Graduate Student Scholarship Awards
Holland Bloorview's research institute is committed to supporting the next generation of rehabilitation researchers. We are pleased to offer student scholarships to encourage young researchers in the field of childhood disability.
Awards
Kimel Graduate Student Scholarships
The Kimel Family Fund has made available five Kimel Graduate Student Scholarships at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in the following categories:
- Kimel Graduate Student Scholarships in Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Kimel Graduate Student Scholarships in Pediatric Disability
Award
The awards are comprised of $20,000 CAD each for one year and are not renewable.
Eligibility
Eligibility for the Kimel Graduate Student Scholarships includes:
- Enrollment in a full-time graduate degree program (MSc or PhD) at the University of Toronto
- Primary supervision by a University of Toronto faculty member holding a primary research appointment at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
- Students can only be the recipient of one Kimel Graduate Student Scholarship Award per academic degree (e.g., if a student received an award during their masters, they are eligible again in their doctoral studies) and cannot hold a major external award (i.e. CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) during their tenure of the Graduate Student Award.
Terms and conditions
The award recipient(s) must be registered in an eligible graduate (Masters or PhD) program at the University of Toronto for at least 14 weeks of any term. If a student is registered fewer than 14 weeks in any term, or withdraws from the program prematurely, they are required to repay the award amount. Awards are automatically used to pay the student’s outstanding tuition fees from the previous year.
Acknowledgement
Award recipients are expected to acknowledge, in all presentations and publications, that their research was supported by The Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Pediatric Rehabilitation Award from the Bloorview Research Institute, the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation and the University of Toronto. Recipients will be requested to write a thank-you letter to the donor. Recipients may be asked to participate in press releases, or other public-facing publications as dictated by Holland Bloorview.
Whipper Watson Graduate Research Studentship Award
There is one Whipper Watson Graduate Research Studentship Award available at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. This award is funded in the memory of Whipper “Billy” Watson, a Toronto legend and wrestler, known for his charitable work for children with disabilities.
Award
The award is comprised of $10,000 CAD for one year and is not renewable.
Eligibility
Eligibility for Whipper Watson Graduate Student Award includes:
- Enrollment in a full-time graduate degree program (MSc or PhD) at the University of Toronto
- Primary supervision by a University of Toronto faculty member holding a primary research appointment at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
- Students can only be the recipient of one Whipper Watson Graduate Student Award per academic degree (e.g., if a student received an award during their masters, they are eligible again in their doctorate studies) and cannot hold a major external award (i.e. CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) during their tenure of the Graduate Student Award.
Acknowledgement
The award recipient is expected to acknowledge, in all presentations and publications, that their research was supported by the Whipper Watson Award from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.
Application Guidelines
Please review the application guidelines below:
- Supervisor must agree to make adequate resources available to support the costs of each student’s research.
- Application materials including the application form and all required attachments are to be submitted electronically in one PDF file to BRIrequests@hollandbloorview.ca using subject heading “GSSAP_Last Name_First Initial”
- Application attachments should be typewritten with a minimum 12 point font with one inch margins.
- Submit only one application for all awards.
Deadline for Applications
- Applications are closed. Please visit this site in April 2025 for more details on the 2025 applications.
Application Information
Adjudication
A Graduate Student Award Selection Committee will be appointed to review each application. The committee will be comprised of scientists, adjunct scientists and/or post-doctoral fellows from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.
Duration of award(s)
The effective period of the award is one year: September 1, 2025 to August 30, 2026. Successful candidates will be notified after June 30, 2025.
Payment
To activate the award, successful recipients must indicate, by letter or e-mail, acceptance of the award.
