Dr. Elaine Biddiss concluded her term as Associate Chief of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Anti-racism (IDEAA) and Faculty Advancement at the Bloorview Research Institute (BRI) on March 31, 2025, wrapping up a year of significant advancement in equitable research and educational practices. 

Appointed to lead one of the BRI’s key strategic priorities—Advance Research Practices through IDEAA—Dr. Biddiss’s role was critical in co-creating inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible and anti-racist practices across all stages of the research lifecycle. Her work has been instrumental at launching initiatives addressing inequities in training, hiring, study design, participant recruitment and knowledge dissemination. 

"The past year was about laying a strong foundation," says Dr. Biddiss. "Embedding IDEAA across our research is a continuous, lifelong commitment. Each incremental step we have taken sets the stage for meaningful progress." 

Among her initiatives was enhancing Holland Bloorview’s science review processes, ensuring all research proposals now undergo IDEAA evaluations. This includes a focus on inclusive practices (e.g. budgeting for interpreters) and fair compensation for patient partners. Embedding IDEAA from the earliest stages of project planning is an essential step towards advancing equitable research practices.

Dr. Biddiss also provided strategic leadership guiding BRI’s sociodemographic data collection project. This initiative—set to officially launch in the coming weeks— will use a standardized questionnaire across all BRI research studies. Characterizing who participates in studies is essential to understanding how/if the research is representative, inclusive and meaningful for diverse groups. Practical resources were created for research teams to support the rollout of the standardized questionnaire, including a REDCap tip sheet and a comprehensive FAQ document. 

Another key initiative under her leadership was the “Representation in Research” video campaign, developed in partnership with Our Kids Health. This culturally adapted series highlights the importance of diverse participation in research, featuring families and health-care providers from 10 different linguistic and cultural communities. The campaign, aligned with BRI’s strategic priorities, aims to empower historically underrepresented families to make informed decisions about participating in research. 

She also played a key role in the relaunch of Connect2Research, BRI’s secure study recruitment platform that helps identify and match eligible clients with a particular research study, through an IDEAA lens. Under her guidance, the platform was redesigned with improved functionality, including direct e-mail access, to actively reduce participation barriers and enhance equitable access to research opportunities for children, youth and families. 

“Elaine’s leadership launched our strategic plan initiatives aiming at bringing to life our strategic deliverables of implementing IDEAA principles in everything we do,” says Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, vice president of research and director of the Bloorview Research Institute. “Her thoughtful approach and tangible initiatives have empowered our teams to operationalize big ideas, so that commitments do not stay aspirational but translate in the way we are organized and interact with colleagues, institutions and children, youth and families.”

In addition to these high-impact projects, Dr. Biddiss partnered with the Teaching & Learning Institute and worked closely with Shauna Kingsnorth and Darlene Hubley to advance training initiatives with an IDEAA lens. This included a pilot for the inclusion of research students alongside clinical trainees in an interprofessional learning experiences to foster family-centred care practices, reviewed and enhanced training programs and award processes to ensure greater transparency, fairness, and inclusivity. 

“IDEAA work is inherently iterative and exploratory,” Dr. Biddiss explains. “We’ve established processes to measure outcomes and continuously refine our strategies. The ultimate success depends on sustained commitment from every individual at our institute and I feel fortunate to work at an organization with colleagues who share my deep commitment to IDEAA, many of whom have contributed to these strategic initiatives. One individual who deserves special recognition for her tremendous work and invaluable contributions is Carissa Lewis in her role as project manager and operational lead.  It was a great honour to work alongside Carissa this past year.” 

Although her term as Associate Chief has concluded, Dr. Biddiss remains a senior scientist at the BRI, where she continues her work in developing technologies that enable meaningful participation in health, learning and play for children and youth with disabilities. 

The BRI extends its deepest gratitude to Dr. Biddiss for her visionary leadership and foundational contributions, which will continue to shape and strengthen IDEAA efforts for years to come.