enable
a culture of excellence
iBBMe Annual Report 2010–2011
educate
future biomedical engineers
advance
high-impact research
iBBMe
An institute at the centre of innovation in biomedical engineering
a Message from the Director The Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) is an interdisciplinary unit integrated within three Faculties at the University of Toronto: Applied Science and Engineering, Dentistry and Medicine. The Institute trains graduate students and pursues research in four theme areas: neural, sensory systems and rehabilitation engineering; biomaterials, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine; molecular imaging and biomedical nanotechnology; and medical devices and clinical technologies. Our vision is to be established among the top worldleading biomedical engineering research institutes/departments, and to be recognized as having one of the most innovative pedagogical programs combined with high-impact research within a unique trans-disciplinary environment. The primary mission of the Institute is to provide the University of Toronto and its Toronto-area clinical partner institutions with programs that deliver an excellent and comprehensive education for its trainees, and to perform internationally ranking research in biomaterials and biomedical engineering, with an emphasis on establishing impact of clinical relevance and innovation in the biomedical field. Through its faculty members, staff, and trainees, and by close collaboration with the faculty members of related departments, and the staff of hospitals and other institutions, IBBME seeks to:
enable a culture of excellence; educate future biomedical engineers; advance high-impact research; engage through collaborations, research, and influence; and to
Build on our resources.
IBBME’s academic plan was launched in June 2010 after a strategic process of consultation with faculty, staff , students and partner units across campus and in the hospitals. This 2010-11 report marks the first update of our progress on the four key platforms of our current strategic plan. Towards these goals IBBME has achieved great success. Highlights of our year follow the theme of expansion. We recruited star faculty from Duke University, Stanford University and the Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York. A new undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum was approved for the Engineering Science program, focusing on biological systems engineering, with a substantial increase in design applications. A new communications officer position was created which resulted in the publication of revised graduate recruitment information with internationally ranking benchmarking data on publications, graduate student funding, research funding, patented innovations, etc; the launch of a new user friendly website now averaging 7 680 visitors per month; and the publication of a monthly newsletter keeping this broad community informed of its dynamic activity. The Institute launched the first PhD program in Canada to concentrate on Clinical Engineering, enhancing its already high demand Master’s of Health Science program in Clinical Engineering. The full details of these and all our other activities may be seen in the following pages. These initiatives reflect a faculty which has excelled on the international stage with awards of recognition, significant funding from provincial and federal infrastructure and strategic grants, and a demonstrated success in translating this knowledge in partnership with the hospitals. It’s not surprising that we have seen steady growth of 10-15% in our graduate student programs. Our outstanding year situates us well as we prepare to celebrate 50 years of biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto in 2012.
dr. paul santerre, PhD. Director, IBBME
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enable a culture of excellence
leaDershiP 2010-11
advancing the strateg ic academic plan The Institute’s leadership forged ahead with major initiatives on its academic plan this past year, focusing on four key objectives. While faculty members met monthly to discuss their progress on these goals, it was the determination of many working committees including faculty, staff , and students who set clear goals and high standards on each of these strategic initiatives that resulted in outstanding progress on the academic plan this past year. Initiate a significant expansion of IBBME’s research strength in Neuro/Sensory systems & Rehabilitation applied to diseases of aging and stroke recovery.
IBBME’s vision is to be established among the top-world leading biomedical engineering research centres, and to be recognized as having one of the most innovative pedagogical programs combined with high-impact research within a unique transdisciplinary environment. To achieve this vision, we are creating a culture of excellence, beginning with extraordinary people.
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External scholarships held by IBBME students 2
Towards the goal of enhancing our academic strengths in this field, the Institute has made outstanding progress with the recruitment of three talented new scientists (Penney Gilbert from Stanford, Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez from the Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, and Paul Yoo from Duke University) from three searches: in the field of analytical biomolecular technologies, chaired by University Professor Michael Sefton; in stem cells and systems engineering, chaired by Professor Peter Zandstra; and in neuro-science/physiology engineering, chaired by Professor Willy Wong. This effort demonstrated the outstanding strategic leadership and international affiliations of the core faculty within the Institute as well as their ability to engage the Institute’s partners in recruitment activity. Take the leadership role in establishing a more inclusive undergraduate biomedical engineering program in partnership with four departments in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, and working with the Division of Engineering Science to differentiate and support the uniqueness of its Biomedical Systems Engineering Option.The Institute’s effort will capitalize on the tri-faculty structure to put in place the physical infrastructure and secure the Faculty growth needed to deliver such a program. neW curriculuM A major initiative at the undergraduate level included the review of the Division of Engineering Science’s Biomedical Engineering option culminating in an exciting new curriculum in Biomedical Systems Engineering, which starts in September 2012. This effort was led by Professor Craig Simmons (Chair of the Biomedical Systems Engineering option), who chaired a steering committee made up of IBBME core faculty and representatives from partner departments, and supported by members of IBBME’s undergraduate curriculum committee. unDergraDuate teaching laB uPgraDe The renovation of the undergraduate teaching laboratories,
a $550 000 project which modernized the Institute’s biology and biodesign training facilities, doubled the capacity of the lab-bench working area and introduced space for design project initiatives associated with the new Biomedical Engineering curriculum. This initiative was led by Sandy Walker (Operations Manager) and supported by Assistant Professor Dawn Kilkenny and Professor Paul Santerre, as well as Bryan Keith (IBBME’s outgoing Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory Coordinator). MaJor in BioMeDical engineering An exciting growth opportunity took form in 2010-11 with the establishment of a steering committee to consider a new undergraduate biomedical engineering program that would focus on marrying existing core undergraduate foundations in chemical engineering and applied chemistry, electrical and computer engineering, materials science and engineering, and mechanical and industrial engineering with a specialization in the area of biomedical engineering. The steering committee’s work is expected to be completed during the winter term of 2012 and a program presented for review to the University by spring of 2012. The committee is being chaired by Professor Paul Santerre and is made up of core faculty representatives who overlap with key resources in the hospitals (Associate Professors Tom Chau and Professor Milos Popovic), as well as faculty involved in the relevant four core FASE undergraduate programs (Assistant Professor Lidan You, Associate Professors Julie Audet, Warren Chan, Milica Radisic, Craig Simmons, and Kevin Truong, Professors Berj Bardakjian, Christopher Yip, and Peter Zandstra, and Professor Emeritus Hans Kunov.)
Expand the graduate curriculum opportunities in order to provide a greater innovative/biodesign/ entrepreneurship training experience within the framework of IBBME’s academic network and in conjunction with international collaborators. BMe1450 reDesign The introductory graduate course to biomedical engineering, BME1450, was revised this year. clinical engineering exPansion The Institute introduced a clinical engineering concentration into the PhD program. techna institute launch IBBME was also instrumental in the establishment of Techna, the UHN-initiated program that is devoted to the advancement of health technologies.
More information on these initiatives can be found in the following pages.
Establish a marketing and advancement strategy to promote and assist in growing joint programs across the tri-faculty partnership of Applied Science and Engineering (FASE), Dentistry, and Medicine. The communication portfolio was led by the new communications officer Sachiko Murakami and the Institute’s Director, Paul Santerre. There were over sixteen news stories reported on the Institute’s website with most stories followed up on by the University or by external media due to the Communication Strategy created and implemented by Murakami. The new strategy has also resulted in the creation of recruitment brochures and research hot-sheets, a well-organized, dynamically updated website averaging nearly 8 000 visits a month, and an informative monthly e-newsletter.
aPPointMents
Professor Molly shoichet took on the new role of Associate Director, Research. The establishment of this role stems from the increasing demand to focus on strategic research infrastructure opportunities and to raise the international profile of the Institute and its programs. Associate Professor tom chau’s term as the Coordinator of the Clinical Engineering Program finished on a high note as he received the Graduate Mentorship Award from the Faculty of Medicine for his outstanding contributions over the past five years of leadership. Associate Professor alex Mihailidis took on the role in July 2011. core Faculty ProMotions Promoted to Associate Professor Julie audet conducts research in somatic stem and progenitor cell engineering for use in regenerative medicine. She is cross-appointed in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and received a National Blood Foundation Grant in 2010. Milica radisic conducts research in cardiac tissue engineering, for which she received a Connaught Innovation Award from the University of Toronto in 2010-11. She was named a Scientist to Watch by The Scientist, one of Top Researchers under 35 by MIT’s Technology Review, and was on the 2010 People to Watch list of the Toronto Star. She holds an Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Research Career Award. craig simmons pursues research in cellular mechanobiology, which includes work in stem cell and tissue engineering, heart disease, and microtechnologies. Canada 3
Research Chair in Mechanobiology, he is also appointed to the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Faculty of Dentistry. aaron Wheeler’s research involves creating microchannels and digital microfluidics for lab-on-a-chip technologies for high-throughput bioanalytical applications, including drug and disease screening. He is also appointed to the Department of Chemistry and holds the Canada Research Chair in Bioanalytical Chemistry. Kevin truong engineers proteins to visualize and manipulate signaling pathways, with the end goal of identifying and treating various diseases. He is also appointed to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
neW cross aPPointMents yoav Finer, Associate Professor, Faculty of Dentistry Bernhard W. ganss, Associate Professor, Faculty of Dentistry eugenia Kumacheva, Professor, Department of Chemistry adrian i. nachman, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Electrical & Computer Engineering ren-Ke li, MD, Senior Scientist, Division of Experimental Therapeutics, TGRI neW core Faculty The Faculty oversaw a year-long search for four positions that interviewed 18 candidates from Europe, the USA and Canada out of over 500 applicants. The Institute was successful in recruiting the top-ranked candidates in two of the three searches, who begin at IBBME at the rank of Assistant Professor. The third search is ongoing. rodrigo Fernandez-gonzalez developed image analysis tools to track cellular and molecular dynamics, and biophysical methods to manipulate the mechanical forces experienced by living cells in Drosophila embryos as a postdoc at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, where he won the Centre’s Postdoctoral Research Award in 2010. He started at IBBME in January 2012. Penney gilbert obtained her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania and was the recipient of the 2010 Stanford University Postdoctoral Association (SUPD) Best Postdoc Research Award. Inspired by the work exploring the role of biomechanical
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cues on cell differentiation, her research interests are focused on creative bioengineering approaches to provide insight into the biochemical and biophysical regulation of adult muscle stem cell fate. She is starting at IBBME in August 2012. Paul yoo focused on neural electrical stimulation to rehabilitate conditions such as bladder control in spinal cord injury patients as an Assistant Research Professor at Duke. He is currently using electrical stimulation to develop novel approaches for treating obstructive sleep apnea. Assistant Professor Yoo is a shared appointment with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and will have laboratory space in both IBBME and at the Toronto Rehab Institute. He started at IBBME in January 2012.