For more information about the Graduate Student Awards, please contact:
Meghann Proulx
Manager, Grants, Contracts and Awards
Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
150 Kilgour Road Toronto, Ontario M4G 1R8
E-mail: meghann.proulx@hollandbloorview.ca
2024 - 25 Scholarship Award Recipients
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarships in Paediatric Rehabilitation
Katrina Meng
Academic Year: 2nd year, Masters, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Jan Andrysek
Project Title: Parametric and Image-based Digital Upper-Limb Prosthesis Design Workflow
Vishal Pendse
Academic Year: 3rd year, PhD, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Jan Andrysek
Project Title: Partial automation of upper-limb prosthesis socket design using machine learning
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarships in Pediatric Disability Research
Amanda Chan
Academic Year: 2nd year, PhD, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Tim Ross
Project Title: Redefining Recess: A Study of Autistic Students’ Schoolyard Experiences
Michael Lam
Academic Year: 1st year, Masters
Supervisor: Elaine Biddiss
Project Title: Measuring Player Engagement Across Difficulty Adjustment Methods in a Video Game for Teaching Music-Making to Children with Diverse Abilities
Whipper Watson Graduate Research Scholarship
Humna Siddiqui
Academic Year: 1st year, Masters, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Melanie Penner
Project Title: Evaluating the effectiveness of the ENS pilot in Ontario in reducing utilization of emergency department services among children with extensive behavioural needs
Learn more
2023 - 24 Scholarship Award Recipients
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation
Christine Muscat
Academic Year: First-Year PhD Student, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Shannon Scratch
Project Title: Teaching High School Educators about Acquired Brain Injury (TeachABI-HS)
Mahya Mirbagheri
Academic Year: Fourth-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: Enhancing Communication for Individuals with Complex Communication Needs: A Question-Answering System
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation (Imaging)
Jenny Tou
Academic Year: Fourth-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: Brain modulation through music
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Pediatric Disability Research
Daniela Testani
Academic Year: Third-year PhD student in Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Darch Fehlings
Project Title: Investigating and promoting participation in pre-school aged children with cerebral palsy
Whipper Watson Graduate Research Scholarship
Stephanie Bradley
Academic Year: Fourth-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: Quantifying the user experience, as well as neural, muscular, and functional gait changes following exoskeleton-powered gait rehabilitation in children with cerebral palsy and other mobility impairments
Read more
2022 - 23 Scholarship Award Recipients
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation
Marija Pranjic
Academic Year: Fourth-Year PhD Student
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: Moving to the beat: Investigating the role of auditory and motor timing in synchronization abilities among children with and without developmental coordination disorder
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation (Imaging)
Stefanie Bradley
Academic Year: Second-Year PhD Student
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: Quantifying the user experience, as well as neural, muscular, and functional gait changes following exoskeleton-powered gait rehabilitation in children with cerebral palsy and other mobility impairments.
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Pediatric Disability Research
Erica Floreani
Academic Year: First-Year PhD Student
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: Optimization of Brain-Controlled Power Mobility Access for Children with Severe Physical Disabilities
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Pediatric Disability Research
Niloufaralsadat Hashemi
Academic Year: Fifth-Year Masters Student
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: The Brain during movement Execution and Movement Observation in Children
Whipper Watson Graduate Research Scholarship
Erin Dowds
Academic Year: Third-Year PhD Student
Supervisor: Dr. Jessica Brian
Project Title: A Mixed Methods exploration of Barriers and Facilitators to Access, Participation and outcomes for families participating in the social ABCs
Read more
2021-22 Scholarship Award Recipients
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation
Aliaa Gouda
Academic Year: Third-Year PhD Student
Supervisor: Dr. Jan Andrysek
Project Title: Development of a Wearable Biofeedback System for Lower Limb Amputee Gait Training
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation
Nicolas Ivanov
Academic Year: First-Year PhD Student
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: Reducing Barriers to Communication: Effective User Training to Improve BCI Viability
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Pediatric Disability Research
Elyse Comeau
Academic Year: First-Year PhD Student
Supervisor: Dr. Timothy Ross
Project Title: Enabling Environments: A Study of Public Transit Accessibility Policy and Experiences
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Pediatric Disability Research
Isabelle Caven
Academic Year: First-Year Masters Student
Supervisor: Dr. Melanie Penner
Project Title: Multi-stakeholder Perspectives on Acceptability of Autism Therapies
Whipper Watshon Graduate Research Scholarship
Jae Moon
Academic Year: Third-year PhD student
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Chau
Project Title: Training a thought-decoding brain-computer interface through passive listening
Read about their research here.
2020-2021 Scholarship Award Recipients
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Disability Research:
Marina Petreveska, first-year PhD student at University of Toronto's Rehabilitation Sciences Institute
Project: Examining impact of a novel home-based, therapy gaming system, Bootle Blast, on balance, mobility and lower extremity functioning in children with neuromotor disorders
"I am extremely grateful and indebted to the Kimel family for their tremendous generosity. This award will allow me to actively explore the ways in which a home-based mixed reality therapy system can be used as an adjunct to traditional therapy approaches to help deliver lower extremity motor rehabilitation to children with neuromotor disorders.
