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Amélie Sanfaçon-Verret winner of the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia Award
Congratulations to Amélie Sanfaçon-Verret, who recently won a £500 scholarship from the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia! She has distinguished herself through the excellence of her aphasia research, which is already having a concrete clinical impact. Amélie’s work, which began while she was studying for her professional master’s degree in speech-language pathology, led to the creation and validation of a new clinical assessment tool for people with acquired communication disorders. Today, she is pursuing her research in the field of aphasia as part of her doctorate in rehabilitation sciences at Université Laval and Cirris, under the supervision of Laura Monetta (Université Laval/Cirris) and Vanessa Taler (University of Ottawa).
The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia Award recognizes members of the student community from all universities in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Ireland with a speech-language pathology program.
*In the photo, Amélie Sanfaçon-Verret (recipient/PhD student) Laura Monetta, PhD (research director) and Vincent Martel Sauvageau PhD, (director of the speech-language pathology program, Université Laval).
Teaching Excellence Award for Simon Beaulieu-Bonneau
Congratulations to Simon Beaulieu-Bonneau, Associate Professor at Université Laval’s School of Psychology, who has been awarded the Prix d’excellence en enseignement in the Associate or Full Professor category for 2023-2024! These awards recognize outstanding research and teaching by faculty members.
Simon Beaulieu-Bonneau is a Cirris researcher and FRQ-S Scholar (Junior 1). A psychologist by training, he holds an attestation for the evaluation of neuropsychological disorders, and his research interests focus on evaluation and intervention in rehabilitation neuropsychology, more specifically with adult clients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury or stroke. He is particularly interested in the functional impacts of cognitive disorders, the links between sleep and cognition, and the use of technology in neuropsychological assessment and intervention.
Photo credits: Faculty of Social Sciences, Université Laval
FRQNT STRATEGIA grant awarded to Cirris team
A Cirris team led by Benoit Gosselin, and also including researchers Véronique Flamand, François Routhier, Alexandre Campeau-Lecours and Édith Martin, was recently awarded a STRATÉGIA grant from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) worth a total of $1,125,000 over 3 years for their project “MAIN: Myo-prothèse à Apprentissage Interactif et Neuro-renforcement”.
The STRATÉGIA initiative is part of the SQRI2 2022-2027 and the FRQNT Strategic Plan 2022-2025. Its main aim is to drive sustainable innovation in key economic sectors, by increasing research capacity tenfold, supporting the next generation of researchers, and generating significant spin-offs for Quebec.
About the project
Myoelectric hand prostheses enable people with upper-limb amputations to regain their abilities and independence in everyday life. However, the products currently on the market are very expensive, often uncomfortable, and still counter-intuitive, which greatly limits their positive impact.
The MAIN project aims to design the first intelligent hand prosthesis technology based on HD-EMG myoelectric sensors exploiting interactive deep learning. In addition to enhancing the user experience by compensating for their disabilities in a natural way, interactive learning combined with an on-board HD-EMG sensor platform will enhance users’ neuromuscular capabilities and fully exploit the capacities of their residual limbs, beyond current limits.
This project brings together international experts from five FRQ-NT strategic clusters (UNIQUE, ReSMiQ, INTER, REPARTI, CQMF), an FRQ-S network and center (REPAR and Cirris), two college technology transfer centers (TOPMED and Groupe CTT), public and industrial partners (CIUSSS-CN and BIO6), and four university research chairs (two Canada Chairs and two Canada-CIFAR Chairs). The team brings together world-renowned complementary expertise in biomedical engineering, clinical rehabilitation, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and materials science to create a new intelligent myoelectric prosthesis technology that will revolutionize current approaches and transform healthcare in Quebec and around the world.
Catherine Mercier awarded Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Rehabilitation and Pain
Catherine Mercier is Scientific Director of the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), Full Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, and a member of the Québec Pain Research Network (QPRN). She was recently awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Rehabilitation and Pain. Tier 1 Chairs are awarded to outstanding researchers recognized by their peers as world leaders in their field. For each Tier 1 Chair, the institution receives $200,000 per year for seven years. The mission of this Chair is to develop a better understanding of the interactions between sensorimotor functions and pain, focusing in particular on the changes that occur in the central nervous system in response to injury, disease or intervention, in order to maximize the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions.
