The 2026-2027 Innovation for System Partnerships, Implementation and Evaluation (INSPIRE) Awards will support two projects that aim to bring innovative gait assessment technologies into clinical practice at Holland Bloorview.

Supported by the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, the INSPIRE program provides internal funding of up to $25,000 per project to support the clinical or operational implementation of innovative solutions developed at Holland Bloorview. The program helps teams evaluate the feasibility and organizational value of innovative tools and technologies while accelerating their adoption into everyday practice.

The 2026-27 INSPIRE Awards will support the following implementation projects:

• Implementing INSIGHT: An Easy-to-Use, Wearable Gait Analysis System for Real-Time Clinical Assessment 
• Strengthening Orthotics & Prosthetics Department Role in the Learning Health System: Implementation of a New Workflow Involving the Use of Markerless Motion Analysis and Gait Report Application into Clinical Practice 

Together, the projects will introduce innovative gait assessment technologies into everyday clinical practice, giving clinicians objective data to support more informed decision-making and more personalized care.

“At Holland Bloorview, we're working toward a learning health system where care, research and innovation continuously inform one another,” said Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, vice president of research and director of the Bloorview Research Institute (BRI). “These two projects are excellent examples of that vision in action. By integrating innovative gait assessment technologies into everyday clinical practice, they'll generate new insights that strengthen clinical decision-making while helping us continuously improve care and outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families.”

Implementing INSIGHT: An Easy-to-Use, Wearable Gait Analysis System for Real-Time Clinical Assessment

Led by Dr. Jan Andrysek, senior scientist at the BRI, Anthony Danial, clinical operations manager, Calvin Ngan, research manager and Josh McGillivray, Motion Analysis lead this project will implement an easy-to-use wearable gait analysis system within Holland Bloorview's Motion Analysis Centre.

INSIGHT uses two lightweight ankle-mounted sensors and a companion smartphone application to capture clinically important gait measurements in real time. The system can be set up in less than two minutes and integrates seamlessly into existing clinical workflows, complementing current video-based assessments with objective gait data.

The technology is designed to support clinicians in monitoring changes in gait over time and informing rehabilitation planning, orthotic prescription and surgical decision-making. Over the coming year, the team will refine the clinician interface through co-design, pilot the technology in orthopedic clinics and work toward integrating gait reports into Holland Bloorview's electronic medical record, supporting longitudinal tracking and continuous improvement in care.

"Our goal is to make objective gait analysis simple, accessible and practical for everyday clinical care," said Dr. Jan Andrysek. "By integrating INSIGHT into existing clinical workflows, we can provide clinicians with meaningful data that supports more informed treatment decisions while helping us learn from every assessment to continually improve care for our clients."

Strengthening Orthotics & Prosthetics Department Role in the Learning Health System

Led by Zinnia Batliwalla, clinical operations manager, Anthony Danial, clinical operations manager, Grace Chung, orthotist, Josh McGillivray, Motion Analysis lead, this project will implement a new clinical workflow that combines markerless motion analysis with the Orthotic & Prosthetic Tracking Insights and Clinical Systems (OPTICS) gait reporting application.

Using artificial intelligence and camera-based motion capture technology, the workflow objectively analyzes movement without the need for wearable markers or sensors. Clinicians will receive automated reports that summarize gait measurements such as walking speed, symmetry, joint movement and toe clearance, providing objective information to support treatment planning, orthotic prescription and evaluation of treatment outcomes.

The project will be implemented in phases, beginning in the Motion Analysis Centre before expanding into the orthotics and prosthetics clinical space, where the technology will become part of routine client care. The standardized clinical data generated through the new workflow will also support continuous learning and future improvements in care.

“This project reflects what's possible when clinicians, researchers and operational teams work together to embed innovative digital applications into daily clinical workflows,” said Zinnia Batliwalla and Anthony Danial. “By integrating markerless motion analysis into routine practice, we'll be able to make more informed clinical decisions, better measure treatment outcomes and continue advancing evidence-informed care.”

Building on INSPIRE's impact

The 2026-27 recipients build on the momentum of previous INSPIRE-funded projects that continue to improve care across the hospital.

Last year's award recipients advanced implementation of personalized prosthetic covers, creating an in-house fabrication process that reduced production costs and turnaround times while expanding opportunities for client customization. The TeachABI project also integrated an evidence-informed educational resource into Holland Bloorview's brain injury rehabilitation workflows, helping clinicians, caregivers and educators better support young people returning to school following acquired brain injury. Together, these projects demonstrate how INSPIRE helps move promising innovations beyond development and into sustainable clinical practice. Find out more about last year’s projects.

A special thank you to the INSPIRE evaluation committee for its thoughtful review of this year's applications. The committee's expertise and dedication help ensure the program continues to support innovative solutions that strengthen care and improve outcomes across Holland Bloorview. This year's committee members were Dr. Melanie Penner, Shrikant Kelkar, Lorraine Thomas, Ashleigh Townley, and Shoshana Hahn Goldberg.

Congratulations to the 2026-27 INSPIRE Award recipients!

We would like to thank the Holland Bloorview Foundation and the generosity of our donors who made this possible.

By Priyanka Shah