staFF excellence IBBME is supported by a highly qualified and committed staff . In 2010-11, IBBME established a professional training budget and supported staff training days. Changes in staff this past year have included the arrival of Sachiko Murakami, who joined the Institute as the new Communications Officer. The finance office underwent reorganization to create three new positions: an Operations Assistant (Judy Gilligan), a Finance Officer responsible for research grants (Angela Rosa) and an Finance Officer responsible for operations (Elizabeth Flannery). Rhonda Marley took over from Paulina Staszuk as Program Coordinator for the Clinical Engineering program.The IBBME administrative team meets monthly to coordinate logistics on grant management, special events and communications, graduate student programs, computer and IT support, and undergraduate laboratories. cultivating excellence The culture of excellence fostered at IBBME enables its faculty, staff and students to contribute creatively towards its mission and generate tangible collaborations by engaging in international conferences and workshops. This past year the Institute has continued to recognize its community’s achievements by nominating individuals for awards of recognition at the local, national international level, as well as hosting an annual alumni and awards event in the fall (attended by over 240 in Oct 2011). IBBME hosted its annual research day in May 2011, which was attended by over 300 scholars and featured 72 research posters and 13 podium talks. IBBME values these activities and intends to continue to foster excellence by: enhancing its public relations and marketing position; hiring key faculty
in emerging areas that both complement and add to its core strengths; establishing new awards and recognizing its students, faculty and staff; engaging its alumni; encouraging and supporting leading strategic initiatives; maintaining its position as Canada’s premier biomedical engineering program and retaining its position among leading benchmarking institutions. attracting international scholars In 2010-11, the Institute doubled their international scholars fund from two $10 000 scholarships to four $10 000 scholarships. IBBME also provided an inviting experience for international scholars through its Distinguished Lecture program (typically attended by over one hundred researchers). In 2010-11, IBBME was proud to host the following lectures:
ibbme distinguished lecturer series Dr. Mehmet Toner, PhD Professor, Surgery & Biomedical Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Director of the Microsystems Bioengineering Facility, Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. Hunter Peckham, PhD Donnell Institute Professor of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western University Dr. Harald F. Hess, PhD Director of the Applied Physics and Instrumentation Group, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Farm Research Campus (JFRC)
In addition to the Distinguished Lecture Series, IBBME hosted the following local guest lecturers:
ibbme lecture series Dr. Aaron Wheeler, PhD Professor, Department of Chemistry, Canada Research Chair of Bioanalytical Chemistry Dr. David A. Jaffray, PhD Senior Scientist, Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), Head, Radiation Physics Department, Princess Margaret Hospital, Fidani Chair in Radiation Therapy Physics, PMH & UNH, Associate Professor, Dept. of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto Dr. Armand Keating, MD, FRCP(C) Director of the Cell Therapy Program and the Orsino Cell, Therapy Translational Research Lab, PMH, Senior Scientist in Experimental Therapeutics, Toronto General Research Institute (TGRI), Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Kullervo Hynynen, PhD Senior Scientist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Director, Odette Cancer Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Professor, Dept. of Medical, Biophysics, University of Toronto Dr. Gregory H. Borschel, MD, FAAP, FACS Assistant Professor, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children supporting junior faculty IBBME held five pre-tenure breakfast club meetings with ten junior faculty members on campus and from hospitals. In addition to the assigned mentors and the one-on-one meetings with the Director that the Institute provides to new early career faculty members, IBBME also hosted a group session with discussions on best practices for many aspects of a faculty member’s life.
communicating achievements A thriving biomedical engineering program cannot operate at the level and competitiveness to its international benchmark peer institutions without a strong collaborative network. The extensive network and numerous affiliations that IBBME now enjoys has been mapped out this past year and may be found on our website. Over this past year the Institute has established IBBME Update, a monthly e-newsletter, bulletin boards and data updates to provide effective communication on our accomplishments across the Institute on an ongoing basis. A communications strategy has been implemented, with 30 stories authored by IBBME’s Communications Officer published on our website, frequently sourced by our partners across the University in Engineering, Medicine, our partner departments, and U of T’s news service, our point of contact for external media. A full list of news stories may be found on our website.
named chairs and canada research chairs held by ibbme core faculty, 2010-11 Alex Mihailidis Barbara G. Stymiest Research Chair in Rehabilitation Technology Tony Easty Baxter Chair in Health Technology Warren Chan CRC – Bio-nanotechnology Tom Chau CRC – Pediatric Rehab Engineering Aaron Wheeler CRC Bioanalytic Chemistry William Stanford CRC Integrative Stem Cell Biology
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Craig Simmons CRC Mechanobiology Peter Zandstra CRC Stem Cell Bioengineering (Appointed 2010) Molly Shoichet CRC Tissue Engineering Michael Sefton Michael E Charles Professor of Chemical Engineering Milos Popovic Toronto Rehab Chair in Spinal Cord Research
aWarDs anD honours IBBME students continue to rank very high in terms of academic performance and this is reflected in part by the high entrance grade average of incoming graduate students in the programs (3.4/4 for both MASc and PhD programs, and 4.0/4 for Clinical Engineering MHSc students.) The Institute’s students held 20 OGS, 44 CIHR and 22 NSERC scholarships in the 2010-11 academic year. IBBME has established new student awards for best peer reviewed papers in each of its four research themes. A total of 24 different internal student awards that were presented throughout the year are supported by IBBME. These awards were recognized publically at the Institute’s annual Alumni and Awards Banquet that was attended by over 200 Institute members, approximately 25 alumni, and guests in October 2011. iBBMe-suPPorteD stuDent aWarDs The Institute for Technology in Healthcare Clinical Engineering Thesis Award Jennifer (irwin) howcroft, MHSc
The Institute for Technology in Healthcare Graduate Fellowship tahir Wasim, MHSc candidate The Anna Jamieson Award leo chou, PhD candidate The Poul B. Madsen Award elaine lu, MHSc The Norman F Moody Award soroor sharifpoor, PhD emily Walker, PhD The Sally and Paul Wang Distinguished Scholarship Award leo chou, PhD candidate
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The Barbara and Frank Milligan Graduate Fellowship ahmad akl, PhD candidate rudolf alwi, MASc candidate Justin Besant, MASc candidate ahmed Faress, MASc candidate hayley Faulkner, MASc candidate sayed hashemi, PhD candidate Jonathan iu, PhD candidate regina leung, MHSc candidate Melanie Peladeau-Pigeon, MHSc candidate navid samavati, PhD candidate external stuDent aWarDs 2011 Teresina FLORIO Graduate Scholarship in Cancer Research leo chou, PhD candidate
2011-2011 Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Funds Frank Fletcher Memorial Fund noor Mohammed, PhD candidate leo chou, PhD candidate Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Student Scholarship steve Mcgie, PhD candidate Hilda and William Courtney Clayton Paediatric Research Fund idris aleem, MHSc candidate Vision Science Research Program Scholarship leila shayanpour, PhD candidate Canadian Institutes of Health Research Banting and Best Doctoral Award Devin singh, PhD candidate The Mary H Beatty Fellowship Maria cecilia alvarez veronesi, MASc candidate gabrielle lam, MASc candidate Faculty aWarDs IBBME faculty members continue to be recognized at the national and international level for their research excellence, where on average one-third of the core faculty and many cross-appointed faculty members receive such awards on an annual basis. This past year was no exception. Michael sefton receives acta Biomaterialia gold Medal University Professor Michael sefton, core faculty member and former IBBME Director, was presented with the Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal for excellence and leadership in biomaterials research and practical applications. Professor Sefton’s research at IBBME has three areas of focus: Cell transportation and
drug delivery, biomaterials, and tissue engineering. The ceremony occurred at the 2011 Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Society for Biomaterials in Orlando, Florida. “This award is a tribute to a truly inspirational researcher who has had great impact in the field of biomaterials,” said Professor Paul Santerre, current IBBME Director. “It is a significant recognition for Dr. Sefton and the University of Toronto.”
shana Kelley: Named an Inventor of the Year (University of Toronto)
Molly shoichet named to the order of ontario Core IBBME Professor Molly Shoichet was appointed to the Order of Ontario in January of 2011. Professor Shoichet designs strategies and materials to help the body heal itself after traumatic injury, in particular to the brain and spinal cord. This honour recognizes the highest level of individual excellence and achievement in any field. “We are extremely proud that the province of Ontario has recognized Professor Shoichet’s outstanding contributions to regenerative medicine,” said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering in a statement. “This honour confirms the impact of the engineering research being conducted at the Faculty and the tremendous reputation that Professor Shoichet has earned in her field.”
William ryu:Young Investigator Grant (Human Frontier Science Program)
Full list oF 2010-11 Faculty aWarDs cristina amon: YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction Award Named Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Joseph cafazzo: Stanford Medicine 2.0 Prize (Stanford University); Career Scientist Award (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care); Excellence in Canadian Telehealth Award (Canada’s Health Informatics Association) tom chau: Named one of 25 Transformational Canadians (Globe & Mail);The Da Vinci Award (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, USA); Graduate Faculty Teaching Award (Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto)
alex Mihailidis: Barbara G Stymiest Research Chair in Rehabilitation Technology Research (Toronto Rehabilitation Institute) Milica radisic: Scientist to Watch (The Scientist); Connaught Innovation Award (University of Toronto);Young Engineer Award, Professional Engineers of Ontario
Paul santerre: Named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science tom schweizer: Early Researcher Award (Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation); New Investigator Award (Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada) Michael v. sefton: Awarded the Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal Molly shoichet: Appointed to the Order of Ontario; Named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science eli sone: Young Investigator Award (International Conference on Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues) catriona steele: Speech-Language Pathology Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award (University of Toronto); Eve Kassirer Award for Outstanding Achievement (Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists); Named Fellow of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association aaron Wheeler: Analytical Chemistry Young Innovator Award (Chemical and Biological Microsystems Society) lidan you: The GH Duggan Medal (Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering) gang Zheng: Named Inventor of the Year (University Health Network)
andrew goldenberg: Entrepreneurship Medal Award (Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and Professional Engineers Ontario) allan gross: The Frank Stinchfield Award 2011 from The Hip Society in Recognition of Pre-eminent Excellence in the Exposition and Presentation of Dislocation in Revision Kullervo hynynen: William and Francis Fry Honorary Fellowship for Contributions to Therapeutic Ultrasound (International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound)
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educate future biomedical engineers
IBBME has 3 training programs that it manages at the graduate level. At the undergraduate level it contributes a significant leadership role in 2 programs that are coordinated out of the APSE Minor Office and the Division of Engineering Science. These programs are uniquely multidisciplinary in nature and are delivered to the University community using IBBME resources from FASE, Dentistry and Medicine. The success of the programs is dependent on departments within the three faculties recognizing IBBME as an extension of their own activity linked to the biomedical sector. The Institute provides the ability for trainees to rapidly network with over 90 faculty members across the spectrum of health care in the Toronto area through research and trainee curriculum.
