Biddiss, Elaine

Title(s): Professor

Current Position/Designation: Senior Scientist/Associate Professor. Bloorview Children’s Hospital Foundation Chair in Pediatric Rehabilitation

Institutional Affiliation: Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital/University of Toronto

Active Email Address: ebiddiss@hollandbloorview.ca

Dr. Biddiss is a senior scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital with appointments at the University of Toronto as an Associate Professor with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and a Full Member of the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute. She is a licensed professional engineer and directs the Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL), an interdisciplinary team dedicated to co-designing, evaluating and translating low-cost technologies that enable young people with neurodevelopmental conditions to engage in therapies, play, and learning. She believes that technology can play an important role in promoting equitable access to personalized healthcare and has a particular interest in home-based intervention.

Relevant Professional Skills/Experiences

  • Extensive background in biomedical engineering
  • Specific expertise in pediatric neuromotor rehabilitation with a focus on technology-assisted intervention and assessment
  • Expertise in co-design and engagement of individuals with lived experience
  • Recipient of multiple prestigious research grants and awards, including from CIHR and NSERC

Relevant Career Highlights

  • Associate professor (Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto) and Senior Scientist (Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 2020-present)
  • Associate Chief of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Anti-racism (IDEAA) and Faculty Advancement at the Bloorview Research Institute (2024-2025)
  • Bloorview Children’s Hospital Chair in Pediatric Rehabilitation (2023-present)
  • Minister’s Award of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Government of Ontario (2023)
  • Co-founder, director, and Chief Scientific Officer of Pearl Interactives (2021-present)
  • Spinal Cord Rehab Innovation Challenge award, PRAXIS/MaRS Innovation (2020)
  • Accessibility Excellence in Research Award, Government of Ontario (2018)
  • Licensed professional engineer (2012–present)
  • Forchheimer Prize, International Society of Prosthetics & Orthotics (2010)
  • Perkins Prize, Institutes of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (2007)