Drs. Elaine Biddiss and Azadeh Kushki have both been promoted to professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Tim Ross has been promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in the University of Toronto’s department of geography and planning and from scientist to senior scientist at BRI. All three promotions took effect July 1, 2026.

“Elaine, Azadeh and Tim are exceptional researchers whose work reflects the breadth of expertise and impact we are proud to have at BRI,” says Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, vice president of research and director of BRI. “Their leadership is helping advance more personalized rehabilitation and care, accelerate precision health and build more inclusive communities for children, youth and families. I’m incredibly proud to see their contributions recognized through these well-deserved promotions.”

Transforming pediatric rehabilitation through technology and play

Dr. Elaine Biddiss, a scientist at BRI and lead of the Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL), develops technologies that aim to make pediatric rehabilitation more engaging, accessible and responsive to the needs of individual children.

Working alongside children, families, clinicians, therapists and researchers, Biddiss and her team bring together biomedical engineering, rehabilitation sciences and design to develop gamified rehabilitation tools, interactive technologies that support social and emotional well-being and artificial intelligence and sensor-based systems that can help personalize rehabilitation.

Among the technologies developed through PEARL is Bootle Blast, a mixed-reality video game that uses movement tracking to support children with developmental disabilities in practising motor skills. Her team is also developing technologies that promote inclusive music-making and social play, with a focus on translating innovations from the research lab into clinical practice and families’ homes.

Advancing personalized health through data science

Dr. Azadeh Kushki, senior scientist and associate chief of data science at BRI, Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Neurodiversity and Personalized Health and professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering, is advancing precision health for children with neurodevelopmental differences and disabilities.

Kushki and her team use data science and engineering approaches to understand how biological and environmental characteristics can influence developmental trajectories, responses to interventions and long-term outcomes. Their work recognizes the diversity that exists within broad diagnostic categories such as autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with the goal of supporting more personalized, equitable and effective approaches to care and support.

Her leadership in this area includes Whole-Child Open Neuroscience Data for Empowering Research (WONDER), a new national data platform supported through Brain Canada’s Platform Support Grants program. Led by Kushki and centred at Holland Bloorview, WONDER will securely connect genetic, brain imaging and behavioural data from existing datasets across Canada and use artificial intelligence to help researchers better understand the factors that shape children’s development, health and well-being.

Creating more inclusive communities

Dr. Tim Ross, a senior scientist at BRI and lead of the Engagement & Planning for Inclusive Communities (EPIC) Lab, conducts interdisciplinary research aimed at better understanding the experiences of children and youth with disabilities and their families and addressing barriers to health, well-being and community participation.

His research spans four key areas: transportation and mobility, inclusive play, education access and institutional ableism. Across these areas, Ross and his team examine how the design of environments, services and systems can create barriers for people with disabilities and how research, planning and co-creation can help address them.

From studying experiences with public transit, school transportation and housing to advancing inclusive playgrounds and schoolyards, Ross’ work aims to help create communities where children and youth with disabilities and their families can participate, access opportunities and feel welcome.

These promotions recognize the leadership and impact of BRI scientists and their commitment to research that creates meaningful change for children, youth with disabilities and their families.

By Priyanka Shah