RSI Research Day 2018: Recap
Download the complete 2018 RSI Abstract booklet
Thursday, May 10, 2018 marked this year’s Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (RSI) Research Day event which took place at the Chestnut Residence and Conference Centre in downtown Toronto.
Every year, the RSI Research Day event showcases and celebrates the research being conducted by the bright and talented graduate students of RSI via poster and oral presentations and this year was no exception! With over 100 attendees, our attendance reached a record high! And, for the second time running, students and faculty participated in a panel discussion with this year's topic on "Synergy of Successful Mentorship" led by Dr. Stephanie Nixon.
The day began with our student and faculty assembly where new faculty were introduced and welcomed to the Institute. Special thanks goes out to guest speaker Ms. Anita Balakrishna, M.Ed (cand), LLB (law), BA (Honours), Diversity Strategist for the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, who so graciously lead the assembly with her presentation on "Pathways to Inclusion: The Opportunities and Challenges of Journeying Beyond Diversity". This was followed by inspiring opening remarks by none other than the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Vice Provost for Relations with Health Care Institutions, Dr. Trevor Young, and RSI’s very own Director, Dr. Angela Colantonio.
During the midday program, keynote speaker Mr. Antony Duttine, DrPH (cand), MSc, Advisor on disability and rehabilitation at the Pan American Health Organization, also gave a thought-provoking speech on "Rehabilitating Rehabilitation: How Will Science Shape the Future of our Profession", captivating faculty and students on how this theme impacts rehabilitation research.
New this year was the launch of the Inaugural RSI Annual Alumni Awards which were announced along with the RSI Recognition Awards. Thank you to the RSI Alumni Association led by Dr. Rosalie Wang for recognizing the outstanding contributions of RSI’s alumni in this special way.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners:
Students:
AWARD | WINNER(S) |
---|---|
Leadership Award | Keelia Quinn de Launay, MSc |
Outstanding Community Service Award | Nirsan Kunaratnam, MSc |
Peer Mentorship Award | Adora Chui, PhD |
Faculty/Staff:
AWARD | WINNER(S) |
---|---|
Early Career Excellence in | |
Continuing/Sustained Excellence in | |
Service Award: Faculty & Staff | Loida Ares |
Peer Mentorship Award | Dr. Nicole Woods |
Alumni:
AWARD | WINNER(S) |
---|---|
Rising Star Award | |
Outstanding Mentorship Award | Dr. Catherine |
Oustanding Service Award |
All told, more than 40 posters and oral presentations were made and hundreds of faculty, staff, students and family members attended the event to celebrate the excellent scholarship taking place at RSI. Thank you to all those who attended and to the RSI Research Day Organizing Committee and RSI Staff for making this year’s event such a great success!
Thank you to our valued sponsors as well:
- Bloorview Research Institute
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-UHN – Team Optimize
- Heart & Stroke Foundation – Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery
- Sunnybrook Research Institute
- AMTI Force & Motion
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-UHN
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Dr. Angela Colantonio
- Sunnybrook: St. John’s Research – Dr. Larry Robinson
- Dr. Nora Cullen at West Park Healthcare Centre
- International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation (ICDR) – University of Toronto
For those of you who were unable to join us, we look forward to seeing you next May 2019 at our next exciting, informative and inspiring day of Research in RSI!