2010-11: a year of growth
177
Percentage of student enrollment increase over the past ten years
Our unique core graduate program in the Institute is at the heart of its academic mission, being intimately tied to its operational budget. In 2010-11, IBBME’s graduate program saw an expansion of 15% in student enrollment, contributing to its prominence in Canada and making it one of the largest such programs in North America. In 2007, IBBME’s core MASc/PhD program had 97 students and over the past four years it has almost doubled in size, up to 187 core students. When looking at the whole graduate program, including the Institute’s Clinical Engineering MHSc and Collaborative MASc/PhD along with the above core program, the results are equally as impressive. The Institute has increased its trainee numbers from 225 students in 2010 to 288 students in 2011. Much of this growth has occurred at the PhD level where the total number of PhD students has expanded by 15-20% on an annual average for the past 10 years, with a growth of 18 students between 2010 and 2011 alone. Both the MHSc and MASc programs have retained relatively constant student numbers over the past four years with fluctuations of ±10%. The Institute’s research and operating funding base made an investment of approximately $3.1M into graduate stipend funding in 2010-11, with additional funds coming to the students from external scholarship awards. 30.4% of IBBME students have scholarships, above the FASE and U of T average of around 19%. The Institute’s guaranteed stipend funding in that period was $22 440 at the MASc level and $25 440 for the PhD program. IBBME’s collaborative graduate program has been in existence since the 1970s and continues to be an important opportunity for 14 partner departments to integrate their graduate programs with the Institute’s resources and biomedical/clinical network of researchers. This program’s enrollment fluctuates between 75-100 students in any given year, with 2010-11 showing a very strong enrollment of 100 students.
student enrollment, 2001-2011 300
number of students
250
200
150
100
50
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
year Total
Total New Masters PhD IBBME-Assigned Collaborative Clinical
New
Masters
PhD
IBBME-Assigned
Collaborative
Clinical
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 105 123 134 135 137 148 196 181 195 225 288 29 36 42 43 42 47 54 53 99 60 63 74 91 77 86 73 73 110 79 81 101 108 31 32 45 49 64 75 86 102 114 125 143 15 19 40 49 56 71 97 108 129 162 187 90 104 94 86 81 77 99 73 66 63 101 2 4 10 9 2 4 23 31 27 29 37
FIRST CLASS GRADUATE RESEARCH
IBBME congratulates our 34 graduating students and recognizes their outstanding contributions to research.
mhsc. in clinical eng ineering Christopher Colvin (Supervisor: T. Easty): An exploratory study of the fundamental characteristics influencing the analysis and communication activities of health care incident reporting systems Larry Crichlow (Supervisor: G. Fernie): Development of a comprehensive mathematical model and physical interface for manual wheelchair simulation Luke Gane (Supervisor: T. Chau): The effect of an unexpected auditory stimulus on the facial skin temperature of the periorbital regions as quantified using thermal imaging
Archana Gopal (Supervisor: J. Cafazzo): Reducing “failure-torescue� events through enhanced critical care response teams Jennifer Irwin (Supervisor: E. Biddiss): A biomechanical assessment of active video gaming in children with cerebral palsy detailing energy expenditure, muscle activations and upper limb kinematics Brian Kates (Supervisor: G. Wright): Magnetic resonance elastography for measuring the compliance of chronic total occlusions Diane Kostka (Supervisor: M. Popovic): Development and characterization of thermal grill apparatus for spinal cord injury patients Elaine Lu (Supervisor: A. Mihailidis): Development of an upper limb robotic device for stroke rehabilitation
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Celeste Merey (Supervisor: T. Chau): Quantitative classification of pediatric swallowing safety through accelerometer measurement device Leslie Mumford (Supervisor: T. Chau): Identification and development of individualized access pathways based on response efficiency theory Ilinca Popovici (Supervisor: J. Cafazzo): Patient-centric perspectives of communication and handover between the emergency department and general internal medicine Tina Shek (Supervisor: C. Amon): CFD evaluation of non-planar stent graft configurations in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
phd in biomedical eng ineering Natasha Alves (Supervisor: T. Chau): Mechanomyography as an access pathway for binary multifunction control
masc in biomedical eng ineering Vahe Akbarian (Supervisor: J. Audet): Extraction of proliferation and death rates in cytokin-stimulated erythroid progenitors using cell-division tracking and mathematical modeling Syed Sumra Bokhari (Supervisor: M. Thompson): Label-free, direct detection of cocaine using an aptamer in conjunction with an ultra-high frequency acoustic wave sensor Michelle Edwards (Supervisor: G. Zheng): In situ mapping of membranolytic protein-membrane interactions by combined attenuated total reflection-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy-atomic force microscopy Tuck-Voon How (Supervisor: A. Mihailidis): Development of an anti-collision and navigation system for powered wheelchairs
Brendan Leung (Supervisor: M.V. Sefton): Fabrication of a 3dimensional cardiac tissue using a modular tissue engineering approach
Faisal Moledina (Supervisor: P. Zandstra): A microfluidic system for mouse embryonic stem cell culture and microenvironment control
Jonathan Lovell (Supervisor: G. Zheng): New porphyrin architectures for biomedical applications
Trenna Swift (Supervisor: A. Keating): Natural killer cell line therapy in multiple myeloma
Cheryl Lynch (Supervisor: M. Popovic): Closed-loop control of electrically stimulated skeletal muscle contractions
Kathleen Turner (Supervisor: R. Kandel): The influence of the physical environment on annulus fibrosus cells culture on oriented nanofibrous polyurethane scaffolds
Sawitri Mardyani (Supervisor: W. Chan): Nanoparticles for cancer detection and therapy: towards diagnostic applications of quantum dots and rational design of drug delivery vehicles Cesar Marquez Chin (Supervisor: M. Popovic): Development of brain-machine interfaces Negar Memarian (Supervisor: T. Chau):A novel access technology based on infrared thermography for people with severe motor impairments John Oreopoulos (Supervisor: C.Yip): Combinatorial microscopy of molecular interactions at membrane interfaces Elizabeth Pham (Supervisor: K. Truong):Development of protein-based tools to image modulate Ca2+ signaling Soror Sharifpoor (Supervisor: J.P. Santerre): Influence of degradable polar hydrophobic ionic polyurethanes and cyclic mechanical strain on vascular smooth muscle cell function and phenotype Albert Vette (Supervisor: M. Popovic): Trunk stability during postural control: tool development and analysis Emily Walker (Supervisor: W.T. Stanford): Transcriptional network analysis during early differentiation reveals a role for polycomb-like 2 in mouse embryonic stem cell commitment Osbert Zalay (Supervisor: B. Bardakjian): Cognitive rhythm generators for modeling and modulation of neuronal electrical activity Ruognag Zhao (Supervisor: C. Simmons): The development and application of tools to study the multiscale biomechanics of the aortic valve
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Noel Wu (Supervisor: M. Popovic): Quantifying multi-directional stiffness of the trunk during sitting with and without functional electrical stimulation: able-bodied subjects
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT Undergraduate Curriculum Updated While IBBME’s focus is primarily graduate training at the current time, we also participate in undergraduate teaching via the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Option offered through Engineering Science and the BioEngineering minor offered across the different undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. In 2010-11, IBBME led a review of the Engineering Science BME program and began to implement changes in order to achieve its goal of enhancing this unique degree program at the undergraduate level. The changes include a revised Major in Biomedical Systems Engineering, and thereby updating the core curriculum, introducing new courses, and expanding laboratories’ practice and product design experience. Thanks to the efforts of IBBME faculty members on the committee, including Craig Simmons (chair), Peter Zandstra, Kevin Truong, and Berj Bardakjian, along with representatives from collaborating departments, the new curriculum saw approval in the fall of 2011 and will roll out in September 2012. Focus On Biodesign Although the concept of device design has been around for
several decades it has taken on a new meaning within the context of the integration of disciplines at the very early stages of design consideration. The term BioDesign is now used by many in our field to denote a systematic approach in identifying needs, delineating solutions leading to innovation and invention, and the subsequent implementation of the product of these ideas into new biomedical technologies. Towards this goal IBBME has been instrumental in revising the undergraduate Engineering Science curriculum to expand the continuum of design in years 3 and 4 of the new Biomedical Systems Engineering option. Three sequences of courses now run parallel to each other to provide the students with an enhanced training in the translation of knowledge into biomedical engineering practice: • A sequence of four courses in biomedical systems builds knowledge in organ systems; tissues and cells; cells and molecules; and computational systems biology so students appreciate how to integrate these important elements of human physiology into practical design concepts. • A sequence of four courses focuses on device design and function and include instrumentation in Omic Technologies (e.g. proteomics, genomics, epigenetics); biomedical design seminars; biomaterial and medical device product development; and biomedical systems engineering capstone design. • A sequence of four courses to teach the fundamental underlying principles for component design, include modeling, dynamics and control of biological systems; biomaterials and biocompatibility; biomechanics; and molecular biophysics. In order to support the implementation of the above design components the Institute has just completed the renovation of its undergraduate teaching laboratories (see more information on new space in Enable A Culture Of Excellence). New Graduate Courses
statistics Statistical training applied to the medical sciences is now a critical BME student skill set. Statistics applied to the development of in vitro and in vivo testing, signal analysis and instrumentation validation, data interpretation, process optimization and other themes specific to biomedical engineering applications are essential elements in the training of a biomedical engineer. In 2010-11, IBBME launched a new graduate course led by Associate Professor Julie Audet, BME 1480H: Experimental Design and Multivariate Analysis in Bioengineering. Case studies are a key feature of the course, with examples being related to molecular biological drug studies, implant outcomes, and human factor error analysis.
