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.
