Celebrating a day of insights, learnings and transformative research with the next generation of scientists in childhood disability and developmental differences
Earlier this month, the Bloorview Research Institute celebrated its first annual Ward Research Day and Pursuit Award Competition. In previous years these events have been held separately. This year it was decided that they would be combined together to demonstrate the trajectory of research in childhood disability and developmental differences – from the undergraduate to postgraduate levels and beyond.
The day, held in-person for the first time since the summer of 2019, brought together researchers, scientists, trainees, clinicians, donors and hospital leaders among other guests. The event was also live streamed over Zoom.
Some 140 guests gathered in the hospital’s Coriat Atrium or online to hear presentations from this year’s crop of undergraduate students from the Ward Family Summer Student Research Program present a wide breadth of novel research, from identifying clinical characteristics of kids with neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy to health equity for First Nations children.
Attendees also took in live research presentations from this year’s top three Pursuit Award finalists – an international competition showcasing PhD candidates’ outstanding research in the field of childhood disability and developmental differences.
Dr. Patrick Jachyra delivered a powerful keynote speech on how he is advancing research in supporting neurodivergent children and youth to be more physically active and through rehabilitation, which captivated audience members.
Jessica Chan, a youth leader at Holland Bloorview, co-hosted the event with Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, vice president of research – an opportunity she was thrilled to be a part of to see how research plays such an integral role in creating meaningful and healthy future for children, youth and their families.
"Holland Bloorview does incredible work in patient/family and youth engagement as well as in research, but to see first-hand how these two can intersect in opportunities like the Ward Research Day & Pursuit Awards event really proves our dedication to continuing this important work,” says Chan. “Having the opportunity to co-host the event as someone who is also passionate and involved in research really offered me the opportunity to connect and understand the work our students have done more deeply, as well as be a model for other youth leaders to see themselves leading and participating in research in the future."
The event also awarded two Ward students with the best research poster and best oral presentation.
"I am very grateful to be recognized for my work surrounded by so many talented students. The Ward Family Summer Student Research program has been an excellent opportunity to explore my passion for engineering design in the clinical setting,” says Kansas MacKay, a mechanical and biomedical engineering co-op student from McMaster University, who won the Best Research Poster award. “I am thankful for the ongoing support from Dr. Andrysek and the members of the PROPEL lab and I look forward to continuing my work with this incredible team."
Simran Joneja, who is pursuing an Honours degree in health sciences at Queen’s University and was part of Dr. Sally Lindsay’s TRAIL Lab, received the Best Oral Presentation Award.
"I am very honoured to have received the Best Oral Presentation Award, especially considering the immense talent of this year's Ward students,” says Joneja. “This recognition has encouraged me to continue pursuing my passion in health equity research and has given me the confidence to achieve my academic and career goals."
Rounding out the awards ceremony were the announcements of the top three recipients of the Pursuit Award competition. Dr. Jennifer Ryan took top honours, with Caroline Elfassy and Dr. Manjula Manikandan, coming in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Each recipient also received a cash prize of $3,000, $2000 and $1,000, respectively.
“I am thrilled that a panel of scientists, staff, and family leaders has recognized my efforts to imbed research for children with moderate to severe acquired brain injury within their clinical care,” says Ryan, who is a physiotherapist at Holland Bloorview and a postdoctoral fellow at SickKids Research Institute. “This award motivates me to continue to pursue research for children during the early stages of brain injury recovery when the brain has incredible potential for change.”
Congratulations to all of the Ward summer students and to our Pursuit Award recipients! Thank you to the Ward Family Foundation, CIBC, the Holland Bloorview Foundation donors and to the Bloorview Research Institute for creating a world of research possibilities!