course development bioeng ineering science One of our core courses, Bioengineering Science (BME1450), underwent a major revision in 2010 to provide all IBBME students with a strong foundation not only in the principles of biomedical engineering, but also in the communication and networking skills the field requires. Team-taught by a rehabilitation engineer (Assistant Professor Elaine Biddiss) and a fundamental scientist (Assistant Professor Jonathan Rocheleau), BME1450 is an introductory “course in biomedical engineering that aims to provide students with a broad understanding of the research and methodologies of the core themes of IBBME, fundamental skills in research question development, experiment design, and dissemination. The latter are tools needed to conduct high quality and high impact multidisciplinary research. This is taught within a resource-rich network to support future individual- and team-based research in biomedical engineering. The course also provides access to many IBBME faculty through seminars and in-class discussions. The course now features an individual project that centers on the student’s own thesis work.Various activities, including a literature search, proposal outline, and peer review, allow the student to work towards the final goal of producing a first-year committee proposal. These activities are timed to coincide with how-to lectures, which are focused on the effective collection and communication of science, to guide them in the tasks. The students are encouraged to consult with their thesis supervisors and fellow students to improve their own understanding of the project. Focusing on their own thesis project also keeps the students motivated to engage at a high level in the course. Assistant Professors Biddiss and Rocheleau also made changes to the group work performed in class. “We opened the project areas up to new disease areas to allow the students some freedom and creativity,” stated Assistant Professor Rocheleau. “However, we also wanted to keep the projects rooted in reality, and therefore enlisted the help of three clinicians to meet with the students early in the development of their projects and throughout the course. Again, the underlying message is that science is about communication and being aware that what you think is a good idea needs to be discussed with end-users in the field you are exploring.” Through these collaborations, the students have created a number of clinically practical and innovative design prototypes, some of which have gone on to be patented and developed further outside of the course. Cross-disciplinary science also requires networking strategies, and Assistant Professor Biddiss affirms that networking is now a priority in BME1450. “We introduced hospital lab tours so that students are exposed to some of the satellite labs and clinical contacts. The students also have the opportunity to meet and work with other students within their own discipline who are working on related research, through the 11
peer review exercises, and also with students from differing, interdisciplinary backgrounds, through the group project.”
clinical engineering PrograM IBBME’s Clinical Engineering (CE) internship and research-based MHSc program was the first of its kind and continues to be the leading program in the country. In 2010, certification in CE was introduced in Canada by the American College of Clinical Engineers, just one indication of the need for research clinical engineers within hospital research Institutes, universities, and medical device industries to lead research and innovation.
to explore different avenues they could take as a clinical engineer, from working in the medical devices industry to completing research in a university or hospital lab. As the newly appointed Clinical Engineering Program Coordinator, Associate Professor Alex Mihailidis, asserts, “This experience gives our students an edge over other graduates, increasing their future opportunities and employability. From the employer perspective, our students provide a unique skill set and a level of intellect that is unmatched. While these students are only at a placement for a short period of time, their accomplishments and contributions to the organization are outstanding.” Students in 2010-11 were placed in the following partner institutions: Toronto Rehabilitation Institute University Health Network UHN - Centre for Global eHealth Innovation British Columbia Institute of Technology Colibri Technologies Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Queen’s University Sunnybrook Research Institute Hospital for Sick Children Massachusetts General Hospital Intelligent Assistive Technology and Systems Lab (Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto)
Mhsc coordinator honoured For excellence in education U of T’s Faculty of Medicine awarded Associate Professor Tom Chau the Excellence in Graduate Student Mentorship award in 2011. This award recognized Professor Chau’s role as coordinator of the Master of Health Science in Clinical Engineering at IBBME and his mentorship of graduate students through which he cultivates an environment of affirmation and embraces a philosophy of collaborative problem-solving. clinical engineering PrograM exPanDeD A major transformation in the Institute’s graduate program was the establishment of a Clinical Engineering concentration within its PhD program. Under the stewardship of professor Tom Chau, outgoing Clinical Engineering Program Coordinator, IBBME received approval from the School of Graduate Studies to expand elements of its CE program into the PhD program. The new concentration – unique to Canada – was approved in the spring of 2011, and the first PhD students are enrolling in 2011-12. This concentration allows PhD students to conduct clinically applied research in a healthcare setting such as a hospital under the co-supervision of both engineering and health sciences faculty members. Students in the MHSc program may also request to transfer into the PhD program’s clinical engineering concentration within their first year of study. Graduates of IBBME’s MHSc or the PhD concentration are to apply for certification in clinical engineering through the American College of Clinical Engineering. clinical engineering internshiP PlaceMents In 2010-11, we placed 22 students in hands-on internships as a part of the completion requirement for the MHSc in Clinical Engineering. In these internships, students gain real-world, hands-on experience in clinical settings. These internships provide students with unique opportunities
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stuDent exPerience
We are pleased to report that exit surveys with graduate students indicate that once students are registered into IBBME degree programs, or become affiliated with the two undergraduate research programs, it is felt that the logistical support that the Institute provides to the students is quite strong relative to departments across campus. This is a very positive endorsement from the students. During the academic planning process in 2009 it was recognized that IBBME could support students better by: • • • •
More clearly defining the pathway through our programs; Mapping out clear guidelines to assist the students through each degree or option; Mapping out our unique curriculum opportunities; and Better assisting students with post-graduation options.
This support is partly necessary due to the diversity of training settings across our collaborating departments and partner hospitals. The requirements for completion of collaborative programs can be confusing because of the different requirements within each of the collaborative departments. This provided the motivation to provide some clarification in the new graduate recruitment brochures unveiled in September 2011. This documentation is
IBBME’s residence time for PhD’s is on average between 4-5 years, and near 2 years for the MASc and MHSc programs, which is in line with the provincial funding models for graduate students. Please note that IBBME’s PhD program began in 2003, and hence first-cycle data were not fully available until 2005–2006.
time to degree completion, 2001-2010 6
number of years
5 4 3 2 1 0 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11* FT PhD
FT MASC
FT MHSC
* Includes cases where students were delayed in completing their graduate programs due to medical and/or personal circumstances
From our new recruitment brochure – just one initiative to help students navigate their way through IBBME.
the path of the biomedical engineer Undergrad to Principal Investigator and beyond. As a a graduate student at IBBME, you are involved in research-intensive, thesis-based programs.You join the research community by presenting at conferences and poster sessions, including IBBME Research Day.You work closely with leading researchers, author papers, present seminars, attain patents, and secure provincial and national research funding. All IBBME graduate students are members of BESA, the Biomedical Engineering Students’ Association.
At this level, you the student learn the principles of biomedical engineering while jumping into cutting-edge research.You might go on a clinical engineering exchange through the NARETI program, contribute to the publication of research, and join CUBE, the Club of Biomedical Engineering.You may take courses offered through Engineering Science (Biomedical Engineering option).
UNDERGRADUATE
INDUSTRY LEADER
Biomedical engineers like you are needed by patent agencies, government regulatory bodies, government research labs, hospital research institutes, biomedical suppliers and distributors, biomedical engineering service units in hospitals, biomedical design teams in industry, and as private consultants.
BME GRADUATE STUDENT MASC/PhD
POST DOCTORATE
clinical Mhsc/ PhD concentration in clin.eng.
As a principal investigator establishing a position at a university or research institute, you will set up your own lab and lead your own research.You will recruit, train and mentor graduate students and engage with the academic community. As you join with other researchers in interdisciplinary work on the edge of science, you may form international collaborations. As your research develops and you make discoveries, you will manage intellectual property and engage with industry.You will write and review articles, sit on editorial boards of scientific journals, and attend and chair conferences.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
As a postdoc, you will deepen your expertise while preparing for an academic position.You will attain research funding and learn to write your own grants, while attending and presenting seminars, engaging with clinicians, developing as an independent research scientist.
Students in the MHSc program conduct hands-on research through internships in clinical environments. BME PhD students pursuing a Concentration in Clinical Engineering also conduct research in a clinical setting. Clinical students participate fully in the IBBME community, receiving the same benefits of a rich interdisciplinary environment as BME students.
ENTREPRENEUR
The entrepreneur may found a spin-off company that turns research into products and acquire consulting and intellectual property management knowledge as well as research program management skills. Within a company, you may lead product design and manufacturing.Your industry partners rely on you to bring scientific expertise to the commercialization process, from idea to proof of principle, from bench to clinical, from prototype to process manufacturing, from exploratory science to regulatory approval. As a clinical engineer, you will gain certification and find work in one of several fields: the medical device industry, hospitals, medical research facilities, educational institutions, regulatory bodies, or government and industry associations.
CLINICAL ENGINEER
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complemented by the Institute’s informative website, which describes our various programs and features a significantly enhanced news section, job career features, description of partner hospitals and our activity with them, along with the identification of faculty members by theme area, as well as by affiliation with the Institute. enhanceD exPerience The success of our programs are reflected by the fact that graduate students contributed to 139 first authored student posters and conference presentations at national and international meetings (supervised by core faculty) in 201011. The graduate students organize the Institute’s annual research event, and both the graduate and undergraduate biomedical engineering student clubs are financially supported by the Institute. The student events and opportunities listed below are just a few of the student experience highlights that have occurred in the Institute over the past year. 2011 scientiFic Day Our annual Scientific Day took place on Thursday, May 24, 2011 in the Medical Sciences Building of the University of Toronto. It was attended by nearly three hundred students, faculty and staff. “It’s the most significant calendar event for the IBBME community,” said Professor Paul Santerre, Director of the Institute. “Our interdisciplinary approach may be necessary for advancing the frontier of the biomedical field, but it also means that our students and faculty are scattered from the St. George campus to as far afield as Sunnybrook Hospital. Scientific Day brings this vital community together to enable the exchange of ideas, conceive new approaches to our research questions, and get some much needed out-oflab face time with their peers.” The program included 72 poster presentations, thirteen oral presentations and two keynote addresses by world-renown researchers Drs Sangeeta Bhatia (MIT) and Shaf Keshavjee (Director, Toronto Lung Transplant Program and cross-appointed to IBBME).
