Sander Hitzig appointed the John C. and Sally Horsfall Eaton Chair in Rehabilitation Research at Sunnybrook

Sander Hitzig, an Associate Professor (status-only) in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto has been appointed as the John C. and Sally Horsfall Eaton Chair in Rehabilitation Research, an academic position jointly shared between Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, for a five-year term. 

The endowed Chair, first established in 2014, promotes rehabilitation research at Sunnybrook’s St. John’s Rehab. 

“The generous support from this Chair will allow us to build upon and mentor the next generation of scientists to undertake innovative projects that will have a real-world impact on improving the health and well-being of patients recovering from a life-changing injury or illness,” says Prof. Hitzig. 

As the Program Research Director at the St. John’s Rehab Research Program, Hitzig has built an internationally-recognized academic research program in disability, aging and rehabilitation; making significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge and policy, with a goal of remaining clinically responsive to the needs of patients as it also informs clinical practice. 

His work examines the long-term outcomes of persons aging with a disability and/or other vulnerabilities, with a focus on three core populations: persons with limb loss, traumatic injury survivors, and older adults with complex care needs. 

The Eaton Family are longstanding supporters of rehabilitation research at Sunnybrook’s St. John’s Rehab. Their generosity has advanced academic rehabilitation science, resulting in policy change and new standards of care to help patients get back to their lives.