Toronto Biomedical Engineering Conference
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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.
Advancing biomedical engineering through diagnostics, therapeutics, and rehabilitation
May 9th, 2025, Hart House
Interested in attending the conference?
Want to attend the dinner award reception?
2025 Conference Schedule
| Time (24:00) | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 - 9:00 | Check-in, Poster set-up, Breakfast | Quad |
| 9:00 - 9:15 | Conference Welcome from BME Director and ToBE Co-Chairs | Great Hall |
| 9:15 - 10:15 | Keynote Speaker 1 | Great Hall |
| 10:15 - 10:25 | Break | |
| 10:25 - 11:15 | Workshop 1: Panel Discussion: From Innovation to Impact: Bridging Biomedical Engineering and Commercialization | Great Hall |
| 11:15 - 11:20 | Break | |
| 11:20 - 12:20 | Keynote Speaker 2 | Great Hall |
| 12:20 - 12:30 | Break | |
| 12:30 - 13:40 | Lunch/Poster Session | Poster: East Common Room & Music Room |
| 13:40 - 14:20 | Workshop 2: Tools For Visualizing Complex Biomedical Data | Debates Room |
| 14:20 - 14:30 | Break | |
| 14:30 - 15:30 | Concurrent session 1: Student Oral Presentation- Molecular | Burwash Room |
| Concurrent session 2: Student Oral Presentation- Cell and Tissue | Debates Room | |
| Concurrent session 3: Student Oral Presentation- Clinical | Great Hall | |
| 15:30 - 15:40 | Break | |
| 15:40 - 16:40 | Keynote Speaker 3 | Great Hall |
| 16:40 - 16:50 | Closing Remarks | Great Hall |
| 18:00 - 22:00 | Celebratory Dinner; Student Oral & Poster Awards | Arcadian Loft |
2025 Keynote Speakers
Dr. Jessica Winter, PhD
Distinguished Professor of Engineering
William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Jessica Winter is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, serves on the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Board of Directors, and is Editor in Chief of RSC Journal of Materials Chemistry B. She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Innovative Visual Rehabilitation at the Boston VA Hospital. Her research interests include nanoparticles for cancer diagnostics and drug delivery; and cell migration in the brain tumor microenvironment. She is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Core Quantum Technologies, a company that markets nanoparticle reagents for cancer diagnostics. She was named TechColumbus Innovator of the Year, Columbus Business First 40 under 40, and Columbus Business First 20 People to Know in Technology. She has received the American Physical Society (APS) Five Sigma Award, American Chemical Society (ACS) Rising Star Award, and the Engineering DesignNews Golden Mouse Trap Rising Star Award; she was named to Top 25 STEM professors in Ohio; and is a fellow of the AIChE, BMES, AAAS, AIMBE, the RSC, and senior member of the IEEE.
Dr. Ronald Triolo, PhD
Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
Executive Director, Advanced Platform Technology Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Dr. Triolo is a Tenured Full Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University and a Senior Research Career Scientist with the US Department of Veterans Affairs where he directs the Advanced Platform Technology Center and oversees the development and application of novel technical interventions for individuals with sensorimotor impairments or limb loss. Dr. Triolo has authored over 175 peer-reviewed publications, textbook chapters, generated seven US and international patents, and mentored approximately 40 graduate and medical students or post-doctoral trainees. He maintained an independent research program with VA, NIH, DoD and other federal and private support to prevent or recover from stumbles and falls, restore or enhance upright and seated mobility, posture, and balance, and universal access for individuals with neuro-musculo-skeletal disorders. Dr. Triolo was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, received the Paul B. Magnuson Award for outstanding achievement in Rehabilitation Research and Development from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the Disabled American Veterans Outstanding Veterans Health Administration Employee, and the Maurice Saltzman Award for Clinical/Academic Excellence from the Mount Sinai Foundation.
2025 Student Presentations
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.
Rules of Submission
- Word Limit: The text must be within the 300 word limit.
- Please draft your abstract with the following 4 subsections in mind:
- Rationale & Objectives
- Methods
- Results
- Conclusions & Significance
- 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.
- Abstracts must be submitted through the online form available below:
Abstract submissions open on February 10, 2025 and close on March 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM. Students will be notified of the outcome by Friday April 13, 2025.
Resources
2025 Workshops
Workshop 1: Panel Discussion - From Innovation to Impact: Bridging Biomedical Engineering and Commercialization
From Innovation to Impact: Bridging Biomedical Engineering and Commercialization is a thought-provoking panel discussion that explores how biomedical engineering research and discoveries are transformed into impactful technologies that improve health outcomes. This session invites participants to consider the entire innovation pipeline—from early-stage ideas developed in academic and clinical research settings to fully realized technologies implemented in hospitals, homes, and communities. The conversation will unpack the intricacies of commercialization, including the importance of timing, market need, funding models, regulatory pathways, and interdisciplinary collaboration in moving innovations forward.
As health technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace, the journey from innovation to implementation is more complex and critical than ever. Panelists will explore the role of biomedical engineers in addressing these challenges, while also highlighting the broader ecosystem that supports innovation—industry, government, academia, and nonprofit organizations. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how these sectors interact, how new ventures are formed, and how emerging technologies can be scaled responsibly and sustainably.
Whether you are a student, researcher, or professional working in the biomedical space, this discussion will illuminate the many moving parts behind successful innovation. It will also emphasize the value of systems-level thinking, creative problem-solving, and persistence in translating research into real-world impact. This session is a unique opportunity to hear directly from leaders working at the intersection of science, technology, and society—offering inspiration and practical knowledge for the next generation of changemakers in biomedical engineering.