For many junior students, Scientific Day is the first opportunity to present their research to a large audience; for senior students, it is a chance to perfect their presentation skills for the national and international conferences and seminars that are a part of a researcher’s life. IBBME recognizes student efforts with Scientific Day awards for poster and oral presentations. This year, the winners were:
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best poster navid samavati (Engineering in a Clinical Setting) Samavati N, McGrath DM, Lee J, van der Kwast T, Ménard C, Brock KK. Correlative pathology of human prostate using an optimized biomechanical deformable registration. sascha Pinto (Nanotechnology, Molecular Imaging and Systems Biology) Pinto S,Yasotharan S, Bolz SS, Guenther A. Microfluidic platform to assess molecular transport across small blood vessels. sarah Power (Neural, Sensory Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering) Power S, Kushki A, Chau T.Toward a system-packed NIRSBCI: Differentiating prefrontal activity due to cognitive tasks from the no-control state. sidharth chaudhry (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering) Chaudhry S, Majd H, Pietramaggiori G, Alman BA, Quinn TM, Hinz B. A novel culture system provides high yields of nonfibrogenic primary dermal fibroblasts for grafting applications. Derek voice (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering: Honourable Mention) Voice D, Khan OF, Sefton MV. A novel plug flow process for high throughput modular tissue engineering. lewis reis (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering: Honourable Mention) Reis LA, Chiu LLY, Liang Y, Hyunh K, Radisic M. Development of a peptide modified chitosan-collagen hydrogel for the site-specific delivery of cardiomyocytes to the heart.
oral presentations alexandre albanese (Lightning Round Presentation) Albanese A, Chan WCW.The effect of gold nanoparticle aggregation on cell uptake and toxicity. Jonathan lovell (Full-length Presentation) Lovell J, Jin C, Huynh E, Jin H, MacDonald TD, Kim C, Rubinstein JL, Chan WCW, Cao W,Wang L, Zheng G. Porphysome nanovesicles formed from porphyrin-phospholipid conjugates as theranostic cancer agents. 2011 unDergraDuate suMMer research PrograM (usrP) The 2011 IBBME USRP was a tremendous success. The 26 participants, working with 17 IBBME-affiliated faculty over three months (May-July). Participants came from engineering or science programs primarily at the University of Toronto, but also from McGill, Waterloo, and McMaster. IBBME met its three primary objectives, listed below.
Expose participants to the breadth of research areas at IBBME. To overcome the challenge of participants working in disparate areas, and in some cases were not working on the main campus, exposure to the breadth of IBBME
research was accomplished through presentations by IBBME PIs, through attendance at IBBME Scientific Day, as well as a tour of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – a new feature this year, and especially well-received by students in their evaluations. Improve participants’ scientific writing and presentation skills. USRP prepares students for graduate-level training through activities and workshops aimed at improving scientific communication. Participants produce a research proposal that is peer reviewed by PIs and their peers, as well as a final abstract summarizing their projects. Students attended workshops on proposal writing, the peer review project, and abstract writing from IBBME Professor Christopher Yip and FASE Communications. IBBME published the second volume of Proceedings of the IBBME Undergraduate Summer Research Program, a compilation of research proposals and abstracts. Students worked on presentation skills at the mini-symposium that concluded the program, as well as through poster or oral presentations at the FASE Undergraduate Research Day (UnERD). Engineering communications provided a workshop on poster presentations. 14 of the 26 participants presented at UnERD, and five of these were awarded prizes for their poster or oral presentations. Notably, in the Biomedical oral presentation section, the IBBME participants won two of the three awards. Introduce participants to career options. This goal was accomplished through two presentations from researchers with expertise in different aspects of commercialization. One presentation focused on the career path from basic research to involvement in product development, while the other focused more on the commercialization process itself. The feedback on these presentations was overwhelmingly positive. Awards were presented to the best student presenters from the mini-symposium, as well as to students who had made an outstanding contribution to the program:
student presentation awards 1st prize - Misan Lee (A. Wheeler); 2nd prize - Gang Wang (C.Yip); 3rd prize - Anna Yu (T. Chau)
outstanding contribution awards Steven Meyers (J. Audet); Andrea Constantinof (T. Schweizer) The Biomedical Engineering Students’ Association (BESA) BESA organized a number of events for the students of IBBME. The focus was on interdepartmental events, including weekly pick-up sports nights in the Hart House gym, pub nights and a skating night. The larger interdepartmental events consisted of a boat cruise during the summer and
Scientific Day. In addition, events specifically for Clinical Engineering students were organized, such as a curling day and potlucks. The election of a new, larger committee led to the organization of larger events in the Fall 2011 semester, including an orientation barbeque and pub night. Other regular BESA events include an interdepartmental Halloween party and a board game night. This past year saw changes to the BESA election process. Instead of holding one election for all BESA positions in September, two elections were held: one in August for the President and VP positions, and one in September for all other positions. This allowed event planning to begin before the start of the semester and produced a more diverse committee in terms of experience with BESA and the IBBME program. The Club for Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering (CUBE) CUBE had a very successful year, holding a total of nine major events aimed at undergraduate students from various faculties who are curious or passionate about biomedical engineering. Many were academic in nature, such as the StudentProfessor Mixer, Summer Research Seminar, and Medical School and Grad School Seminar. These events gave students a chance to network with professors and upper years who can offer both helpful advice and unique opportunities to extend a student’s academic career. Most of the speakers were IBBME-affiliated professors. Other events were tailored for students interested in entering the industry. The Student-Industry Mixer and the MaRS District tour offered students the exclusive opportunity to meet with industry experts from biomedical companies such as Baylis and Medtronic Canada, and establish important connectionsf or finding internships, Professional Experience Year jobs, and post-graduation opportunities. Special events such as acting as delegates at international conferences were also subsidized for club members. Five students were able to attend the BIO Conference held in Washington D.C in 2011. This was an amazing learning and travelling experience for all the members. Social and team building events such as the Annual General Meeting, CUBE Social, Elections, and Executive Transition Dinner were also held. These events ensured that club members know the executives well and have the chance to contribute to the club.
Advanced Training: NSERC CREATE Programs
IBBME offers program enhancements through the NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE): the Academic Rehabilitation Engineering (CARE) training program and the Program in Microfluidic Applications and Training in Cardiovascular Health (MATCH). MATCH
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and CARE are elite programs of study that highlight the interdisciplinary spirit and commercial innovation of IBBME. care uPDate The objective of the CARE program is to equip doctoral students with state-of-the-art collaborative and integrative scientific tools to tackle the most significant habilitation, rehabilitation, and prevention challenges facing Canadians in the 21st century. These challenges include mobility impairments, cognitive deficits, physical injury, aging, and prolonged life expectancy of individuals with disability. This 5-year program has now reached its half-way mark.
outgoing executive committee (2 year rotation) Elaine Biddiss Alex Mihailidis Kathy McGilton Ron Baecker
incoming executive committee Catriona Steele Jan Andrysek Amy McPherson Ceasar Marquez
he quickly became attracted to the industrial and professional training aspects of the program. “The CARE program forced me to get involved academically beyond the IBBME requirements - taking courses, workshops and seminars, and getting involved in a clinical observership and internship. I think this has really improved my overall IBBME experience,” stated Czarnuch. “I gained valuable experience in areas I realistically wouldn’t have been involved in otherwise.” CARE trainees also receive extra funding – which was welcome to Czarnuch. “I received additional funding for travel and conferences, affording me the opportunity to participate in more scholarly venues that would likely not have been financially feasible otherwise,” he affirmed. Match uPDate The objectives of the MATCH program are twofold: to produce highly qualified personnel skilled in microfluidic technologies and related biomedical, bioanalytical, or materials synthesis research, and to provide these students with professional and communications skills; and to build capacity in the fields of health and related life sciences and technologies. Program activities for trainees started in earnest in January 2010, and have continued since.
match prog ram committee highlights • • •
Recruitment: 16 doctoral students (40% of 5 yr target) Matching contributions: $153 667 secured (58% of 5yr target) 5 internships placed in Baylis Medical, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Toronto Rehab Institute.
CARE’s second objective is to complement academic training with practical exposure to career-critical knowledge in rehabilitation engineering and beyond. We have the following professional training opportunities to enrich and complement the traditional academic journey: •
Clinical observerships at hospitals, nursing homes or community organization as relevant to the student’s area of research • Project management course • Workshops in business conduct and grant writing • Outreach training activities such as the national program Let’s Talk Science care trainee ProFile: stePhen cZarnuch Stephen Czarnuch was concerned about what to do after completing his PhD (under the supervision of Associate Professor Alex Mihailidis). When he learned about CARE
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Chair: Warren Chan, University of Toronto Principal Investigator: Michael Sefton, University of Toronto Director: Craig Simmons, University of Toronto Program Coordinator: Jeffrey Little, University of Toronto External Academic Advisor: Mehmet Toner, Harvard Medical School Industrial Advisor: Po Ki Yuen, Corning, Inc. Industrial Advisor: Lynda Moore, CMC Microsystems
highlights • •
•
Recruitment: 47 graduate students and 1 postdoctoral fellow (31% of 5 yr target) Student activity: 52 (co-)authored peer reviewed papers; 85 conference presentations (23 supported by MATCH travel grants); 2 patents; 3 invention disclosures 10 graduates of the MATCH program
MATCH provides a flexible, interdisciplinary and collaborative curriculum for trainees from a wide range of departments: •
Interdisciplinary Microfluidics, a course accessible to students from a variety of backgrounds, including physical and life sciences, modified to include modules
• • •
related to technology transfer and commercialization, with several guest speakers from industry and tours of local companies. Monthly MATCH seminars in which the trainees present their research to their colleagues. Attendance and participation in the annual Ontarioon-a-Chip/MATCH Symposium. Outreach training through the national program Let’s Talk Science, developing a new module on microfluidics and visiting grade schools to promote science and technology. The MATCH program provided $1 000 to support LTS in this initiative and will do so over the next three years.
Awarded $9.375M Canadian Foundation for Innovation grant for a Centre for Microfluidic Systems in Chemistry and Biology (CMS). CMS will extend the existing infrastructure for microfabrication, chemical synthesis, cell biology, and regenerative medicine, providing additional laboratory space and leading-edge technologies dedicated to micro-fabrication, integration of microfluidic devices, and their application to cardiovascular drug discovery and tissue regeneration.
Match syMPosiuM Over 130 attendees packed into the George Ignatieff Theatre on June 14, 2011 for the sixth annual Ontarioon-a-Chip conference, followed by the MATCH symposium on June 15. The conference focused on microfluidics, microreactors and labs-on-a-chip and facilitates contact between university researchers and chemical, pharma, biotech, advanced materials and analytical device companies. IBBME gave a strong showing at the two-day conference. IBBME core faculty member and MATCH Program Director Craig Simmons co-organized the conference with IBBME cross-appointee Axel Guenther, with Suthan Srigunapalan and fellow PhD candidate Sascha Pinto, who both sit on the MATCH Student Advisory Board, and with the assistance of IBBME Graduate Advisor Jeffrey Little. There were sixteen IBBME-affiliated student presenters.
Above: Students present research at the MATCH symposium.
