My research focuses on the integration of virtual reality and active video games in pediatric rehabilitation practice, particularly for children with cerebral palsy. The mission of LaboINSPIRE is to use a problem-based, integrated knowledge translationapproachin partnership with children, families and clinicians to promote the sustainable and evidence-based integration of digital innovations, such as virtual reality, in pediatric rehabilitation. All of our efforts are focused on the functional use of innovative, interactive and immersive technologies to facilitate the evolution of interventions from the clinical setting to children’s home, school and environments with the goal of improving their functioning and participation. We develop, create and evaluate digital interventions with the broad objective of creating best practice guidelines and a pan-Canadian knowledge transfer network that will help clinicians and families stay abreast of rapid developments in this field and improve the quality of pediatric rehabilitation and telerehabilitation.
Career Summary
After completing her undergraduate training in physiotherapy at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Levac worked as a pediatric physiotherapist at McMaster Children's Hospital (Hamilton) and Bloorview Kids Rehab (Toronto) in acute care, rehabilitation and school health support. She completed her Masters and Doctorate in Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, in the CanChild Center for Childhood Disability Research. Her graduate studies were funded by the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program. She then completed postdoctoral training, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa, before joining Northeastern University (Boston, MA, USA) in 2015 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences. Her research program at Northeastern was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, the Deborah Munroe Noonan Foundation, the Charles H. Hood Foundation and the Tufts Medical Center Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
Awards and Distinctions
- 2020, Faculty Excellence in Community Engagement Award, Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences
- 2019, Early Career Investigator Award, International Society for Virtual Rehabilitation
- 2018, Best paper award, International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality, and Associated Technologies
- 2017, Best presentation award, International Conference on Virtual Rehabilitation
Major Financing
Levac (PI)
01/09/2020-31/08/2021
American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology/National Pediatric Rehabilitation Research Center (C-PROGRESS, NIH)
Immersive virtual reality for eye-hand coordination assessment in children with hemiplegia
Role: Principal Investigator
NIH- K01HD093838
Levac (PI)
11/01/2017-10/30/2022
National Institutes of Health Mentored Research Scientist Career Development (K01) award
Enhancing transfer of motor skill learning from virtual to physical environments in children with cerebral palsy
Role: Principal Investigator
Levac (PI)
01/01/2020-12/31/2020
Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, Small Research Equipment Grant
Taking virtual reality 'on the road': A mobile VR system to explore motor learning in children with cerebral palsy
Role: Principal Investigator
Levac (PI)
1/07/2020 - 30/06/2021
Northeastern University Mentored Tier 1 Research Grant
Novel methods to quantify the affective impact of virtual reality for motor skill learning.
Role: PI
Northeastern University COVID-19 Crisis Seed Funding
Assessing the impact of changes in therapy service delivery during the
COVID-19 pandemic on function, socialization and participation of children with disabilities.
Role: co-PI
Levac (PI)
07/01/2017-06/30/2019
Charles H. Hood Foundation, Child Health Research Award
Is motor learning enhanced by practice in a virtual environment for children with cerebral palsy?
Role: Principal Investigator
Levac (PI)
05/01/2017-04/30/2018
Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute Pilot Studies Grant
Influence of virtual environment complexity on motor learning in children with cerebral palsy: Implications for virtual reality use in rehabilitation.
Role: Principal Investigator
Levac (PI)
09/01/2016-08/31/2017
Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Research Fund
Usability evaluation of the FITBoard (Fun Interactive Therapy Board): A motivating, movement-based rehabilitation tool for children with disabilities.
Role: Principal Investigator