My hope is that the work I conduct will help to remove barriers to participation to allow for engaging home-based movement skills practice that will promote motor learning, positively impact function and facilitate opportunities for social interaction and play."
Marlee Vandewouw, first-year PhD student at University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Project: A multimodal neuroimaging approach to identifying subgroups of children with neurodevelopmental disorders with shared brain characteristics
"I am honoured to have received a Kimel Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation. The scholarship provides invaluable support for my doctoral research on neurodevelopmental disorders, which are diagnosed independently yet overlap in their biology, presentation, and needs of their respective communities.
By using different brain imaging techniques, I hope to be able to better group these participants to ultimately improve child outcomes by personalizing treatments and interventions. I look forward to sharing my results with fellow researchers, families and the community, and am thankful to the Kimel family for their generous support."
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation:
Gabriel Ng, a second-year PhD student at University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Project: Gait Pattern and Quality Evaluation for Amputees using Machine Learning and Wearable Sensors
"I am extremely grateful to the Kimel family and BRI for their support with the Graduate Student Scholarship. This really drives me to advance my research for amputees and youth with mobility challenges, and it will go a long way toward helping me make a positive impact with my research and future career."
Kylie Mallory, third-year PhD student at the University of Toronto's Rehabilitation Sciences Institute
Project: Factors Influencing Concussion Reporting and Social Support for High School Students
"I am extremely honoured to be a recipient of the Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Pediatric Rehabilitation.
Receiving this award will allow me to progress my thesis studies, which focus on identifying and increasing concussion knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviours about concussion reporting and social support among high school students.
During the award tenure, I will publish and share my thesis study results with a wide audience of stakeholders. I am grateful for the support and encouragement provided from this award."
Whipper Watson Graduate Research Scholarship
Christine Horner, second-year Masters of Health Sciences in Clinical Engineering student at the University of Toronto's Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Project: Asynchronous Voluntary Self-Regulated Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Brain-Computer Interface for Children with Complex Communication Needs
"Being the recipient of the 2020-2021 Whipper-Watson Graduate Research Scholarship Award, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation. As a master's student, this encouraging opportunity will motivate me to strive for excellence in my research that focuses on improving the design of assistive technologies to better meet a diverse set of needs for children with disabilities."
2018-2019 Scholarship Award Recipients
Click here for the 2018-2019 scholarship award recipients.
2017-2018 Scholarship Award Recipients
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation:
Keelia Quinn De Launay
Project: The effect of multi-session transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive dual task performance in youth with persisting concussion symptoms
"I am extremely grateful to have received a Kimel Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation, and am motivated by the Kimel family’s generous investment in paediatric clinical research. This award will enable me to explore novel therapeutic interventions for children and youth seeking neurorehabilitation services following brain injury. It is my hope that the work I conduct during my award tenure will encourage new discovery in the exciting neurorehabilitation research area of non-invasive brain stimulation, with the goal of one day impacting the clinical care available for clients and families both within and beyond the walls of Holland Bloorview."
Meaghan Walker
Project: Children's experiences' accessing weight management services and supports
"I am honoured to have received the Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation. This award will enable me to continue to conduct research exploring the services and supports required for children with spina bifida or autism spectrum disorder and overweight/obesity. During this award tenure, I hope not only to complete my study but to identify and communicate key messages to multiple stakeholder groups including clinicians, children, parents, and researchers. It is very important to me that my research reaches audiences beyond academia to ensure that it can spark conversations and be a catalyst for the creation or adaptation of services and supports to best meet the needs of this underserved population."
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Disability Research:
Patrick Jachyra
Project: Enhancing physical activity for young people with autism spectrum disorder
"I am humbled and indebted to the Kimel Family in providing me with this opportunity. Receiving this scholarship inspires me to conduct research that knows no boundaries. I firmly believe that my research can leverage and model social change as my research is generating new knowledge about the habits, patterns and social-contextual factors that shape physical activity participation among children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. I endeavor for my research to mobilize knowledge to action by informing policy, clinical practice, and educational pedagogy in a concerted effort to enhance their health and well-being throughout the life-course."