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advance high-impact research
Biomedical technologies developed in these areas are ever being successfully commercialized, clinically tested, and brought to clinical use by our proactive faculty. In every theme, we are working to lessen the economic burden associated with diseases of aging patients, especially in cardiovascular,cardiac implants, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. The journey from lab to patient begins with research excellence.
the h-inDex: Measuring research iMPact
At IBBME, the ultimate goal of research is to improve human health. We achieve our goals by pursuing research in four key theme areas: neural, sensory systems and rehabilitation Biomaterials, tissue engineering and regenerative Medicine nanotechnology, Molecular imaging and systems Biology engineering in a clinical setting
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peer-reviewed journal articles published by core faculty in 2010-11
Given the Institute’s vision statement to be ranked among the top world-leading biomedical engineering research institutes/departments it is incumbent upon the University’s program in biomedical engineering to be compared with the best schools. Who are the best schools? Based on US rankings, top comparison schools in Biomedical Engineering include Johns Hopkins, Duke, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford, and MIT. There are many measures of research impact but certainly publication activity is a key factor. The ISI impact factor analysis often reports the hfactor as a measure of an academic’s impact on the field. The h-index is an index that attempts to measure both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scholar. The index is based on the set of the scientist’s most cited papers and the number of citations those papers have received in other publications in the field. An impact factor of ten or greater typically implies that the researcher’s work is being referenced by peers in the field well over one hundred times a year and that their journal activity is published in journals typically with impact factors greater than four and in many instances greater than six. Based on data analyzed with the above benchmarkers, IBBME’s h-index performance is reported in the two figures below for core faculty members, and then for all faculty, including cross-appointments. It can be seen that IBBME core faculty are close to par with the US benchmarking schools and when we include cross-appointed faculty, the Institute’s ranking increases, further illustrating the excellence of its interdisciplinary and collaborative research programs.
h index >10 MIT Stanford Johns Hopkins Georgia Tech Duke University IBBME U of T
0
20
40
60
80
100
60
80
100
% of core bme faculty
h index >10
MIT *n/a Stanford Johns Hopkins Georgia Tech Duke University IBBME U of T
0
20
40
% of overall bme faculty
In a recent ranking of 77 North American biomedical engineering programs, IBBME ranked 7th among all peers and 4th among publicly funded peers, for citations between 2006 and mid 2011. In the same rankings, IBBME ranked second to Harvard in terms of number of publications, and 1st among all publicly funded universities between 2006 and mid 2011. The data was limited to Thomson Reuters-covered journals. The peer group of 77 institutions were all leading research universities in North America [members of the U15 and/or the Association of American Universities (AAU), plus UC San Francisco]. 19
core faculty funding by source, 2010-11 Canadian Charities and Research Institutes $642,435
US Charities, Corporations Government, and Research Institutes $1,501,683 Other Charities, Research Institutes, and Government $1,306,875
Ontario Government $687,225 University of Toronto $219,060 Canadian Government $8,074,664
Corporations $323,139
Total distributed: $12,755,080 135 research projects by our core faculty were funded in 2010-11. For a full list of funded research projects, please see our website.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Promoting Healthy People Improving health and well-being has long been a human imperative, and there is still much we can do to alleviate suffering and improve quality of life for all people… Rehabilitation scientists, computer scientists, and biomedical engineers are making advances in assisted living technologies, neurorobotics, and brain-computer interfaces that are enabling users and improving quality of life. — University of Toronto Strategic Research Plan, 2012-2017 Joseph Cafazzo’s Bant iPhone application supports self-care of type-1 diabetes patients. The Bant app allows users to enter blood glucose readings, synchronizes with a Microsoft Health Vault account, and connects with other users via Twitter to form a supportive community. So far 30 000 users worldwide have downloaded the free, multilingual app. He recently completed a clinical pilot of an advanced version of the app at SickKids Hospital in Toronto. His
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work in diabetes self-care earned him the Canadian Health Informatics Association’s Excellence in Canadian Telehealth Award and the Career Scientist Award from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care this year. Patricia Trbovich and Tony Easty investigated the impact of human factors on new medical devices for the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee through a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term care. Elaine Biddiss developed “The Art of Waiting,” a design project in collaboration with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab researchers and Geoffrey Shea’s OCAD University students to develop a multimedia interactive installation to occupy children of all abilities waiting in a clinical setting. The installation, featuring a pressure-sensitive floor and projection screen, was unveiled in late 2011 at Holland Bloorview. Jan Andrysek is developing an injection moldable prosthetic knee joint for market readiness. This robust joint suitable for wet and sandy environments is targeted at children,
particularly in developing nations. Field testing has begun in El Salvador and will begin soon in Chile. Andrysek is also working with the International Committee of the Red Cross, with the first pilot test in Ethiopia complete and further tests forthcoming. Geoff Fernie’s RoboNurse, a device to safely lift and transport patients, is being developed for commercialization in China through a partnership with Shandong Relax Health Industry Co Ltd, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital in China, Andrew J. Hart Enterprises, Quanser Consulting, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, where Fernie is Vice President of Research, and International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada. Berj Bardakjian is developing “neuromodulators” in the form of “cognitive rhythm generators” for analyzing and modulating brain electrical activity to predict and control epileptic seizures. The research has resulted in eight scientific publications since 2010 and three industrial patents under review. This brings him closer to his goal of creating implantable devices that will act as therapeutic tools for epilepsy, a disorder that affects 2.7 million people in the US alone. Willy Wong and IBBME MASc student Yinming Sun, in collaboration with Jeff Daskalakis (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), is making electrophysiological recordings of patients with heavy depression with implanted electrical stimulation generators. This is the first study of its kind in the world, and represents a potential paradigm shift in severe depression rehabilitation therapy. Improving Human Health Throughout the Lifespan U of T scholars, educators, and investigative teams are collaborating to ensure that development and health throughout the lifespan is at the forefront of research…so that people can maintain optimal health and quality of life whatever age they happen to be. — University of Toronto Strategic Research Plan, 2012-2017 Milica Radisic is pursuing research in cardiac tissue engineering. Her discovery that a novel peptide would prevent cell death in cardiomyocytes, the beating heart cells, and endothelial cells, which line blood vessels, and the subsequent commercialization of the discovery, earned her international attention and a Connaught Innovation Award from U of T in 2010-11. Moshe Eizenman is assessing visual acuity in infants to diagnose disorders such as amblyopia (lazy eye) and measure infant response to therapy. This project, a partnership with the University of Waterloo and SickKids hospital, is funded
by a Cooperative Health research Program grant from NSERC and CIHR. Professor and former IBBME director Michael Sefton received a CIHR grant for a five year-term to examine the influence of endothelial cell (EC) interactions with other cell types, as well as the effects of blood flow. The new knowledge obtained on EC function during remodeling will be used to design novel therapies with a view to achieving improved/accelerated vascularization. The project, Vascularized Tissue Engineered Constructs, is being carried out by Professor Sefton, Myron Cybulsky, Philip Marsden, and Professor Craig Simmons. Rita Kandel and Marc Grynpas and Robert Pilliar are generating biphasic constructs of in vitro formed cartilage and intervertebral disc with a biodegradable bone substitute in order to anchor soft tissue to bone and reconstruct the cartilage bone interface. This research has resulted in two patents and has attracted international interest with $1-million in funding from the United States Army (Medical Research Acquisition Activity). Molly Shoichet, in collaboration with Cindi Morshead, Derek van der Kooy, and Charles Tator is investigating the use of induced pluripotent stem cells combined with drug delivery for spinal cord injury repair. This project, funded jointly by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada, builds on four patents, two industry partners, and a collaboration with MaRS Innovation. Milos Popovic is helping stroke and spinal cord injury patients regain functions such as grasping and standing using neuroprostheses and functional electrical stimulation (FES) therapy. He recently received an NSERC Discovery grant to further extend his research into restoring standing function and an NSERC Accelerator Grant to commercialize FES therapy, which has the potential to be in use within a year. Kevin Truong is engineering protein switches as therapeutics to repair malfunctioning signaling pathways in cells. The long-term aim of this research is to use engineered protein switches to repair signaling abnormalities that are the hallmarks of disease such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer. His research is currently funded by CIHR, an NSERC Discovery grant, and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. Enabling Technologies For The 21st Century Nanoscience is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale, and nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at that scale… Investigative teams at U of T are exploring these possibilities: …nano- and regenerative
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medicine, personalized diagnostics and pharmaceuticals… The tiny scale of nanotechnologies may allow for the automation of tasks which were previously inaccessible. — University of Toronto Strategic Research Plan, 2012-2017 Aaron Wheeler used a lab-on-a-chip platform at Newborn Screening Ontario to automate, reduce costs and increase efficiency in dried blood spot analysis that identifies genetic diseases in newborns. In 2011, his work on the detection of steroid hormones using digital microfluidics earned him a Connaught Innovation Award from the University of Toronto. Shana Kelley’s project, Microchip-based devices for the analysis of circulating prostate cancer markers, involves developing a non-invasive screening for prostate cancer and the early detection of the disease. An approach relying on nanotechnology will be employed to produce very sensitive, accurate devices that will sense the presence of prostate cancer cells in the blood, and will analyze the aggressiveness of the disease by detecting molecules that can report on the type of tumour present. Her team of principal investigators includes IBBME core Professor Aaron Wheeler.
Nanotechnology-enabled image-guided interventions in vascular and lung diseases, is another IBBME research project being investigated by a team including Gang Zheng and Warren Chan. This project will develop, and accelerate to clinical trial readiness, novel technologies based on nanoparticles (NP) that are targeted to lung cancer and atherosclerosis, combined with optical imaging technologies. Simulation and Imaging for Improved Health Researchers at U of T from disciplines within every division are collaborating to create new kinds of representation, and to study the many applications of simulation and imaging technologies, including computational photography, semantic image retrieval, non-realistic interfaces, and automated medical image analysis. — University of Toronto Strategic Research Plan, 2012-2017 Christopher Yip is developing, along with Scott Gray-Owen’s group in the Department of Molecular Genetics, a powerful imaging platform for looking at molecular interactions in live cells that is helping us understand the behaviour of a family of molecules implicated in both infection and cancer. David Steinman, Richard Cobbold and their PhD student, Luis Aguilar, have developed a new way to simulate ultrasound imaging that promises to significantly improve images over current approaches.
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Jonathan Rocheleau is furthering diabetes research from his lab in the MaRS Toronto Medical Discovery Tower, where he is examining FGFR1 and KLB-co-receptor distribution using biophysical fluorescence for live cell imaging. Ofer Levi is developing miniature bio-sensors for optical sensing in microfluidic environments, and has started a collaboration with Abbot Labs to evaluate these technologies for label-free assays in biomedical diagnostics. Successful Commercialization The manufacturing facility for John E. Davies’ OsteoScaf, a biodegradable bone scaffolding material was completed; commercial production was forecasted for late 2011. Osteoscaf has been used in over 50 clinical cases. Paul Santerre’s Interface Biologics spinoff company landed a $2 million licensing agreement with Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s largest provider of dialysis products, to commercialize Endexo, a self-locating fluoro-oligomeric additive that reduces the need for anti-coagulants in dialysis devices.
