Current Projects
Title: Losing balance to prevent falls after spinal cord injury
Objectives: To develop a novel intervention that improves balance in a clinically meaningful and feasible way, facilitating the recovery of safe upright mobility and addressing the challenge of falls.
Funder: Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
Title: Through the lens of people with spinal cord injury: Using photovoice to prevent falls
Objectives: To develop a novel intervention that improves falls self-efficacy and balance confidence, and reduces the occurrence of falls and fall-related injuries, for all individuals living with SCI, resulting in increased participation and quality of life.
Funder: Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
Title: Communicating standing and walking data after spinal cord injury: a patient-engaged, qualitative study
Objectives: (1) To understand how information about standing and walking ability is currently translated from physical therapists to inpatients with SCI. (2) To understand if and how individuals with SCI would like to receive information about their standing and walking ability during inpatient rehabilitation.
Funder: Praxis Spinal Cord Institute
Title: Development and Validation of a Clinically Feasible, Novel Therapy for Improving Standing Balance and Reducing Falls
Objectives: (1) Develop a wireless prototype of the FES+VFT system using a participatory design approach. (2) Conduct feasibility testing of the wireless FES+VFT system with end-users. (3) Conduct integrated and end-of-grant knowledge translation activities to facilitate commercialization and clinical implementation of the wireless FES+VFT system.
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Title: A Novel Non-Invasive Approach for Regaining Self-Assisted Standing after Spinal Cord Injury: Combining Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation and Functional Electrical Stimulation
Objectives: (1) To identify the developed torques and electrophysiological effects of stimulation in the lower limb for each of TSS, FES, and TSS+FES protocols. (2) To investigate the performance and stability in achieving self-assisted standing using each of TSS, TFES, and TSS+TFES protocols. (3) To investigate the feasibility of the TSS+TFES for standing therapy.
Funder: Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation
Title: Development and Validation of a Measurement Tool to Track Participation in Activity-Based Therapy for People Living with Spinal Cord Injury or Disease
Objective: To develop a valid, reliable and clinically feasible tracking tool that documents participation in activity-based therapies (ABT) after spinal cord injury or disease.
Funder: Praxis Spinal Cord Institute
Title: Clinically Usable and Novel Standing Balance Therapy using Functional Electrical Stimulation with Visual Feedback Training
Objectives: (1) To evaluate the orthotic effect of the FES+VFT system in individuals with iSCI. (2) To develop a prototype of a clinically usable system for the proposed therapy.
Funder: Praxis Spinal Cord Institute
Title: Activity-based Therapy after Spinal Cord Injury or Disease: Development of a Tracking Tool using the Delphi Method
Objective: To determine the content to include in ABT tracking tools (e.g. type of ABT, duration, repetitions, assistance required, etc.) by completing a systematic scoping review, and a modified Delphi process involving qualitative and quantitative rounds.
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Title: Evaluating the Inter-rater Reliability of the Stages of the Standing and Walking Assessment Tool (SWAT)
Objective: To assess the inter-rater reliability of the SWAT stages among individuals with SCI in inpatient rehabilitation.
Funder: Praxis Spinal Cord Institute
Title: Fall Risk and Impact across the Continuum of Care in Canadians with Spinal Cord Injury
Objectives: 1) To understand why falls occur among individuals with SCI, and how falling impacts quality of life and participation in daily activities. 2) Develop novel assessments to identify individuals with SCI who are at risk of falling.
Funder: Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science
Title: Exploring the Causes and Consequences of Falls Across the Continuum of Care in Canadians with Spinal Cord Injury
Objectives: 1) To describe the factors contributing to falls in individuals with SCI as they transition from inpatient rehabilitation to community living. 2) To gather the lived experiences and current perceptions of individuals with SCI regarding what contributes to falls and how falls impact their quality of life, autonomy and participation.
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant
Title: Restoring Upright Mobility after Spinal Cord Injury using Functional Electrical Stimulation
Objective: To develop and evaluate the feasibility (i.e. effectiveness and user-acceptance) of FES therapy for standing balance in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury.
Funder: EMHSeed Funding Program University of Toronto
Title: MyndMove FES therapy for the Recovery of Upper Limb Function in Spinal Cord Injury
Objectives: 1) To confirm the FES treatment effect as delivered by the new MyndMove device. 2) To characterize the long-term durability of the response. 3) To compare the efficacy of MyndMove therapy to intensive conventional therapy and to usual care. 4) To compare the cost-effectiveness of MyndMove therapy.
Funder: Department of Defense U.S.A.
Title: Functional Electrical Stimulation to Improve Upper Extremity Function in Young Children with Perinatal Stroke: A Proof of Concept Study
Objectives: 1) To compare, in young children with perinatal stroke, the change in upper extremity function between two treatment approaches: FES treatment and conventional UE training. 2) To compare the intensity (i.e., the number of repetitions performed per treatment session) between FES treatment and conventional UE training. 3) To compare the intensity adherence to the two treatment methods (FES treatment and conventional UE training). 4) To evaluate parent and child satisfaction with FES treatment.
Funder: Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada