The KITE Research Institute

11/12/2025

What’s the secret to turning groundbreaking research into innovations that truly make an impact?

Great design.

Join us on November 19 as KITE Creates teams up with award-winning product design firm TriMech Design Solutions (formerly MAKO) to share how thoughtful design can bridge the gap between discoveries and real-world solutions.

This immersive talk will include:
- A compelling case study from rehabilitation research
- Behind-the-scenes insights into every stage of product development, from concept to manufacturing
- A showcase of real prototypes and discussion around their design choices
- Networking opportunities with peers and experts (plus tea, coffee and cookies! 🫖☕🍪🍪)

Reserve your free ticket today: https://hubs.li/Q03SGCcW0

11/10/2025

Driving Discovery, Delivering Impact.

We are proud to share UHN’s latest Research Report, a reflection of bold ideas, collaborative science, and real-world impact.

We are honoured to be a part of the research that is transforming the future of health care. ➡️ Read the report: https://hubs.li/Q03SqJcz0

11/07/2025

11/06/2025

Trainees and postdoctoral researchers are essential to the work we do here at KITE. Every year, about 200 join us at the KITE Research Institute. Their curiosity, creativity, and drive are a huge part of our success.

Three of our trainees—Chris Kwon, Lewa Babalola, and Lianna Montanari—share why they decided to come to KITE and what they hope to accomplish during their time here at https://hubs.ly/Q03S2pv10.

10/31/2025

We're honoured to have been featured in Life Sciences Ontario's (LSO) 2025 Success Stories Magazine! The magazine covered KITE being named to the Forbes’ Accessibility 100 list.

KITE was recognized as an innovative organization, alongside leading institutions such as the University of Toronto, the Ontario Brain Institute, and Pfizer.

Learn more about it here:

10/27/2025

Congratulations to Cindy Nguyen and Jillian Scandiffio, trainees at the University Health Network's KITE Research Institute and recipients of the 2025 TD Graduate Scholarship for Students with Disabilities.

The award is given to two outstanding KITE trainees with disabilities who are pursuing a rehabilitation-related graduate program. It provides each recipient with $20,000 to support their studies and covers some additional expenses, such as disability-related aids.

“This award allows me to further my research skills and fuel my passion for physical activity research by engaging with incredible scientists at KITE,” says Scandiffio. “I was excited to receive it not only because it allows me to devote the necessary time to my project, but also because it recognizes and honours the ability of students with disabilities to conduct meaningful and successful research.”

Read the full story at https://hubs.li/Q03QdZyg0

10/14/2025

How does dementia affect mobility—and what can movement tell us about diagnosis and care?

In this Research Rounds from UHN's KITE Research Institute, Dr. Ríona Mc Ardle, a Senior Research Fellow at Newcastle University in the U.K., shares her work on whether lab-based and real-world walking behaviours can reveal early signs of dementia, and how greater awareness of movement issues can help patients and caregivers.

Watch now to learn how science is moving forward:

In this Research Rounds from UHN's KITE Research Institute, Dr. Ríona Mc Ardle, a Senior Research Fellow at Newcastle University in the U.K., shares her insi...

10/08/2025

The countdown is one to KITE Creates' next event, Unlocking Opportunity through Intellectual Property. On October 15, KITE Creates, George Brown College, and IPON (IP Ontario) will host an interactive session to give innovators practical tools and expert insights into the evolving world of IP.

This event will feature a keynote talk by a leading IP specialists Toni Orsi and Ainslie Parsons, a panel discussion and first-come first-served 1:1 office hours.

See more details and get your free tickets at https://hubs.li/Q03Mpktd0

10/07/2025

Dr. Kathy McGilton, senior scientist at UHN’s KITE Research Institute, has spent decades improving care for older adults. Now, she’s turning her attention researching Ontario’s Transitional Care Programs (TCPs). Read more in our Q&A with Dr. McGilton at https://hubs.ly/Q03MpHKC0

09/29/2025

Dr. Kathy McGilton, senior scientist at UHN’s KITE Research Institute, has spent decades improving care for older adults. Now, she’s turning her attention to Ontario’s Transitional Care Programs (TCPs)—short-term units designed to help patients regain strength before returning home or entering long-term care.

Her team’s study, published in The Gerontologist, raises critical questions about the complexity of patient needs and how we can better support recovery.

Read more about what she discovered in our Q&A with Dr. McGilton at https://hubs.li/Q03LmRMS0

09/23/2025

Congratulations to our Research Director, Dr. Milos R. Popovic, for winning the inaugural Dejan Popovic Award from the IFESS: International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society.

“I am deeply honoured to receive this award, which is named after a true trailblazer in the field of FES and my mentor,” said Dr. Popovic.

Dr. Popovic has published hundreds of studies on how FES can improve the lives of people with spinal cord injuries, stroke, traumatic brain injury, depression, and other neurological conditions. His innovations have reached patients through MyndTec, which he co-founded, and through his work at UHN, where he’s commercializing a dry electrode FES technology that can be embedded in clothing.

Learn more about his work at https://hubs.li/Q03Kztm50

09/19/2025

A new app released today offers doctors and patients a more accurate and accessible screening test for Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS).

The app, called the Hypermobility Assessment Tool (HAT), is an AI-powered tool that uses a smartphone camera to screen for double-jointedness, a key attribute of EDS. Health Canada has approved it as a clinical screening tool.

Dr. Nimish Mittal, Co-Medical Director for the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Program at the UHN’s Toronto General Hospital, and Dr. Babak Taati, a Senior Scientist at KITE, led the team that created the app.

Part of their motivation was a sharp increase in referrals to Dr. Mittal’s clinic that mirrored a rise in public awareness of the disorder. On social media sites like TikTok, EDS advocates have shared their struggles, successes and symptoms of the syndrome, successfully raising its profile.

But that increased visibility hasn’t always translated into better care. “Because it’s a rare disorder, people with EDS are often told their symptoms are from fibromyalgia, or that it’s all in their head,” says Dr. Mittal. “By putting an easy-to-use hypermobility assessment tool in the hands of clinicians and patients, we hope to empower both physicians, who don’t have enough knowledge about the disease, and patients who are concerned that they might have this disorder.”

Learn more about what the app can do at https://hubs.li/Q03K6G2j0.

Download it now for free:
- Android https://hubs.li/Q03K6KtV0
- Apple https://hubs.li/Q03K6FYP0.