The Canada Research Chairs Program is at the heart of a national strategy to make Canada one of the best countries in the world for research and development. It invests approximately $311 million a year to attract and retain a diverse group of top-notch researchers, in order to consolidate excellence in research and training at Canada’s post-secondary institutions. This program is a joint initiative of the three research funding agencies: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
The entire Cirris community extends its most sincere congratulations to you, Pre Mercier!
Source: RQRD
Maxime Robert receives ISVR’s Early Career Investigator Award 2024
Congratulations to Maxime Robert, winner of the 2024 Early Career Investigator Award from the International Society for Virtual Rehabilitation (ISVR)! The award, which recognizes and honors outstanding leadership and dedication, will be officially presented to him at the organization’s next world congress, to be held in Amsterdam from June 26 to 28, 2024.
Each year, ISVR brings together interdisciplinary experts engaged in cutting-edge research, clinical advancement and entrepreneurial exploration, offering an in-depth presentation of new technologies and clinical developments in virtual reality (VR), extended reality (ER) and advances applied to rehabilitation.
Maxime Robert has been an assistant professor at Université Laval’s École des sciences de réadaptation since 2019 and a researcher at Cirris. His research program covers a broad spectrum and has enabled him to acquire and develop unique multidisciplinary expertise in motor control, learning and the development of intensive intervention with virtual reality for children with cerebral palsy.
Among the innovations in the field of virtual rehabilitation that earned him this prestigious award:
The clinical use of active video games for children with cerebral palsy:
Children with diplegic cerebral palsy exercise at a similar intensity to typically developing children when playing on an active video game console. This was demonstrated by Professor Robert in a study cited more than 60 times by the scientific community, proving that active video games can promote physical fitness in children with cerebral palsy.
Motor learning, the role of sensation and the use of virtual reality in children with cerebral palsy:
Professor Robert and his team have demonstrated that after intensive functional intervention using a virtual reality system, motor improvements can not only be retained, but also transferred to a similar task. The functional task adapted to the study is now being used in other laboratories, notably in studies on adult stroke victims.
A clinical site for intensive interventions with children suffering from cerebral palsy:
In partnership with clinicians at CHU Sainte-Justine’s Centre de réadaptation Marie Enfant, Pr Robert and his team have set up a summer training camp for children with cerebral palsy. This 2-week, 60-hour intensive therapy integrates virtual reality into an intensive reference intervention, offering a range of exercises not usually performed in a clinical setting. The clinical trial began in summer 2022 and is due to be repeated over the next five years. Around 60 children will benefit.
Virtual reality in the service of adapted physical activity for people with neurological disorders
A virtual platform can be a valuable tool for clinicians wishing to offer stimulating and motivating physical rehabilitation activities to people with physical disabilities, in a variety of settings, including the home. In collaboration with technology and community partners, Professor Robert is developing innovative solutions to promote physical activity using virtual reality outside the clinical setting.
For more information: communications@cirris.ulaval.ca
Stéphanie Bernard, winner of the program to support young leaders and the next generation of sustainable healthcare professionals
On March 28, the Chaire de recherche en santé durable announced the results of the first competitions in its program to support young leaders in sustainable health.
Among the winners: Stéphanie Bernard, assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation at Université Laval and researcher at Cirris. She was awarded a $40,000 grant for her project entitled “Perineal and pelvic health needs of LGBTQIA2S+ people: understanding them better to respond more effectively”.
Through this program, the Chair aims to support intersectoral projects co-constructed with citizens and communities that can contribute to the production of knowledge relevant to the various dimensions of sustainable health.
Twenty-three eligible applications from a variety of disciplines were assessed by independent evaluation committees made up of members of the scientific community and citizens. At the end of this process, 9 scholarships and 4 grants, totalling $349,500, will be awarded to outstanding candidates.
Congratulations, Pre Bernard!
Source: Sustainable Health Research Chair
Photo credits: Martin Roy, Communications Department, Université Laval
Congratulations to the recipients of the OOAQ-REPAR research partnership scholarships!