Tom Chau’s Virtual Music Instrument, which allows even the severely disabled to play music, was licenced by MusicIQKids in 2009, and has since been sold to rehab centres in Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, and the UK. Ojiton, Tom Chau’s spin-off company, will take over distribution in 2012. Startup companies of core faculty include the following: AXAL: Co-founded by Milos Popovic, AXAL designs and manufactures tools for rehabilitation and research, including the Graded and Redefined Assessment of Strength Sensibility and Prehension (GRASSP) kit, which measures function after tetraplegia. Cytodiagnostics provides nanotechnology-derived products such as gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, silver nanoparticles, secondary antibodies and fluorescent dyes for the international life science and material science markets. (Warren Chan) El-Mar: Moshe Eizenman’s company is a developer of eye-tracking systems. Insception Biosciences: co-founded by Peter Zandstra, IB operates the largest umbilical cord blood processing and storage system in Canada. Interface Biologics develops biomedical polymer technology to improve the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. (Paul Santerre)
ibbme patents
MIT Stanford Johns Hopkins Georgia Tech Duke University IBBME U of T
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
% of core bme faculty with at least 1 patent within the past 2 years
Above:The Institute’s innovation can be measured by the number of patent applications and invention disclosures. Between 2009 and 2011 IBBME has filed 62 patents and disclosures, and 39% of core faculty hold patents as per public Google Patent search.
Kapplex delivers digital microfluidic solutions for complex chemistry platforms, including the Smart Well Plate for high-throughput sample analysis and the Smart Screen for dried blood analysis. (Aaron Wheeler) Neurochip is developing platform applications for the rapid, on-line diagnosis of brain wave activity. Co-founded by Berj Bardakjian, its current focus is to build a depth-ofanesthesia monitor that will provide anesthesiologists with a quantitative assessment of the patient’s level of awareness during surgery. Animal testing generated positive results; currently being tested in humans, prototype development of the technology is forthcoming.
Rimon Therapeutics: Regenerative medicine company developing medical polymers for localized therapeutic applications. (Michael Sefton) Simple Systems: Milos Popovic’s company was created to commercialize neuroprosthetics that restore function to stroke and spinal cord injury patients. Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics: John E Davies’ company develops OsteoScaf and has licensed patented cord tissue banking technology in Canada and the US with partners CReATE Cord Blood Bank and ViaCord, respectively.
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engage through collaboration, research, and influence
Biomedical engineering is by nature a cross-disciplinary field and requires strong relationships with partners in diverse communities: healthcare services, the research community, technology transferenabling networks, and industry. IBBME is well-situated in all these partnerships.
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collaborating departments
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cross-appointed faculty
acaDeMic Partners:
one institute, three faculties Unlike traditional departments on campus that operate solely from within a single Faculty, IBBME operates with a formal and unique relationship to three different faculties (FASE), Dentistry and Medicine) with resources (financial, human and space) shared across all three academic units. FASE administers the majority of activities, reflecting the fact that engineering students currently constitute most of the curriculum teaching requirements. The Director reports to all three Deans. This past year, the Institute has 98 faculty members of which there are 34 core faculty, 58 cross appointments, and 9 professor emeritus. The distribution across the three faculties is approximately 52% Medicine/hospitals, 35% FASE, 6% Dentistry, 6% other (Physics, Pharmacy, Chemistry). Of the 34 core faculty there are 13.25 FTE of which 10 are 100% appointments in IBBME and the remaining are shared appointments affiliated with other units, among 7 positions. There are 17 additional core faculty who contribute to the Institute’s teaching mission but who are affiliated with faculty members from the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and Material Sciences Engineering in FASE, Faculty of Dentistry, and Faculty of Medicine members (several in the hospitals). A full list of our core and cross-appointed faculty may be found on our website. coMMercialiZation Partners Bringing biomedical engineering innovations to market requires strong partnerships with organizations like the University of Toronto’s Innovations Office, MaRS, as well as an entrepreneurial spirit among our principal investigators. In 2010-11, IBBME faculty were instrumental in the development of three new commercialization partners: The Centre for the Commercialization of Regnerative Medicine (CCRM), Techna, and the Centre for Research in Advanced Neural Implant Applications (CRANIA).
the centre for the commercialization of regenerative medicine The Centre for the Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) launched in June 2011, with the University of Toronto serving as its institutional host. CCRM was awarded $28-million in federal and partner funding, including $15-million from the Government of Canada’s Networks of Centres of Excellence in December 2010. The Chief Scientific Officer of this new venture is IBBME core professor Peter Zandstra. The organization was created to support the development of foundational technologies that accelerate the commercialization of stem cell- and biomaterials-based products and therapies. “The partnership aspect of the CCRM is our real
strength,” said Zandstra, who is also Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Bioengineering and a scientist at the University Health Network’s McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, in a December 2010 interview. “All our partner organizations, in academia and in the private sector, are conducting leading edge work in regenerative medicine that has the potential to become important products and technologies that will benefit the health and welfare of global society. Unifying this talent around core platforms to enable new technologies may lead to truly transformative advances.” CCRM has already solidified partnerships with 20 industry leaders across Canada and six institutions in Ontario. It also makes use of its partner networking organization, the Ontario Stem Cell Initiative.
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the techna institute Techna, the Institute for the Advancement of Technology for Health, is a new initiative of the University Health Network in collaboration with the University of Toronto. Techna was created to focus on the accelerated development and exploitation of technology for improved health. Techna’s leadership includes IBBME cross-appointees David Jaffray (Director), Joseph Cafazzo (co-lead, Design and Engineering for Health), Gang Zheng (Co-lead, Nanotechnology and radiochemistry) and IBBME Director Paul Santerre (Director, Research Faculty (Physical Sciences)). In 2010-11, Techna members laid the groundwork for the Institute’s launch in November of 2011. CLINICAL PARTNERS IBBME maintains strong relationships with the many clinical research institutions and hospitals in Toronto. We maintain vibrant and productive activity in these institutions, with 29 graduate trainees currently conducting research in the hospitals. In 2009, we acquired a staggering 15 new crossappointments from hospitals in order to accommodate the demand for clinical supervisors from the increase in MHSc students following an expansion of that program between 2006-08. This sudden growth was tempered in 2010 with a more modest four new appointments. We have increased our efforts to bridge the physical gap between the IBBME office and our trainees and supervisors spread across Toronto, with greater contact through regular faculty meetings as well as a push in communications, with more news articles being written by our Communications Officer on our hospital-based faculty’s activities. Many of this year’s research projects required hospital partnerships (see Research Highlights). In addition, IBBME worked with its clinical partners to:
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C reate Techna, in partnership with University Health Network (UHN). D evelop the PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a Clinical Engineering Concentration in collaboration
with hospital-based faculty, including Tom Chau (Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation), Geoff Fernie and Milos Popovic (Toronto Rehabilitation Institute), and Tony Easty (UHN). Increased partnerships in hospital centres developing minimally-invasive technologies for surgical and diagnostic applications. The Institute’s Director became a board member for the Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention at SickKids and Director for Research Faculty (Physical Sciences) in Techna. E stablish CCRM, bridging regenerative medicine research from SickKids, UHN, Mount Sinai Hospitals, and other centres in Ottawa and Hamilton. P ursue shared hires in Artificial Intelligence applied to neuro-rehab technologies and in functional MRI imaging.
the centre for research in advanced neural implant applications In 2010-11, IBBME led a proposal to obtain seed funding for the further development of the Centre for Research in Advanced Neural Implant Applications (CRANIA). CRANIA capitalizes on the rich network of academics, health care centres, and industry partners developed by IBBME to develop and implement advanced neuroprosthetic systems for patients with brain disorders. This centre will provide an excellent opportunity to develop a fresh perspective on training for a career in neuro-engineering, neurophysiology, rehabilitation engineering, neuro tissue regeneration, artificial intelligence applied to neuroimplants, and micro and nanotechnologies. Students will have an opportunity to be trained in highly multidisciplinary environments, exposing them to diverse fields, from Computer Science to Physiology, Neuroscience to Clinical Rehabilitation. This cutting-edge opportunity will attract the best trainees from around the world and will provide excellent preparation for careers in academia, industry or health care professions. OUTREACH Each year, IBBME sets aside approximately 2-3% of its total operating fund to aid special student and faculty initiatives and events. Some of the organizations and groups that benefitted in 2010-11 from this internal goodwill fund included:
• • • • • • • • •
L et’s Talk Science L eaders of Tomorrow F aculty of Medicine Research Day D ivision of Engineering Science Student Dinner/Dance O ntario Stem Cell Initiative C lub for Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering C anadian Connective Tissue Conference B iomedical Engineering Student Association I nternational Bone Fluid Flow Workshop 25
Build on our resources
The Institute’s current resource allocations are enabled by the diversity of its programs and partnerships, while its future potential resides in the opportunity of tapping into an alumni population which has not yet been engaged as well as the possibility of establishing a pro-active advancement strategy to promote the benefits of biomedical engineering in society.
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new graduate scholarships
The allocation of our resources is dictated by two elements. The first is the relative importance of the initiatives with respect to our assets vs stakeholders inventory. The Assets and Stakeholders Table opposite defines who our principle stakeholders are and the value of our assets (with ratings of high, medium and low) with respect to those stakeholders. Our human resources, space and fiscal budget are aligned with promoting activities that will impact to the greatest number of key asset/stakeholder relationships identified in this table. The second element that has defined the priority use of our resources this past year has been the four academic planning activities which were described earlier on in this report. These priorities all align well with the assets and stakeholder grid, and overlap multiple asset/stakeholder relationships.
Facilities:
a year of movement and expansion With three new hires, IBBME’s central laboratory and office space (total net assignable square meters (NASM): 3402.06) is now saturated. These new hires have required arrangements to accommodate Penney Gilbert within the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (CCBR) and part of Paul Yoo’s research in the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Further new hires will need to be located in the hospitals or partner departments until IBBME can obtain a new home or additional space. The Institute is working on a space initiative with FASE, the Faculty of Medicine, and Arts and Science which is being integrated within the academic plans of Medicine and Engineering and aligned with the University’s Boundless fund raising campaign. IBBME renovated two lab spaces in 2010-11: one research lab totaling 148 NASM, and one teaching laboratory facility totaling 208.5 NASM. In the near future, plans are to upgrade our primary seminar space in the Rosebrugh Building, a total area of 70 NASM. In 2008, we were asked to vacate the west wing of the Mining Building to enable the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering to undertake a major renovation project located in the century-old attic. During the summer of 2009 we relocated several individual and group offices, two research labs, and the undergraduate teaching facility. The majority of our people took up temporary residence in the Banting building at 100 College Street. As renovations proceeded in the attic, and construction encroached on our spaces in the west wing, IBBME identified an opportunity to regroup and upgrade two major facilities: a research wet lab, and the teaching laboratory. Approval for a financing mechanism was received, and over the course of 2009-11 a new design plan for each of these facilities was completed.
