Community of Practice Events

Welcome to our Community of Practice Events! We’re excited to have you here as we come together to learn, share, and connect in the world of telerehabilitation!

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Explore Our Events

We invite you to join us for engaging sessions that encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration in telerehabilitation. These events offer valuable opportunities for networking, collaboration, and exchanging innovative ideas within our community. To receive session invites, please join our mailing list by clicking the ‘Become a Member’ button.”

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25th September, 2026

Stay tuned–more details to come!

17th April, 2026
Grey literature search/environmental scan of remote monitoring devices & Development of an Acute Concussion Triage Agent (ACT-A) using AI

1. Grey literature search/environmental scan of remote monitoring devices

Speakers: Dr Meiqi Guo, Dr McKyla McIntyre (acknowledgements to Kiran Dhaliwal for content creation)

Objectives:

  1. Discuss times you would use a grey literature search to answer a clinical question.
  2. Review common commercially available remote monitoring devices, including their strengths and limitations.

2. Development of an Acute Concussion Triage Agent (ACT-A) using AI

Speakers: Tharshini Chandra and Dr. Mark Bayley

Objectives:

  1. Discuss some of the findings from the pilot feasibility of ACT-A.
  2. Debate the risks and benefits of this approach and how it could assist clinicians.

9th February, 2026
Expanding TeleRehab with Point of Care Technologies

Expanding TeleRehab with Point of Care Technologies

Speaker: Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell

Bio: Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell earned a BSc in Physics from Exeter University (1973) and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Strathclyde (1977). He has held academic appointments in Glasgow, New York, and London, before being appointed Dean of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta in 2007. In 2012, he established the Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory, where his team leads advancements in extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence integration for healthcare simulation. He also founded ELIXR in 2019, a province-wide collaboration among 11 Alberta post-secondary institutions and developer studios, focused on using XR effectively in education and training, particularly where complex 3D simulations challenge traditional learning approaches. His research group also develops and deploys virtual clinical assessment tools, enhancing access to care between urban specialty clinics and rural health centres.

Objectives:

  1. Have an overview of why implementing tele rehab is important to patients and to care providers
  2. Learn about the barriers to implementing advanced tele rehab
  3. Be introduced to examples of point-of-care technologies that can expand the scope of tele rehab
  4. Appreciate the importance of increasing the use of measurement systems in rehabilitation and how tele rehab can lead the way

21st November, 2025
3 Telerehab Showcase Presentations!

1. Combining telerehabilitation and accessible digital health technologies to optimize care in rehabilitation

Speaker: Dr. Dahlia Kairy

Bio: Dr. Dahlia Kairy, a physiotherapist by training, is Full Professor at the School of Rehabilitation at Université de Montréal and researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of greater Montréal (CRIR) at the Institut universitaire sur la réadaptation en déficience physique de Montréal (IURDPM) site. She was nominated to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists in 2021 and is an Fonds de rehcerche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) research scholar (Junior 2). Her research interests are focused on the development, evaluation and implementation of innovations in rehabilitation, in particular telerehabilitation and virtual care. She is currently co-leading a large pan-Canadian team of researchers and partners examining the ethical and equity considerations for telerehabilitation.  

Objectives

  1. Describe the potential benefits of combining telerehabilitation with accessible digital health technologies to enhance rehabilitation outcomes. 
  2. Recognize common challenges and barriers to implementing these technologies in clinical and community settings. 
  3. Discuss ethical considerations to implementing telerehabilitation digital health technologies 

2. Telerehabilitation Enhanced by AI: Promise and Challenges for Healthcare

Speaker: Dr. Roccos Calabro

Bio: Born on 19th April 1977, married with two children (son of 15 and daughter of 12), he got the classic diploma in 1995, and Medical licence in 2002.  

Neurologist (MD, 2006), with a PhD in Psychiatric Science (2009), and a specialization in Bioethic and Sexology (2004). Since 2008 he has moved to the neurological rehabilitation field (as Senior MD at the IRCCS Centro Neurolesi) focusing on the diagnosis (including neuro-sexological assessment) and treatment of patients suffering from spinal cord and brain injury as well as neurodegenerative disorders. He is Adjunctive Professor of Social Psychology (2011-today) and of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (2022), Medicine degree, at the University of Messina (Italy), and Visiting Professor of Neurorehabilitation at Lunex University (2022-2027). 

In the last 10 years, as Head of the “behavioral and robotic neurorehabilitation Laboratory” (now renamed “Innovation technology in neurorehab Lab”), he has demonstrated growing interest in innovation technology (with regard to robotic assisted gait training, virtual reality and telerehabilitation), rehabilitation-induced functional connectivity and translational neurorehabilitation.  

