February 6, 2012
| Associate Professor Tom Chau (IBBME) has been appointed Vice President of Research and Director of the Bloorview Research Institute at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, effective April 1.
"He is recognized as a bright and accomplished leader, who has
achieved success and recognition for his research at Holland
Bloorview," stated Sheila Jarvis, President and CEO of Holland
Bloorview. "He demonstrates passion, tenacity and commitment to
children and youth with disabilities and their families." |
Associate Professor Chau, who has been at Holland Bloorview since
1999, will be a member of the senior management team guiding Holland
Bloorview in achieving its vision of a world of possibilities for
children and youth with disabilities. As Director of the Bloorview
Research Institute, he will lead a team of scientists advancing new
knowledge in innovative treatments and technologies, as well as models of
participation and inclusion.
"Holland Bloorview's decision to appoint Associate Professor Chau as their new
director is a win-win for everyone in the rehabilitation science
community in Toronto, as his leadership skills in team building and
ambitious goal-setting are outstanding," said IBBME Director
Professor Paul Santerre. "We anticipate continued
growth in IBBME's relationship with Holland Bloorview under his
leadership."Associate Professor Chau’s term as Coordinator of the
Clinical Engineering Program at IBBME ended with his leading the
establishment of a PhD concentration in Clinical Engineering at IBBME,
a program unique to the University of Toronto.
His research focuses on intelligent
systems to maximize possibilities for children and youth with
disabilities, with a focus on enabling access for those who would
otherwise have no means of communication or interaction with the
environment.
He leads the Infinity Centre for Access
Innovations, a multidisciplinary research initiative to equip children
and youth in Canada and around the world with a means of
communications. Associate Professor Chau holds a Canada Research Chair in Pediatric
Rehabilitation Engineering. Since 2000, he has held 51 funded grants
totaling more than $12 million, has published 115 articles in peer-reviewed journals and was the lead editor of Pediatric Rehabilitation Engineering: From Disability to Possibility, the first book in a new rehabilitation science research series.