The research partnership program between the Ordre des orthophonistes et audiologistes du Québec (OOAQ) and the Réseau provincial de recherche en adaptation-réadaptation (REPAR) of the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Santé (FRQ-S) encourages research projects in speech-language pathology and audiology aimed at improving clinical practice and the quality of services to the population in the field of communication disorders. In 2023, this partnership made it possible to award two grants worth $15,000 each.
The winning projects are :
- Myriam Breton and Vincent Martel-Sauvageau, speech-language pathologists, for their project État des besoins orthophoniques et de la prise en charge des personnes atteintes de la COVID longue au Québec : vers l’établissement de recommandations provines adaptées aux besoins orthophoniques de cette clientèle. (State of speech-language pathology needs and management of people with long-onset COVID in Quebec: towards the establishment of provincial recommendations adapted to the speech-language pathology needs of this clientele.)
- Claudia Côté and Philippe Fournier, audiologists, for their Projet d’amélioration des outils d’évaluation clinique de l’hyperacousie et de la misophonie au Québec. (Project to improve clinical assessment tools for hyperacusis and misophonia in Quebec.)
Find out more about these two projects, we invite you to view a video produced in conjunction with the award ceremony, featuring a discussion with Paul-André Gallant, President of the OOAQ.
Source: OOAQ
In the photo:
Bottom row: Phillipe Fournier (Cirris researcher and professor in the Audiology Program at Université Laval, project co-leader, audiologist), Claudia Côté (audiologist, project co-leader). Top row: Samuel Montminy (audiologist, Catherine-Ève Morency (audiologist), David Ratelle (audiologist), Véronique Rivest (audiologist), Anaîs Gros-Louis (audiologist), Richard Larocque (audiologist and interim program leader).
Chantal Desmarais and Véronique Caron receive the OOAQ’s Innovation sociale-Desjardins 2023 award
The Ordre des orthophonistes et audiologistes du Québec (OOAQ) awarded this year’s Prix Innovation sociale-Desjardins to speech therapists Chantal Desmarais and Véronique Caron for their ESCALADE intervention program, aimed at supporting adolescents with developmental language disorders (DLD). Under the responsibility of Cirris researcher Pre Desmarais, the Université Laval research team and its partners in the education and health and social services networks designed the program in response to a critical lack of resources in the field. The ESCALADE program helps teenagers with LD to gain self-awareness and master strategies to develop better communication skills.
The ESCALADE program is designed to meet the needs of two main groups: junior high school students with developmental language disorders (DLD), for whom few services are currently available, and school practitioners who welcome and accompany these young people, and who report a lack of tools to support them in their progress towards better communication skills.
The program includes 17 turnkey activities for use in the classroom, and 5 main tools: a facilitator’s guide, a student workbook, support and training videos for facilitators, posters featuring the program’s key visuals, and PDFs of the training capsules. All this material can be viewed and downloaded free of charge here.
Congratulations to the whole team!
Alexandra Lecours wins the Prix de la Francophonie for young researchers, 2023 edition – Humanities and Social Sciences section
On November 1, as part of the Semaine mondiale de la Francophonie scientifique (SMFS) in Quebec City, the Prix de la Francophonie for Young Researchers, 2023 edition, was awarded. Alexandra Lecours, a researcher at the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (Cirris), was awarded a prize in the Humanities and Social Sciences category.
The Prix de la Francophonie for young researchers are awarded by the Scientific Council of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) to recognize the merit and worth of researchers under the age of 40 who have achieved scientific recognition and made a significant breakthrough within the Francophonie. They take into account the diversity of the French-speaking academic world, particularly that of developing countries. The prizes are awarded every two years and cover two disciplinary fields: Science and Technology, and Humanities and Social Sciences.
Alexandra Lecours is a professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), a regular researcher at Cirris and holder of the UQTR (jr) Research Chair on the health of aging workers. Her research projects aim to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, in order to foster the healthy participation of aging people in the workplace.
A proud French-speaking researcher, she collaborates with researchers from the scientific Francophonie in several countries of the Americas, Europe and Africa, so that her projects respond to the different cultural realities of aging workers. Our projects aim to develop theoretical and practical knowledge that can be used internationally, particularly in the French-speaking world.
