Awards
Promising Scientist Award
Promising Scientist AwardThe Promising Scientist Award acknowledges those who have performed superior research in Posture and/or Gait early in their career. It entails a certificate as well as an amount of $1000 (USD) for travel expenses to attend the ISPGR World Congress.
The awardee is expected to give a 25 minute plenary presentation +5 minutes of questions at the ISPGR Congress. Priority will be given to young scientists with more established, independent careers with regular ISPGR status.
Requirements:
To be eligible for the award, a candidate must (please declare the requirements in your submission):
- be an ISPGR member in good standing
- must have been awarded a PhD at the time of submission
- be no more than six (6) years post PhD degree on January 1st 2025 (documented parental/sick leaves will be taken into consideration)
- submit all required supporting documentation listed below before the submission deadline
Supporting Documentation
Prior to the application submission deadline, each candidate must:
- submit her/his/their full curriculum vitae
- submit up to three 1st author papers (pdf format)
- provide an interpretative summary (one 8” x 11” page limit) describing their research contribution to the field of Posture and Gait including a statement on the impact (clinical/translational/scientific) of their work and their level of independence
- Documentation of dates and duration of leave(s), if applicable
Award submissions are open from October 1, 2024 – January 6, 2025. Please submit required documentation via email to
Past Winners
2022 Montreal, CAN: Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens, University of Waterloo
2019 Edinburgh, GBR: Jennifer Yentes, University of Nebraska at Omaha
2017 Ft.Lauderdale, USA: Sjoerd Bruijn, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2015 Seville, ESP: Melvyn Roerdink, MOVE Research Institute, The Netherlands
2014 Vancouver, CAN: Ross Clark, Australian Catholic University, Australia
2013 Akita, JPN: Alain Frigon, Universite de Sherbooke, Canada
2012 Trondheim, NOR: Dan Marigold, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Emerging Scientist Award
The Emerging Scientist award acknowledges those who have performed superior research in Posture and/or Gait early in their career. It entails a certificate as well as an amount of $1000 (USD) for travel expenses to attend the ISPGR World Congress.
The awardee is expected to give a 15 minute plenary presentation +5 minutes of questions at the ISPGR Congress.
Requirements:
To be eligible for the award, a candidate must (please declare the requirements in your submission):
- be an ISPGR member in good standing
- must have been awarded a PhD at the time of submission
- be no more than three (3) years post PhD degree on January 1st 2025 (documented parental/sick leaves will be taken into consideration)
- submit all required supporting documentation listed below before the submission deadline
Supporting Documentation
Prior to the application submission deadline, each candidate must:
- submit her/his/their full curriculum vitae
- submit up to three 1st author papers (pdf format)
- provide an interpretative summary (one 8” x 11” page limit) describing their research contribution to the field of Posture and Gait including a statement on the impact (clinical/translational/scientific) of their work
- Documentation of dates and duration of leave(s), if applicable
Award submissions are open from October 1, 2024 – January 6, 2025. Please submit required documentation via email to
Past Winners
2022 Montreal, CAN: Riona McArdle, Newcastle University
2019 Edinburgh, GBR: Deborah Jehu, University of British Columbia
2017 Ft. Lauderdale, USA: Patrick A Forbes, Erasmus Medical Centre
Best Talk and best poster awards
Best Talk and best poster awardsBest Poster Award for Postdoctoral Fellows
In addition to the Aftab Patla Innovation Award, awarded to student poster presenters, ISPGR also offers two best poster awards for Postdoctoral Fellows. One award will be for basic science and one for clinical science. Recipients will be chosen from a panel of researchers based on several criteria including:
- creativity and originality of research
- clarity of presentation
- level of understanding
REQUIREMENTS:
To be eligible for the award, a candidate must:
- be an ISPGR post-doc member in good standing
- present a poster presentation to the award reviewers (may be anonymous)
Note: The Best Poster Award for post-docs is for poster presentations only. If you apply for and are selected for an oral presentation, you are not eligible for the poster award but will be in contention for the Best Talk Award. Winners will be announced onsite at the World Congress.