Robyn Saccon - Vice President, Public Affairs, BD Canada
Robyn Saccon is the Vice President of Public Affairs at BD-Canada (Becton, Dickinson, and Company), a leading global and Canadian medical technology company.
With more than 17 years of experience in the hospital and healthcare sectors, Robyn is known for her expertise in relationship-building and policy influence. Robyn drives BD-Canada’s strategic marketing and communications, policy, as well as government relations efforts that plays a crucial role in advancing the organization's mission to transform care for all Canadians. A leader in Canada’s MedTech sector, Robyn serves on the boards of Life Sciences Ontario and the Mississauga Board of Trade and chairs several influential committees, including those for Medtech Canada, UBC Industry Advisory, School of Biomedical Engineering, and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Her contributions were recognized at the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) Greater Toronto Area Leadership Awards in 2024.
Nikhil Thatte - Partner, Lumira Ventures
Nikhil Thatte is a Partner with Lumira Ventures and been with the firm since March 2019. Nikhil leads Lumira’s investment efforts in next generation modalities including protein degradation, gene therapy, cell therapy, and gene editing and represents Lumira Ventures as a board member or observer at a number of its portfolio companies including Specific Biologics (gene editing, Toronto), Alpina Biotechnology (immunology, Montreal/Boston), BioTheryX (protein degradation, San Diego), COUR Pharmaceuticals (antigen-specific tolerance, Chicago) and XyloCor Therapeutics (cardiovascular gene therapy, Philadelphia). He also co-led Lumira’s investment and successful exit in ESSA Pharma (prostate cancer, Vancouver) which achieved a 3x return in less than 6 months. Prior to Lumira Ventures, Nikhil worked as a Director with DRI Capital as a member of the business development and investment teams and as a Consultant with ZS Associates, where he provided sales and marketing expertise to nearly all top 10 pharmaceutical companies across a broad range of projects and therapeutic areas. Nikhil also served as an Analyst with Bayer AG and Health Canada, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal.
Anthony Palma - Director, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, KITE UHN
Anthony Palma, Director, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives at KITE, acquired his M.Sc. in Clinical Biochemistry and Neuroscience from the University of Toronto and conducted proteomics research on Multiple Sclerosis at the Hospital for Sick Children. His neuroscientific career led to a short stint in industry at an immunology-based biotech start-up and then to the University Health Network (UHN) where he held a number of progressive roles since 1999 including his current leadership role with KITE. Anthony enjoys connecting elusive dots in the midst of chaos and complexity. Since 2018, Anthony continues to nurture and grow multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional ecosystems including FIBRE, CRANIA, KITE Creates and ICAIR.
Lili Aslostovar, PhD - Manager, Technology & Venture Development, CCRM
Lili Aslostovar is Manager, Technology & Venture Development, at the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM). She leads CCRM’s “Venture by Design,” a company creation program aiming to unlock major health needs with disruptive technology solutions through systematic innovation and entrepreneurship. Lili also has experience working at a startup, in a contract development and manufacturing organization environment, and at a global life sciences solution provider (Cytiva, formerly GE Healthcare), where she oversaw the team's functions in the Toronto facility.
Lili’s PhD studies at McMaster University focused on characterizing the cellular and transcriptional origins of cancer relapse with the goal of unveiling novel therapy targets. Her work received broad media coverage for challenging dogma, and was translated into a Phase I trial testing a novel therapeutic in leukemic patients, which was completed at the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.
Elliot Fung - Executive Director, Medical Innovation Xchange
Elliot Fung is a passionate supporter of the local technology ecosystem, and an experienced community leader. Over the past 20 years, Elliot has held various executive roles helping to advance the local ecosystem. He was Vice President, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Ontario Health where he brokered relationships between health service providers and the robust tech and social innovation communities in Waterloo, evangelizing new health technologies, processes and social innovations and helping health service providers adopt and pilot new innovations. He spent seven years at BlackBerry where he held various strategic positions helping to adopt and commercialize enterprise-level technology to some of BlackBerry’s largest global partners and has also served two terms on municipal council in the Township of Wilmot and one term as the Vice Chairperson of the Waterloo Regional School Board. Currently, Elliot is the Executive Director of the Medical Innovation Xchange (MIX), Canada's first technology hub dedicated to supporting Canadian-based and founded medtech scaling companies to grow and succeed and remain in Canada. Elliot also serves on two provincial boards: the Life Sciences Council, and the Board of Directors for Intellectual Property Ontario (IP Ontario), where they help Ontario companies secure and leverage their IP.
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.
Co-Chairs
Reke Ferdinand Avikpe
Lyba Sheraz
Programs Coordinators
Nour Ghanem
Shaghayegh Chavoshian
Alex Jucan
Sponsorship Leads
Tiffany Rodrigues
Mina Latif
Charlotte Gibson
Media & Marketing Leads
Jessica Kaloti
Yvonne Yang
Workshop Coordinators
Alexandria Schneider
Aryan Singh
Publication Coordinators
Samantha Unger
Tyler Thomson
Atoosa Ziyaeyan
Mohammed Nazeri
Treasurer
Tony Jiao
2025 Sponsors
We are deeply grateful to our sponsors for their invaluable support, which enables us to create a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and innovation. Sponsorships not only showcase your company’s latest products, technologies, and solutions to a highly engaged audience of students, faculty, and industry professionals but also directly contribute to empowering the next generation of biomedical engineering leaders. Your generous contributions foster a vibrant community that drives healthcare innovation forward, and we are proud to recognize and celebrate your role in shaping the future of global healthcare.
Thank you for your dedication and partnership in making ToBE a continued success.