In June 2023, we opened our expanded, state-of-the-art Bloorview Research Institute (BRI) after a successful $32 million fundraising campaign. Funded entirely by donors, the BRI is now home to the highest concentration of disability research in the world. The expansion features the Jason Smith Research Tower, eight discovery hubs and a child-friendly, accessible research MRI. In this multidisciplinary space, the first of its kind worldwide, our research teams are collaborating and exchanging knowledge with experts from around the world. From cutting-edge technology to groundbreaking studies on brain development, the BRI is a global leader in research and education on childhood disability and developmental differences.
Unlocking research and teaching excellence
In June 2023, we opened our expanded, state-of-the-art Bloorview Research Institute (BRI) after a successful $32 million fundraising campaign. Funded entirely by donors, the BRI is now home to the highest concentration of disability research in the world. The expansion features the Jason Smith Research Tower, eight discovery hubs and a child-friendly, accessible research MRI. In this multidisciplinary space, the first of its kind worldwide, our research teams are collaborating and exchanging knowledge with experts from around the world. From cutting-edge technology to groundbreaking studies on brain development, the BRI is a global leader in research and education on childhood disability and developmental differences.
Fueling precision health
Holland Bloorview is transforming care for children with disabilities and developmental differences and their families through precision health. Newly appointed BRI associate chief of data science, Dr. Azadeh Kushki, is leveraging data science and artificial intelligence to understand the variability within and across individuals, including biology, behaviour, environment and experiences. This new role, coupled with the hospital’s data collection strategy, is transforming care through research.
Teaching the next generation
Holland Bloorview is dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to the specialized care they need, when and where they need it. Our Teaching and Learning Institute is enabling the training of next generation of health-care professionals in Canada and around the world, providing hands-on experience and the skills necessary to advance the fields of childhood development, disability and developmental differences. Undergraduate student Simran Jenoga and Ethiopian physician Dr. Selamenesh Tsige are just two of the 450+ learners who trained at Holland Bloorview this year.
Revolutionizing orthotics and prosthetics
Co-led by a partnership between researchers and clinicians, we are transforming the future of orthotics and prosthetics. With new digital workflows that use optical scanners to capture the shape of limbs, models can now be modified with design software, saved for future use and manufactured at a lower cost using faster 3D printing. This innovative workflow ultimately provides clients with a more comfortable, customized device that can be easily adjusted as they grow.
Supporting the team
The need to mentor and support health-care workers in childhood disability is now more critical than ever. In response, Holland Bloorview has launched the clinical scholars program, enabling experienced health-care professionals to mentor new graduates and equip them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to care for children and youth within our health-care system. As a clinical scholar, Laura Ewing dedicates her time to training new nurses as they hone this specialized skillset.
Dr. Morris Milner is a renowned rehabilitation scholar. Under his leadership (1978-2004), we cemented ourselves as a world leader in assistive technologies for children and youth with disabilities and developmental differences.