A letter from the director
Dear BRILLIANT Learning Community, as we continue our journey to optimize function and participation for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI), I’m excited to share updates on our ongoing projects and partnerships. Your continued support has been instrumental in our progress. Our BRILLIANT Learning Community, a collaboration between McGill University, Université de Montréal, and rehabilitation facilities within three health regions and continuums, continues to make strides in biomedical and psychosocial rehabilitation research. We’re making significant headway in our two main research themes:
- Aggregating data from various technologies to evaluate the complex interplay between administrative, biomedical, personal, and environmental factors affecting mobility and function. We will be able to learn from this data to find areas that can be improved like access to rehabilitation within 72 hours or addressing symptoms to improve function and participation.
- Developing cost-efficient community interventions that include technology to optimize access and intensity of rehabilitation to deliver the right care, at the right time and place, for the right person.
These efforts are supported by our well-defined cohort, followed through the continuum of care and into the community for up to two years post-ABI. Our research continues to yield valuable deliverables for Canadians with ABI, including:
- A Patient Portal for capturing precise participant-reported outcomes
- A Clinical data capture system for rehabilitation-based data
- Real-time tracking tools for clinical outcomes and PROMs and performance in community environments
- With the above three solutions we will be able to use the rich source of data to develop and validate Predictive algorithms to identify individuals at risk of poor outcomes, including activity limitations and participation restrictions;
- develop and test community intervention that bring rehabilitation into the home;
- develop the RAISE (Rehabilitation Application – Intervention Selection Enabler) system for tailored rehabilitation recommendations to increase efficiency of care, use of best practices, and health outcomes for individuals.
The most important resource that is helping us move ahead is you – our community. These collaborations are key to translating our research into practical, widely accessible tools. Our local partnerships with health networks like CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, CIUSSS du Centre-Sud, and CISSS de Laval ensure that our research directly impacts patient care and rehabilitation practices.
Internationally, we’re proud to be part of networks such as AGE-WELL and the European Network of Living Labs (ENOLL). We’re also collaborating with Brazilian research teams to contribute evidence to the validity of our interventions in diverse environments. Looking ahead, we aim to explore opportunities with our industry partners to make the Clinical Research System and RAISE available to other investigators, furthering our goal of delivering cost-effective, personalized care. Our work continues to have a significant impact on the training of highly qualified personnel (HQP). We’ve seen a 26% increase in HQP recruitment, and many of our doctoral students have gone on to hold university positions in rehabilitation schools provincially, nationally, and internationally. As we move forward, your ongoing engagement and support remain crucial. Together, we’re not just conducting research – we’re shaping the future of rehabilitation for individuals with ABI. Thank you for being an integral part of the BRILLIANT community. Your continued involvement is invaluable as we work towards our shared goal of enhancing participation and well-being of individuals receiving rehabilitation care.