Ellen Drumm
Project: Developing a grounded theory: Good care during the diagnostic feedback meeting for autism
"I am so grateful to be connected with the vibrant community of researchers, clinicians, and families at Holland Bloorview. My experiences as a staff and student at Holland Bloorview laid a strong foundation for my doctoral research. I am in the midst of interviewing parents who have recently received a diagnosis of autism for their young child, in order to build an understanding of what constitutes ‘good care’ during the diagnostic feedback meeting for autism. I look forward to sharing my findings with the compassionate and dedicated clinicians at Holland Bloorview as well as other clinicians and researchers around the world! Thank you to the Kimel family for their truly generous support of this project."
"Whipper" Watson Graduate Studentship Award:
Brock Laschowski
Project: Optimization-based motor control of amputee gait: Applications of musculoskeletal modelling and predictive simulation
"I’m honored to receive the Whipper Watson Graduate Research Scholarship by the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for my doctoral research (i.e., optimal control of robotic transfemoral prostheses). Robotic prostheses have the unique capacity to assist transfemoral amputees in executing ambulatory movements that require positive mechanical work (e.g., stair/slope ascent), in addition to circumventing many of the deficits associated with traditional passive prostheses (e.g., excessive metabolic energy expenditure). Unfortunately, there is little-to-no research conducted in Canada regarding the advancement of these promising assistive technologies. I’m therefore appreciative of the opportunity to explore and contribute to such novel research amongst Canadian scientists and engineers."
The Holland Bloorview Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship:
Eric Smart
Project: Negotiating parent and service provider therapy expectations in paediatric rehabilitation
"I am beyond grateful for receiving a Holland Bloorview Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship Award. This funding provides needed support for my doctoral research on how to more effectively translate the ideals of family-centred care models into actual clinical practice using a better understanding of the expectations clients and service providers bring into therapy sessions."
Sina Panahandeh
Project: Discovering homogeneous subgroups in autism spectrum disorder using brain and behaviour data
"I am very excited to be the selected recipient of the Holland Bloorview Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship. This scholarship allows me to investigate brain characteristics of the autism population which can ultimately improve personalized treatments."
2016-2017 Scholarship Award Recipients
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation:
Katie Mah
"I am extremely honoured to have been named a recipient of the Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation. Winning this award signals to me that qualitative arts-based research methods are gaining recognition for the ability to access knowledge beyond spoken knowledge. This is integral to better understanding our population of clients and families at Holland Bloorview. During my award tenure I hope to not only complete my doctoral work, but also to use arts-based dissemination methods to reach audiences beyond academia, and to promote the importance of accessing children’s knowledges in health research."
Sam Shi
"As a recipient of the Kimel Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation this year, I feel very grateful and honoured. This scholarship will greatly assist me in my current research in paediatric prosthetic technologies. I would like to thank the Kimel Family for their generous support in my endeavor. And I truly hope to live up to it by continuing to deliver great work."
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Disability Research:
Patrick Jachyra
"It is a honour and a privilege to receive the Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Disability Research. This graduate student scholarship enables me conduct my doctoral research with the aim of ameliorating the health and well-being of children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The support from the Kimel Family ensures that children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are the ultimate beneficiaries of the research."
Eric Smart
" I am indebted to the families, staff, and space of Holland Bloorview for continuously providing me with the driving force of my research. The opportunity to be a graduate student scholarship recipient is yet another addition to this already long list of supports I strive to repay."
"Whipper" Watson Graduate Research Studentship Award:
Luisa Garzon
"I was very excited to hear about the Graduate Student Scholarship Awards that are offered at BRI to encourage young researchers like me, in the field of childhood disability. Besides assisting me expand my knowledge and experience in variety of academic disciplines, this scholarship will more importantly enable us to look for ways to better help patients at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital."
The Holland Bloorview Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship:
Alex MacIntosh
"Receiving The Holland Bloorview Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship is extremely motivating. It really makes me excited to investigate how new technologies can help kids learn and play in a positive space."
Tiffany Toong
" I am very excited and honoured to be the recipient of the Holland Bloorview Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship. These scholarships inspire developing researchers like myself, in knowing that my goals are within reach, and that through my research, I can really make a difference in the lives of children with concussions."
2015-2016 Scholarship Award Recipients
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Rehabilitation:
Patrick Jachyra
Ben Kinsella
Kimel Family Graduate Student Scholarship in Paediatric Disability Research:
Alicia Hilderley
Filip Stojic
"Whipper" Watson Graduate Student Research Studentship Award:
Zahra Emami
The Holland Bloorview Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship Award:
Karolina Urban
Brydne Edwards