Other Educational Institutions
Philanthropists
Ministry of Health
Patients
Engineering Profession
Ministry of Innovation
Biomedical Industry
Federal Government and Agencies
Alumni
Faculty of Dentistry
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty Members
Staff
Graduate
Undergrad
assets & stakeholders
Multi-disciplinary Original graduate program High quality education World leading research Strong commercialization record Links to research and teaching hospitals Research and operating infrastructure Cross-depth in Engineering Unit within the Faculty of Dentistry Unit within the Faculty of Medicine Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory High Medium Low *Academic plan should leverage assets of highest value
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The undergraduate teaching lab is now a space that members of the IBBME can be truly proud of. Areas for specific activities such as molecular work, bacterial manipulation, computing, chemical analysis and cell engineering and manufacturing are now well-defined and built with proper safety-level attributes. Several new pieces of state-of -the-art scientific equipment have been added to the new facility with the generous help of the Engineering Students’ Temporary Special Levy Fund. We are also looking forward to modifying our microscopy equipment, bringing high quality imaging systems into the facility to improve related activities. These all will improve and already have greatly enhanced the learning experience of our undergraduate students.
NEW REVENUE MODELS Ancillary Fees The implementation of the new concentration in Clinical Engineering at IBBME provided the Institute with the opportunity to review the true cost of its Clinical Engineering program and implement an ancillary fee cost structure to recover unaccounted resources required within the graduate office to enable the uniqueness and quality of the clinical programs, up and above the cost of the MASc/PhD program. New scholarships IBBME received funding for three new scholarships this year from very generous donors, adding on to strategic awards already in place such as the Milligan Scholarships and The Institute for Technology in Healthcare scholarships. The Sally and Paul Wang Graduate Scholarship in Biomedical Engineering is the second IBMME scholarship established by the Wangs. The scholarship will be awarded to students who are registered in IBBME, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research (BBDMR), and/or supervised or co-supervised by a member of SGS faculty who is also a staff member in IBBME or BBDMR, or students working in the area of diabetes research, with preference for IBBME. The successful candidate will have an outstanding academic record, and consideration will also be given to leadership within the University and involvement in the life of the University. The Wildcat Graduate Scholarship was established by anonymous donors with an interest in research at IBBME and a deep appreciation of the importance of graduate students. This gift is only the most recent of a number of investments the donors have made in the Faculty. The first award will be given in October 2012. One half of the annual award will be awarded to international doctoral students; the second half may be awarded either to domestic or international doctoral students.
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The Loo Geok Eng Foundation Graduate Scholarship was established by the Gooi family of Malaysia in memory of their late mother, who was a passionate supporter of education. Three of the family’s four sons attended UofT, two of them Engineering (Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering). This is the second graduate fellowship the Gooi family has established at IBBME. The first award will be given in October 2012 to IBBME international graduate students with a first preference for students from Malaysia and Singapore.
5-year growth strategy for enrollment
IBBME derives a significant portion of its operating budget from the enrollment of domestic graduate students who generate a revenue stream from both tuition and the Government of Ontario’s contributions to education. In addition, foreign students provide a revenue stream from tuition and differential fees. Hence, projections in growth are critically aligned to the viability of the Institute. A very conservative projected growth in graduate students is estimated to be at twelve students per year over the next five years, as the Institute has about ten faculty who are still ramping up their programs, in addition to several cross-appointees who will pick up students. This group of individuals will generate about 8 students a year, very conservatively. In addition, we now have three new faculty hires (Gilbert,Yoo and Fernandez-Gonzalez) who will, combined, be able to contribute at least four students per year within the next 5-year period as their programs are established. This assumption is based on the past performance of the Institute’s new faculty. Given that there are no imminent retirements among the core faculty anticipated within the next few years, growth is anticipated. While it is projected that research grant overhead will continue to be volatile for the next few years, the Institute is anticipated to be able to capitalize on graduate student growth and the possibility of new revenue from growth planned in in the undergraduate program. The Institute currently has a steering committee looking at a new undergraduate program in BME which would recognize the strong fundamental courses that exist in different undergrad department s and which already cover BME related topics. The concept would be to combine these with the growing academic strength of the Institute to yield a unique program that plays on the innovation, entrepreneurship and research excellence at IBBME and within the faculty.
Student financial aid
Graduate funding is currently at approximately $3.78M with about a 3:1 distribution of funding coming from external sources relative to internal University of Toronto scholarship funding.
STUDENT FUNDING u of t vs. external
U of T $978,118.30 26%
External $2,801,957.32 74%
7b. student funding 2010-11 external by source
Provincial $304,261.00 11%
CIHR $776,783.34 28%
NSERC $989,970.34 35% Other $730,942.64 26%
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Tri-council research award funding represents approximately 63% of the total funding for graduate stipends, with the provincial contributions continuing to lag their federal counterparts. Other non-governmental funding agencies and internal scholarships make up the remainder of the funding.
Other Funding Sources There continues to exist more significant opportunities for overhead from industry research contracts and in the coming year the Institute will try to promote these relationships further between its faculty members and industry. — Professor Christopher Yip, IBBME Graduate Coordinator, Biomedical Engineering Program
development, fundraising initiatives and endowments Outreach activity with donors will be aligned with the new Boundless campaign on Campus. The University of Toronto unveiled the Boundless campaign in November 2011, a major fundraising initiative organized on two pillars: Preparing global citizens, the first pillar, aims to promote international fluency among U of T students by creating research opportunities, funding student awards, and building academic environments that encourage creativity, critical thinking and interdisciplinary study. Meeting global challenges, the second pillar, seeks to support research and teaching that advance healthy and sustainable societies, and make possible new hires, improvements to programs and infrastructure, and strengthen research conducted at the University. What does this mean for IBBME? Many of the campaign priorities, which identify areas of growth in the University, align strongly with IBBME’s strategic priorities and just a few examples are listed below:
human development and health We have unprecedented opportunities to pre-empt, modulate and even eradicate some of the world’s most common illnesses. At the same time, the challenges we face are daunting: the rising tide of chronic disease, the emergence of drug-resistant “superbugs,” the complexity of translating new scientific knowledge into viable treatments and the long-term sustainability of health care systems are just some of the vexing problems we will confront in the years to come. — Boundless campaign website This theme has always spurred biomedical engineering research at IBBME. Whether it is growing cardiac tissue patches, helping teenagers regulate their diabetes, or making homes more safe for people with disabilities, human health and quality of health is and always has been IBBME’s focus. Moreover, as IBBME moves forward in its Strategic Academic plan, we are continually seeking growth in the theme of Neuro/sensory Systems and Rehabilitation,
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in particular the regeneration of function applied to disease of aging and stroke recovery. This, along with the advancements we are making daily and the combined creativity of the Institute’s recent faculty hires, will enable IBBME to pursue world-leading position in this area. We look forward to showcasing our work in neuroregeneration at an international symposium hosted by IBBME in October of 2012.
invention and innovation As the country’s largest driver of innovation in management, science and technology, the University of Toronto is a wellspring of new ideas in the rapidly evolving fields of information and communications technology, digital media, nanotechnology, bioengineering and biopharmaceuticals. … The Campaign will nourish the creative minds that are developing the next wave of technologies with the potential to change the world. At the same time, it will support an emerging generation of managers and entrepreneurs with the imagination and foresight to transform inventions into innovative products and services for domestic and global markets. — B oundless campaign website As IBBME researchers work towards meeting the health and healthcare challenges of today they regularly patent new devices, processes, and materials; the commercialization of these products is supported by our partnerships with the U of T Innovation and Partnership Office, MaRS, and most recently the Centre for the Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine and the newly launched Techna Institute. So common is the translation from experiment to product at IBBME that we will be featuring innovators and entrepreneurs past and present on our website all throughout 2012, our Golden Anniversary year. Our annual Scientific Day in the Spring will feature a Technology Transfer Networking session to help foster connections between IBBME researchers and the industry partners who may be the ones who help to bring to bring their innovations to market.
golden anniversary scholarship fund Graduate students are the engines of innovation. Scholarships provide the fuel. — Professor Christopher Yip, IBBME Graduate Coordinator, Biomedical Engineering Program Our trainees have the capacity to impact human health and wellness. We begin a major campaign to create a fund dedicated to graduate scholarships in 2012 in celebration of 50 years of biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto. The University has identified biomedical engineering research as a top priority, and has generously offered limited matching funds for gifts of $50,000 or more to help us reach our goal of raising $1-million.
OPERATING BUDGET 2010-11 Revenue
e ng ine e ring $2,323,825 me dicine $ 587,782 othe r recove ry $ 746,302 scholar ships/trusts $2,434,428 unive r sity recove ry $1,825,055 Total $7,917,392 expenseS
salarie s and be ne fits $2,588,442 ge ne ral ope rating $ 984,687 scholar ships $ 941,740 othe r commitme nts $1,577,468 unive r sity ope rating $1,825,055 Total $7,917,392
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iBBMe contact institute oF BioMaterials & BioMeDical engineering
Rosebrugh Building 164 College Street, Room 407 Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9 Communications Office: Room MB329, (416) 946-8019 comm.ibbme@utoronto.ca Biomedical Engineering and Collaborative Programs Program Office Room MB317, (416) 978-4841 admissions.ibbme@utoronto.ca Clinical Engineering Program Office Room MB317, (416) 978-6102 clinicaleng.ibbme@utoronto.ca acaDeMic leaDershiP 2010-2011
Professor Paul Santerre Director Professor Christopher Yip Associate Director and Graduate Coordinator, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Programs Professor Molly Shoichet Associate Director, Research Professor Warren Chan Coordinator, Collaborative Program in Biomedical Engineering Professor Alex Mihailidis Coordinator, Clinical Engineering Program Professor Craig Simmons Undergraduate Chair Biomedical Engineering Major Division of Engineering
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www.ibbme.utoronto.ca
Build
on our resources
engage
through collaboration, research, and influence