She also makes a point of supporting graduate students from various French-speaking countries. As a first-generation university student herself, she attaches particular importance to equality of opportunity and diversity of backgrounds in her research team. Equity, diversity and inclusion are values that guide both the conduct of her research projects and the management of her team.
She holds leadership roles in occupational health research at provincial, national and international levels. In particular, she is responsible for the Cirris Environment Axis, and co-leads the Prevention, Screening, Evaluation and Innovative Intervention Axis of the Réseau provincial de recherche en adaptation-réadaptation. She is also associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. She also organized an international symposium on the health of aging workers in 2022, which brought together researchers, students and partners from across the French-speaking world.
The importance of the French language in her career is evident, and has led to prestigious awards, including the Prix Publication scientifique en français Louise-Dandurand from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et Culture in 2022. To date, she has received over $3.5 million in research funding, published 72 papers and given some 100 lectures around the world.
The entire Cirris community offers her its most sincere congratulations!
$55,689 to UQTR for an inclusive management program
The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) recently announced $155,689 in financial support from the Quebec government to help it deploy the Inclusive Hiring and Management Program, which aims to promote the recruitment of employees living with an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder, while meeting the workforce needs of companies.
This innovative program is the result of a collaboration between the Jules Dallaire Family Foundation, Sylvie Dallaire Inc. and the UQTRC Chair in Self-Determination and Disability. Martin Caouette is a professor in the Department of Psychoeducation and Social Work at UQTR and a researcher at Cirris.
Read the article published on Néo UQTR (in French)
REISD call for projects – Have your innovation validated in a real-life context
As part of its first funding round, the Réseau d’évaluation et de l’innovation en santé durable (REISD) is launching a call for projects to support an innovator over a 12-month period in the development and clinical evaluation of his or her innovation. This call for projects is open to individuals wishing to develop or market a new product or service relevant to health and social services centers (CIUSSS).
Eligibility criteria
Innovators are eligible:
- whose innovation (product or service) is relevant to CIUSSSCN service delivery ;
- whose innovation has a minimum technical maturity level (TRL) of 6 AND a minimum commercial maturity level (CRL) of 2. (You must use the MatMax by WSL scale to assess your project’s TRL and CRL – MatMaX (wsl.be);
- whose innovation is designed AND manufactured or assembled in Quebec ;
- whose innovation is being developed with a view to commercialization.
Steps to follow
1- You must first register as an innovator with REISD using the following form (in French)
2- You can then submit your innovation via that same link.
Deadline for submitting your innovation: August 27, 2023, 11:59 p.m.
For any questions: info@reisd.ca
Funding for two research projects led by Alexandre Campeau-Lecours
Two research projects led by Alexandre Campeau-Lecours, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Université Laval and researcher at the IngRéadaptULaval laboratory and at Cirris, have recently obtained financial assistance to pursue their objectives focused on improving the quality of life of people living with muscular limitations.
Project “Intelligent Mechatronic Assistive Technologies in Rehabilitation Engineering: Prevention at Work, Adaptation to Daily Life and Physical Intervention”
This research program aims to develop and evaluate, iteratively, new rehabilitation technologies to improve different components of the quality of life of people with disabilities. Funding of $295,451 awarded over a 4-year period by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé’s Junior 2 Scholars program will ensure the development of the program, which is based on robotics, mechatronics and artificial intelligence.
Project “Development and validation of an electromyographic control (EMG) interface”
Conducted in collaboration with Benoît Gosselin, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Université Laval, as well as Laurent Bouyer, professor in the Department of Rehabilitation of the Faculty of Medicine of Université Laval and director of the Centre thématique de recherche en neurosciences (CTRN), This project aims to develop an electromyographic system (EMG), which captures electrical signals from nerves and muscles, at low cost. This will be for the benefit of people living with disabilities to control their computer via muscle contractions. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada will support this mission with a grant of $140,000.
The interdisciplinary project, which combines expertise in engineering and medicine, is part of Professor Campeau-Lecours’ many research activities focused on adaptation, physical rehabilitation and injury prevention in the workplace or in sport.
Source: Laval University