TRI Research Director and Senior Scientist Dr. Milos Popovic has been named this year’s Jonas Salk Award recipient.
The award is presented by the March of Dimes Canada to “a Canadian scientist, physician or researcher who has made a new and outstanding contribution in science or medicine to prevent, alleviate or eliminate a physical disability.”
Dr. Popovic won the award for his pioneering research that led to the creation of MyndMove, a device that restores voluntary hand and arm motion in people suffering from paralysis caused by stroke or spinal cord injury. The technology relies on functional electrical stimulation to artificially generate body movements and create new neural pathways to recover function. It has been licensed for use in Canada, is currently available at designated clinics across Canada (17 clinics) and has undergone a pilot launch into the US market (with two clinics in Michigan). This life-changing device represents a major advance towards restoring the loss of physical disability and has the potential to help a great number of people.
Over his illustrious career, Dr. Popovic has consistently demonstrated research excellence in the rehabilitation sciences, including several high-profile publications and research awards. Most recently, he was awarded more than $13 million in funding for state-of-the-art infrastructure by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and partners to establish CRANIA (the CenteR for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application). Launched earlier this month, CRANIA will be co-led by Dr. Popovic and Dr. Taufik Valiante, and is positioned to become a world-class centre for research, development, application and commercialization of neuromodulation technologies and interventions.
UHN has a rich legacy of success with the Jonas Salk Award: previous winners include Dr. Michael Fehlings (2013), Dr. Donald Weaver (2011), Dr. Andres Lozano (2008), Dr. Robert Inman (2007), Dr. Geoff Fernie (2002) and Dr. Charles Tator (2001). Dr. Popovic now joins this impressive group of scientists and continues to represent UHN as a key contributor to rehabilitation and disability research. Congratulations to Dr. Popovic on this prestigious honour!