Past Winners
2022 Montreal, CAN
Basic Science
Martin Zaback, Temple University
“Changes to cortical potentials time-locked to discrete postural events during postural threat exposure”
Catherine P Agathos, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
“Eccentric viewing shifts subjective visual vertical perception”
Clinical Science
Tyler T Whittier, Colorado State University
“Bayes’d and Confused: Bayesian inference reveals decreased sensorimotor uncertainty as a result of Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS)”
Best Virtual Poster Award for Postdoctoral Fellow
Basic Science
Mark A Laylor, University of Waterloo
“Markers of reactive control in stance”
Sean D Lynch, Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital
“Perceiving virtual human emotional gait is task specific for individuals following moderate-to-severe TBI”
2019 Edinburgh, GBR
Basic Science
Lorenz Assländer, University of Konstanz
“A balance control model for vestibular loss subjects balancing on a tilting support”
Clinical Science
Lisa Alcock, Newcastle University Institute for Ageing
“The effect of walking speed on cortical activity in young and older adults”
Honourable Mention:
Clinical Science
Samuel Stuart, Oregon Health and Science University
“Cortical response to open and closed-loop tactile cueing during walking and turning in Parkinson’s”
2017 Ft. Lauderdale, USA
Basic Science
Hendrik Reimann, Temple University
“Phase-dependency of the balance response to Galvanic vestibular stimulation during walking”
Clinical Science
Lisa Alcock, Newcastle University Institute for Ageing
“Effect of obstacle contrast on visual behaviour in Parkinson’s disease”
Honourable Mention:
Basic Science
Douglas Martini, Oregon Health and Science University
“The interaction of cholinergic activity, gait, balance, and attention in mild cognitive impairment”
Best talk by a trainee award
One best talk award will be awarded to a student/post doc member of ISPGR who presents an individual oral presentation at the World Congress. Recipients will be chosen from a panel of researchers based on several criteria including:
- creativity and originality of research
- clarity of presentation
- level of understanding
REQUIREMENTS:
To be eligible for the award, a candidate must:
- be an ISPGR student/post doc member in good standing
- present an individual oral presentation at the World Congress to the award reviewers
Note: The Best Talk Award by a Trainee is for ISPGR student or post doctoral member individual oral presentations only. The winner will be announced onsite at the World Congress.
Past Winners
2023 Brisbane, AUS
Basic – Student
Sheryl Bourgaize, Wilfrid Laurier University
“Collision avoidance behaviours of young adult walkers: Influence of a virtual pedestrians age-related appearance and gait profile”
Clinical – Student
Emma Packer, Newcastle University
“Exploring the impact of levodopa on real world digital mobility outcomes in people with Parkinson’s disease”
Post-Doc
Chloe Hinchcliffe, Newcastle University
“All measures of gait variability associated with sleepiness and fatigue in immune and neurodegenerative disorders: Insights from the IDEA-FAST feasibility study”
2022 Montreal, CAN
Meghan Kazanski, The Pennsylvania State University
“Probability of Instability: A new statistic that resolves the margin of stability paradox”
Alejandro J Lopez, Emory University
“Descending cortical modulation of spinal sensorimotor circuits is reduced in neurotypical older adults during postural and volitional muscle activation”
2019 Edinburgh, GBR
David Cole, Utah State University
“An invisible hand: Automatic preparation for arresting a fall when viewing a handrail”
Honourable Mention:
Maarten Afschrift, KU Leuven
“Deficient tibalis anterior activity following inward perturbation during walking predisposes elderly to use stepping rather than ankle strategies to control balance”
2017 Ft. Lauderdale, USA
Robyn Mildren, University of British Columbia
“Learning to balance on a slackline: Kinematic and spinal reflex adaptations”
Aftab Patla Innovation Award
The ISPGR Awards Committee will offer two student poster presentation awards in honour of Dr. Aftab Patla. One award will be for basic science and one for clinical science. Recipients will be chosen from a panel of researchers based on several criteria including:
- creativity and originality of research
- clarity of presentation
- level of understanding
Requirements
To be eligible for the award, a candidate must:
- be an ISPGR student member in good standing
- present a poster presentation to the award reviewers (may be anonymous)
Note: The Aftab Patla Innovation Award is for student poster submissions only. If you apply for and are selected for an oral presentation, you are not eligible for a poster award but will be in contention for the Best Talk Award. Winners will be announced onsite at the World Congress.
