Dr. Virginia Wright receives this year’s prestigious award to recognize her transformational work in advancing cerebral palsy research and advocating for disability awareness, inclusion
This year’s Dr. John Whittaker Memorial Cerebral Palsy Awards has been awarded to Dr. Virgnia Wright at the 19th annual Bloorview Research Institute Symposium held at Holland Bloorview on November 7th and 8th.
“Winning this award is a great honour. It is a privilege to work with my team alongside clinicians and researchers to advance research in cerebral palsy that has meaningful impact on children with disabilities and developmental differences along with their families and caregivers,” said the senior scientist. “This recognition is a culmination of all the efforts that has gone into enabling meaningful and healthy futures for children and youth worldwide.”
The awards, inspired by Dr. Whittaker's dedication to improving the quality of life of children with cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities, recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding contributions to rehabilitation and made an impact on the lives of children with disabilities and developmental differences.
Dr. Wright was presented the award at the final day of the annual symposium in front of a packed audience attended by fellow scientists, researchers, trainees, clinicians and external guests.
The senior scientist’s research has revolutionized measurement tools to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions used in pediatric rehabilitation since the 1980s. And with the rise of personalized medicine and big data, being able to measure meaningful outcomes holds greater importantance than ever before.
As head of the SPARK (Supporting Physical Activity-based rehabilitation Research for Kids) Lab, she and her research team is focused on developing and validating outcome measures for clinicians to assess and develop targeted treatment plans for children with disabilities and developmental differences including cerebral palsy as well as acquired brain injury and autism.
Some of the key measurement tools co-created by Dr. Wright’s team with clinicians, families and international partners include a pediatric family needs survey, a motor skills assessment, and PUFI-2, an outcome measure that helps clinicians understand how well children with upper-limb differences can integrate their prosthetic device into their daily lives. Many of these measurement tools are now widely available to clinicians and families worldwide, thanks to the support of BRI’s commercialization office.
In addition to developing these ground-breaking outcome measures, Dr. Wright has also made transformative contributions to other research projects and industry, such as her work with BRI’s PRISM lab and Trexo Robotics. Trexo Robotics is a Canadian startup company that has developed a wearable robotic device designed to help children with disabilities experience walking. In this partnership, Dr. Wright co-leads a multi-disciplinary team to quantify the user experience, as well as neural, muscular, and functional gait changes following exoskeleton-powered gait rehabilitation in children with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities.
Her contributions extend beyond her research work; Dr. Wright is a passionate advocate for disability awareness and inclusivity. She actively engages in community outreach initiatives and educates clinicians on the use and application of outcome measures developed at Holland Bloorview.
“The work that goes on at Holland Bloorview is truly transformative. Bringing to market the innovative research at Holland Bloorview is a key factor in enhancing lives by making life-changing inventions accessible to those in need. Recognizing Dr. Wright’s contributions would not only honor her legacy but also inspire others in the field, empowering a thriving research community," said Sharon Wong, director of commercialization, who nominated the senior scientist for the prestigious award.
Congratulations, Dr. Wright!