He is peer referee for many international journals, and Academic editor of Neurorehabilitation, Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, Medicine, Brain Sciences (section editor of Neurorehabilitation) and Frontiers in Neurology.       

The scientific activity consists of 3 books as Editor (Nova Publisher and Springer), 8 Special Issues as guest editor (Frontiers and MDPI), and about 630 papers published on indexed journals with IF (H-index: 45).  

He has been included among the top scientists by the Expert-scape Ranking in Neurorehabilitation and the Word’s 2% scientist 2023 and 2024.

Objectives

  1. Explore the Benefits of AI in Telerehabilitation – Highlight how AI enhances personalization, accessibility, convenience, and clinician support in remote rehabilitation. 
  2. Examine Key Challenges and Ethical Considerations – Discuss issues such as data privacy, digital inequality, algorithmic bias, and the importance of maintaining human oversight. 
  3. Discuss Future Directions and Innovations – Present emerging technologies (5G, IoMT, robotics) and their potential to transform telerehabilitation into a more dynamic, effective, and patient-centered model. 

3. Toronto Grace Health Centre; Remote Care Monitoring Program; Digital tools to optimize aging in place 

Speakers: Reena Ahluwalia and Lauren Burke

Bio:

Reena Ahluwalia, is the Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Lead at Toronto Grace Health Centre. She integrates design thinking and healthcare innovation to enhance remote care monitoring and patient experience. Her work bridges clinical insight with technology to create more human-centered, connected systems of care. Her research interests include implementation of digital tools in quality improvement and streamlining clinical processes. 

Lauren Burke, is the Program Manager for the Remote Care Monitoring (RCM) and RCM+ teams at Toronto Grace Health Centre. With over 21 years of experience in healthcare, she is passionate about supporting innovative models of care that enhance client well-being and independence at home. Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Gerontology, Lauren is deeply committed to improving the quality of life for older adults through compassionate leadership and evidence-based practice. Outside of work, she enjoys expressing her creativity as an artist.

Objectives:

  1. Understanding the Toronto Grace RCM Program & its reach 
  2. Understanding wrap around services  
  3. Why layering virtual programming is both feasible & beneficial to RCM programs

4th September, 2025
Equity and Accessibility Issues in Telerehab!

Avoiding pitfalls in virtual care: Paving the road for more ethical and equitable policies and practices in rehabilitation

Speakers: Dahlia Kairy and Jennifer Sigouin 

Jennifer Sigouin

Jennifer is a scholar and educator with a deep commitment to social justice and equality. She completed her PhD at McGill University, specializing in social stratification and quantitative methods. Her doctoral research, supported by a prestigious SSHRC Fellowship, focused on investigating the wage gap experienced by racialized minorities in Canada, highlighting systemic inequalities in the labor market. Throughout her academic career, Jennifer has made significant contributions to both teaching and research. Her dedication to understanding and addressing social disparities has been a driving force in her work. Since 2012, Jennifer has been a professor at Dawson College, where she teaches a range of courses including Sociology of Law and Work and Society. Her teaching and research consistently explore the inequalities faced by minority groups, aiming to foster a more inclusive and equitable society. In addition to her academic roles, Jennifer has served as the project coordinator for a CIHR pan-Canadian project on telerehabilitation, led by Professors Dahlia Kairy and Anne Hudon from Université de Montreal. This innovative project seeks to identify best practices in telerehabilitation to ensure that ethical and equitable rehabilitation services are accessible to all, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable populations. 

Dr. Dahlia Kairy

Dr. Dahlia Kairy, a physiotherapist by training, is Full Professor at the School of Rehabilitation at Université de Montréal and researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of greater Montréal (CRIR) at the Institut universitaire sur la réadaptation en déficience physique de Montréal (IURDPM) site. She was nominated to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists in 2021 and is an Fonds de rehcerche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) research scholar (Junior 2). Her research interests are focused on the development, evaluation and implementation of innovations in rehabilitation, in particular telerehabilitation and virtual care. She is currently co-leading a large pan-Canadian team of researchers and partners examining the ethical and equity considerations for telerehabilitation.

27th May, 2025
Double Header!

1) Egocentric video: a new tool to evaluate hand function at home – The recovery of hand function is a key priority after cervical spinal cord injury and stroke. Hand function gain observed in the clinic do not always translate directly to greater use in the community. Video recordings from wearable cameras (egocentric video) provide a unique window into the function and challenges taking place at home after neurological injuries. This talk will present work on using egocentric video as the basis for new outcome measures in research, as well as to support clinical decision-making in outpatient care. Attendees will learn about data collection protocols for this type of device, and gain an understanding of how AI-based processing can be used to extract quantitative metrics and search for relevant information in egocentric video recordings.

