Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

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Tom Chau is celebrated as a Transformational Canadian

November 2, 2010

This fall, in partnership with CTV and Cyberpresse, The Globe and Mail is on a mission to find 25 living citizens who have improved the lives of others through their vision, leadership and action. These exceptional individuals are being recognized as “Transformational Canadians”.  Dr. Tom Chau, senior scientist and Canada Research Chair in pediatric rehabilitation and engineering at Holland Bloorview, is one of them.
The Globe and Mail describes a transformational Canadian as someone who combines a passion for positive change with the discipline and focus to achieve outstanding results.

As one of the country’s leading biomedical engineers, Dr. Chau’s work in the field of pediatric rehabilitation gives kids with bright minds and physical challenges a form of communication adapted to their needs, allowing them to control their environment and giving them a means of self expression. His technological breakthroughs in the field of pediatric disability transform the lives of thousands of children and their families worldwide.

Dr. Tom Chau was nominated for the Transformational Canadians program by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation President and CEO, Valerie McMurtry, and Donna Cappelli, mother of Julian, a 10-year-old boy living with Cerebral Palsy who has benefitted from Dr. Chau’s research.

Cisco Canada, the exclusive sponsor of the Transformational Canadian program, will donate up to $25,000 worth of technology to the non-profit or charitable organization of each winner's choice. The donation will be directed toward The Infinity Centre for Access Innovations in the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Dr. Chau imagines a day when every child can communicate. That’s why he’s founded Holland Bloorview’s new Infinity Centre for Access Innovations, the world’s first interdisciplinary centre dedicated to discovering accessible pathways and affordable technologies that enable kids to express their preferences – kids who don’t have any physical movement at all. Dr. Chau’s team is working on ‘body-talk’ research that allows for communication through physiological signals, like breathing patterns and heart rates. It’s a radical departure from traditional approaches.

Links:

  • Questions about childhood disability
  • Bloom Blog - discussions about childhood disability