo | Great Hall |
| 11:30 | Poster Session | Burwash Room (South Dining Room), Music Room |
| 12:15 | Lunch | Quad |
| 13:15 | Workshop 1 – From Idea to Impact: Tools for Effective Communication Across Audiences | East Common Room |
| 13:15 | Workshop 2 – Cultivating Success: Navigating Entrepreneurship Challenges and Rewards | Great Hall |
| 14:30 | Student Oral Presentations – Molecular | East Common Room |
| 14:30 | Student Oral Presentations – Cell & Tissue | Great Hall |
| 14:30 | Student Oral Presentations – Clinical | Debates Room |
| 15:45 | Keynote speaker 3: Dr. Andrew Pelling | Great Hall |
| 16:45 | Closing remarks | Great Hall |
| 18:00 | Reception/Award Ceremony for Student Oral & Poster Presentations | The Carlu (444 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON) |
2024 Keynote Speakers
Dr. Jennifer Doudna, PhD
Dr. Jennifer Doudna is the Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Chair and a Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her groundbreaking development of CRISPR-Cas9 as a genome-engineering technology, with collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier, earned the two the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and forever changed the course of human and agricultural genomics research. This powerful technology enables scientists to change DNA — the code of life — with a precision only dreamed of just a few years ago. Labs worldwide have re-directed the course of their research programs to incorporate this new tool, creating a CRISPR revolution with huge implications across biology and medicine. In addition to her scientific achievements, Doudna is a leader in public discussion of the ethical implications of genome editing for human biology and societies, and advocates for thoughtful approaches to the development of policies around the safe use of CRISPR technology. Doudna is an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes, and the founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute. She co-founded and serves on the advisory panel of several companies that use CRISPR technology in unique ways. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Doudna is also a Foreign Member of the Royal Society, a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and has received numerous other honors including the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2015), the Japan Prize (2016), Kavli Prize (2018), the LUI Che Woo Welfare Betterment Prize (2019), and the Wolf Prize in Medicine (2020). Doudna’s work led TIME to recognize her as one of the “100 Most Influential People” in 2015 and a runner-up for “Person of the Year” in 2016. She is the co-author of “A Crack in Creation,” a personal account of her research and the societal and ethical implications of gene editing.
Dr. John-Ross Rizzo, MD
Dr. John-Ross Rizzo is a physician-scientist and leader at NYU Langone Health. He is currently the Health System Director of Disability Inclusion, Endowed Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, and the Vice Chair of Innovation & Equity in the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, with cross-appointments in the Department of Neurology, the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He is the Associate Director of Healthcare for the renowned NYU WIRELESS and associate faculty in the Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He leads the Visuomotor Integration Laboratory (VMIL), exploring motor control with a special emphasis on visual guidance, and the Rehabilitation Engineering Alliance and Center Transforming Low Vision Laboratory (REACTIV), exploring bio-inspired, multi-sensory assistive technologies with a special emphasis on advanced wearables to help patients with stroke and blindness respectively.
Dr. Andrew Pelling, PhD
Dr. Pelling is a lifelong Scientist, full professor at the University of Ottawa and founder of multiple start up companies. His highly experimental ‘Pelling Lab for Augmented Biology’ has trail blazed by developing speculative living technologies of the future with the potential to redefine the limits of biology and medicine. The Lab is well known for its discovery that plants can be harnessed to create medical-grade biomaterials for engineering and regenerating human tissues. Pelling’s work in this area gained considerable international recognition after delivering his first TED talk on growing human ears out of apples. To date, the Pelling Lab has spun out five companies in the technology, biotechnology and medical fields, translating their discoveries into real world products and solutions. Dr. Pelling also serves as co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Spiderwort, a company translating the fundamental discoveries from his Lab in the area of plant-based biomaterials. As CSO, Dr. Pelling leads Spiderwort’s research program which addresses a variety of tissue engineering applications and unmet medical needs. Andrew also plays a key role in guiding the translation of Spiderwort’s products through the clinical and regulatory landscapes. As an award-winning scientist, Andrew has published his research in some of the world’s most prestigious journals and has been well recognized by his peers. He is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, Member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada, a Canada Research Chair and a TED Senior Fellow. Dr. Pelling’s leadership and experience are highly sought-after and he has delivered hundreds of keynotes and served in a variety of advisory roles for community, industry and government organizations.
2024 Student Presentations
About
At the Toronto Biomedical Engineering Conference (ToBE), students affiliated with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto are provided with a unique opportunity to showcase their cutting-edge research through engaging poster presentations or informative oral sessions. This platform not only allows students to share their innovative findings and insights with a diverse audience of peers, faculty, and industry professionals but also fosters valuable networking opportunities and constructive feedback exchanges. Through these presentations, students contribute to the vibrant academic discourse surrounding biomedical engineering, enriching the conference experience and furthering the collective knowledge base of the field. The DEADLINE for abstract submissions is March 20, 2024 and students will be notified of the outcome on April 19, 2024.
