Today, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital joins KidSights™, a pioneering data consortium created to address and close the innovation gap in pediatric health.  

Children and young people with disabilities and developmental differences represent 10 per cent of the world’s population. However, innovation in pediatric developmental health care – especially pediatric disability care -- lags behind the adult health-care sector. One factor is due to limited access to large-scale datasets that enable ground-breaking advances in care.  

To address this gap, KidSights will use secure, privacy-enhanced technology to create de-identified, aggregated datasets. These datasets will be available to innovators, including pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and researchers around the world to propel research and accelerate new products, medical treatments, devices and drugs. The ultimate goal: advance the health and wellbeing of children and youth with complex needs.  

“For far too long, pediatric disability health data have not been effectively aggregated and made widely accessible, which has led to a major innovation gap,” says Julia Hanigsberg, president and CEO at Holland Bloorview. “The KidSights data consortium is a critical step in the right direction. By participating, Holland Bloorview expects to close that gap and speed up the development of personalized therapies and interventions to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities, developmental differences and rare genetic conditions within and beyond our walls.”   

Holland Bloorview is the first Canadian hospital to join KidSights, a subsidiary established in 2023 by Gillette Children’s, a global leader in providing specialty care for children with disabilities, rare and complex medical conditions. 

“In our long history of providing specialty care for children with complex conditions and rare diseases, we’ve consistently led and innovated clinical advancements that directly benefit the community we serve,” says Barbara Joers, president & CEO of Gillette Children's. “The launch of KidSights marks a transformative step forward in pediatric health. Gillette Children’s looks forward to utilizing the data derived from KidSights to tackle enduring challenges and drive clinical advancements for the children who need them most.”  

Learn more: www.hollandbloorview.ca/KidSights