Past Winners
2023 Brisbane, AUS
Basic Science
Anna Render, Penn State University
“Trade-offs in lateral foot placement regulation on curvilinear paths”
Clinical Science
Lotte Hagedoorn, Radboud University Medical Center
“Action observation with motor simulation improves reactive stepping responses following strong backward balance perturbations in healthy young individuals”
2022 Montreal, CAN
Basic Science
Laurence Lai, Concordia University
“Age differences in working memory and cue utilization during postural recovery”
Clinical Science
Olivia Samotus, London Health Sciences Centre
“Neuroimaging and neurophysiological changes associated with freezing of gait and visual-motor performance improvements following spinal cord stimulation therapy in Parkinson disease patients”
2019 Edinburgh, GBR
Basic Science
Wouter Staring, Donder Institute, Radboud University
“Does transcranial direct current stimulation improve reaction times of people after stroke during balance perturbations, gait initiation, or voluntary movement?”
Clinical Science
Bryant Seamon, Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
“Influence of body weight supported treadmill training parameters on muscle coordination in hemiparetic walking”
Honourable Mentions:
Clinical Science
Janis Kim, University of Illinois at Chicago
“The frequency and circumstances of falls reported by unilateral lower limb prosthesis users”
2017 Ft. Lauderdale, USA
Basic Science
Hikaru Yokoyama, The University of Tokyo
“Cortical processing underlying split-belt treadmill gait adaptation: an EEG study”
Clinical Science
Savitha Subramaniam, UIC
“Dance for Stroke: A virtual-reality dance based exercise to increase cardiovascular fitness and community ambulation in individuals with chronic stroke: A preliminary study”
Honourable Mentions:
Basic Science
Stuart Mackenzie, University of Birmingham
“Differential Effects of Vision Upon the Accuracy and Precision of Vestibular-Evoked Balance Responses”
Trina Mitchell, McGIll University
“Comparison of the neural correlates of complex walking in healthy young adults and middle-aged adults during real locomotion”
Clinical Science
Alberto Fung, University of Houston
“Smarter Balance System: Smartphone-based biofeedback technology for clinical and/or home-based balance rehabilitation”
2015 Seville, ESP
Aftab Patla Award Clinical Science
Winner: Niklas Lofgren – ‘Construct Validity of the Mini-BESTest in mild to moderate Parkinson’s Disease’
Honorable Mention: Julian Luppo – ‘Perceived Timing of Auditory and Inertial Cues During a Fall’
Honorable Mention: Jennifer Wong – ‘The impact of falls on functional recovery after discharge from in-patient stroke rehabilitation’
Aftab Patla Award Basic Science
Winner : Aurelie Fontan – ‘Cerebral network subtending proprioceptive processing in children from 7 to 10 years’
Honorable Mention: Whitney Cole – ‘Bouts of Steps: The Organization of Infant Walking’
Honorable Mention: Eric Beck – ‘Gaze behaviour in freezers may relieve processing demands’
2014 Vancouver, CAN
Aftab Patla Award Clinical Science: Courtney Pollock, University of British Columbia, Canada for the poster ‘Anticipatory postural reactions and arousal state during external perturbations are altered in people with stroke’
Aftab Patla Award Basic Science: Zoe Miranda, Université de Montréal, Canada for the poster ‘Presynaptic control of balance in healthy subjects’
2013 Akita, JPN
Aftab Patla Award Clinical Science: Hideki Nakano, Kio University, Japan for the poster ‘Effect of a plantar perceptual learning task on walking stability in the elderly; a randomised control trial’
Aftab Patla Award Basic Science: Taku Kitamura, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan for the poster ‘Phase modulation of corticospinal excitability for forearm muscle during voluntary leg stepping’
2012 Trondheim, NOR
Aftab Patla Award Clinical Science: Takashi Yoshida, University of Toronto, Canada for the poster ‘Cardiovascular response of individuals with spinal cord injury to dynamic functional electrical stimulation under orthostatic stress’
Aftab Patla Award Basic Science: Anahid Saradjian, Laboratory of Neurobiology and Cognition, France for the poster ‘Facilitation of somatosensory potentials depends on the balance constraints during motor preparation of a step: A microgravity and normogravity study’
2009 Bologna, ITA
Aftab Patla Award Clinical Science: Michael Schwenk, University of Heidelberg, Germany for the poster ‘Dual task performance can be improved in patients with dementia’
Aftab Patla Award Basic Science: Chantelle Murnaghan, University of British Columbia, Canada for the poster ‘Feedback during COM stabilization does not prevent exploratory COP behavior during upright stance’