Rules of Submission
1. Word Limit: The text must be within the 300 word limit.
2. Please draft your abstract with the following 4 subsections in mind:
I) Rationale & Objectives
II) Methods
III) Results
IV) Conclusions & Significance
3. Writing Style: The University of Toronto BME community consists of individuals with diverse expertise and levels of experience. To help make your exciting work accessible to our entire community, we are requesting that all abstracts be written in a language that is easy to understand by multiple audiences. Please also minimize the use of highly technical terms or field-specific jargon.
4. Abstracts must be submitted through the online form available below:
The deadline to submit your abstract is Friday, March 20, 2024 by 11:59 PM. ABSTRACTS SUBMITTED PAST THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Interesting in presenting at the conference?
2024 Workshops
Dr. Lydia Wilkinson, PhD
Dr. Lydia Wilkinson is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice. Her teaching focuses on providing graduate and undergraduate engineering students with the skills required to navigate the communication tasks of their academic as well as future professional careers. Her current teaching responsibilities include graduate courses in Engineering Presentations, and Research Methods and Project Execution. Dr Wilkinson’s approach to engineering education works to enrich engineering classrooms through knowledge and pedagogies drawn from her background in the humanities, including sharing strategies from theatre and performance studies to foster creativity and confidence.
Gary Lee
Garry Lee is a seasoned Entrepreneur, Investor, and Strategic Business Leader. As the Founder and Partner of Megalab Group Inc., he heads an ISO 17025 Accredited engineering and independent environmental testing firm. Additionally, he serves as Director of Cortex Design Inc., a prominent medical design, engineering, and manufacturing company. Prior to these roles, Garry was the President and founder of Global Advantage Int & Global EMC Inc., which became one of Canada’s largest firms for product safety certification in medical equipment, telecom, and IT industries, boasting over 25 engineers and generating annual revenues exceeding $10M. In 2016, both organizations were successfully acquired by TUV SUD America Inc., one of the world’s largest certification bodies. Garry’s expertise lies in guiding clients through regulatory and testing procedures, ensuring their products meet international standards for market readiness.
Aaron Rezaei, PEng, MBA
Aaron Rezaei serves as the CEO & President of STIM Canada Inc (HW Venture Studio) and is a General Partner at AXION Capital Fund (ARCHNAGEL). At STIM Canada, Aaron leads a team offering a comprehensive suite of solutions tailored to the product life cycle needs of hardware-based startups, spanning from MVP development to commercialization and scale-up. STIM closely collaborates with startups from pre-seed and seed stages through to scale-up, providing expertise in areas such as design (Analog & Digital), Embedded Design, RF communications, WiFi, IoT, and Medical MDSAP/FDA compliance, as well as clinical trial roadmap architecture for electronics/mechanical device-based startups. As a General Partner at AXION Capital Fund (ARCHANGEL), Aaron focuses on investing in promising early-stage Canadian companies, with a dedication to fostering innovation and excellence. ARCHANGEL aims to democratize angel investment, facilitate the creation and commercialization of intellectual properties, and foster hyper-growth outcomes, while also breaking down barriers for Canadian inventors to access smart and value-added investors and industry partners.
About the Organizers
As organizers, we are thrilled to present this esteemed event, which stands as a testament to the dedication and passion of our student-led team. At ToBE, we pride ourselves on being a student-run organization, where every aspect of the conference, from planning to execution, is orchestrated by the collaborative efforts of our talented team members. Together, our team worked tirelessly to curate an enriching and impactful conference experience for our attendees, featuring engaging presentations, insightful discussions, and valuable networking opportunities. By harnessing the collective talents and creativity of our student organizers, ToBE continues to uphold its reputation as one of the premier student-run conferences in the field of biomedical engineering.
Meet the 2024 Leadership of Biomedical Engineering Students’ Association
Introducing the Movers and Shakers of the Biomedical Engineering Students’ Association (BESA)! Meet the leadership team that will spearhead graduate student related extracurricular activities this year.
Introducing the 2023 Toronto Biomedical Engineering Conference Chairs: Zi Xuan Zhang and Eileen Zhong
As ToBE embarks on its latest chapter in 2023, we are proud to introduce the leadership duo at the helm of this year’s event: Zi Xuan Zhang and Eileen Zhong.
2024 Event Organizers
Co-Chairs
Eileen Zhong
Zi Xuan Zhang
Visual & Design Team
Savina Cammalleri
Ferdinand Reke Avikpe
Program Team
Emmanuella Nana
Sargol Okhovatian
Rida Hasan
Nour Ghanem
Workshop Team
Camille Guerin
Dianoosh Kalhory
Publicity & Web Team
Rachel Lau
Shana Alexander
Sponsorship Team
Elain Huang
Amel Sassi
Demo Chair
Tiffany Rodrigues
Publication Team
Lauren Banh
Samantha Unger
Nicholas Yee
Kousha Kamal
Treasurer
Naomi Opiaevans
Student Volunteer Leaders
Jemila Abdulai
Alexandra Jucan
2024 Sponsors