Dr. José Zariffa is the KITE Chair in Spinal Cord Injury Research, a Senior Scientist and the Associate Director, Scientific at the KITE Research Institute – Toronto Rehab – University Health Network. He is also an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto. His research interests focus on neuroprosthetics and technology for upper limb neurorehabilitation, encompassing work in wearable sensors, neural interfaces, electrophysiology, and machine learning. Dr. Zariffa’s team was awarded the Grand Prize in the Spinal Cord Rehab Innovation Challenge, a national competition focused on new tools to measure rehab activities and their impact.

2) Virtual and Telerehab Applications in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation– Home based cardiovascular rehabilitation has been a mechanism for program delivery over many decades with demonstrated effectiveness and safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many programs shifted entirely to virtual delivery for many months. Guidance on appropriate structure, staffing and algorithms were developed. Many programs continue to offer a virtual stream for a proportion of patients. Resources to support patients and professionals have been developed and shared. This presentation will touch on all of these experiences.

Dr. Paul Oh is the GoodLife Fitness Chair in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Prevention, Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Program at Toronto Rehab, and a Senior Scientist at KITE. Dr. Oh’s research activities examine ways to design, implement and evaluate the best approaches to cardiac rehabilitation. Themes include the role of exercise, risk factor management, enhanced self-management, technologies to support healthy behaviour, patient education models, and analyzing cardiovascular databases to better understand long-term patient outcomes. 

25th February, 2025
Double Header!

 1) The Telerehab Spot – an online knowledge hub of virtual care practices for rehab clinicians with Erin Ashley Douglas, Monica Slanik, Caroline Storr.

 2) Delivering best practice in language and communication rehabilitation via telerehabilitation with Annie Hill.

20th November, 2024
Telerehabilitation - Is it Safe?

Angie Andreoli, Meiqi Guo, McKyla McIntyre, Nicholas Sequeira, Thomas Yau   
This session is packed with valuable insights! We’ll highlight three studies from the Toronto Rehab Telerehab Working Group, each shedding light on the safety of telerehabilitation. Plus, we have a challenging case study lined up that’s sure to spark some great discussions. We’d love for you to bring your ideas, ask questions, and engage with fellow professionals in this interactive space!

16th August, 2024
Providing Virtual Rehab in a Conflict Zone

Amanda Mayo, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, is a Physiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She subspecializes in Amputee Rehabilitation. Dr. Mayo has a MHSc in Clinical Engineering with a focus on Human Factors Engineering and Usability of Health Technology. She is an Associate Director of the University of Toronto Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. She is the Chief of the St. John’s Rehab Program and Division Director of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

10th May, 2024
Telerehabilitation for Functional Movement Disorders

Haseel Bhatt, MSc, MScPT is a clinical researcher and physiotherapist who is passionate about advancing knowledge and care for people living with movement disorders. He completed his graduated studies at the Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University and received a Masters of Physiotherapy in the UK. He trained at the Derby Movement Disorders Clinic and the Parkinson’s Foundation Physical Therapy Faculty Program. Haseel is currently the Physiotherapy Lead of the Integrated Movement Disorders Program (IMDP) at UHN where he treats people living with Functional Movement Disorder, Parkinson’s disease and Ataxia. He is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Toronto and is an active member of the Patient Advisory Board (PAB) for the Movement Disorders Clinic at Toronto Western Hospital.

15th February, 2024
APTA Clinical Practice Guideline for Telerehabilitation: An International Collaboration

Jennifer O’Neil, PT, PhD assistant professor in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Ottawa, and affiliate investigator at the Bruyère Research Institute. Her research focuses on improving rehabilitation accessibility and health equity through the use of technology. Her recent work includes the implementation of intensive home-based telerehabilitation programs for people living with a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury across Canada as well as telehealth falls prevention program for francophone communities living in minority situations. 

30th October, 2023
Virtual Cognitive Assessment

Dr. Eliyas Jeffay is a Clinical Neuropsychologist at Toronto Rehab. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. His research interests include exploring physical exercise, behavioural therapies, and new technologies to advance clinical neuropsychological assessment and treatment, as well as the ecological validity of neuropsychological assessment. He also facilitates online group-based therapies designed to enhance metacognitive awareness and goal-directed focus in patients recovering from acquired brain injuries.

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