Awards
The International Society for Virtual Rehabilitation is proud to support and recognize our members through various award programs.
Key Dates
Society Awards Timeline
Call for Nominations Opens: TBA
Call for Nominations Closes: TBA
Award Winners Notified: TBA
Distinguished Service Award
The purpose of this award is to recognize and acknowledge “exceptional leadership, dedication and service”. Award consists of a certificate, a complimentary registration at the next ISVR-sponsored conference, and an opportunity to present a Keynote address.
For nominations, there must be a vote of support from an ISVR board member. You can find the list of ISVR board members here.
2025 Winner
Joyce Fung
McGill University
Joyce Fung is a Professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University and a researcher at the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital site of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation (CRIR) of Greater Montreal. A pioneer in applying virtual reality to rehabilitation and a founding member of the International Society for Virtual Rehabilitation (ISVR), she has served on both the ISVR Steering Committee and Board of Directors, and has been an Honorary Board Member since 2023. She played pivotal leadership roles as General Chair of Virtual Rehabilitation 2008 in Vancouver and as Scientific Co‑Chair of the 2024 WCVR in Amsterdam, the first joint ISVR–XR4Rehab congress. Her continuously funded research program spans fundamental studies of sensorimotor integration in posture and balance to the development and clinical implementation of innovative technologies for assessing and treating balance and mobility disorders. In recognition of her contributions to rehabilitation science and knowledge translation, she received the Canadian Physiotherapy Association’s Centenary Medal of Distinction in 2021.
WCVR 2026 Lecture. In this ISVR Distinguished Service Award lecture, Dr. Joyce Fung reflects on more than two decades at the forefront of virtual rehabilitation—from pioneering one of the earliest motion‑platform VR gait training systems to helping shape international standards for VR‑based assessment and intervention. Drawing on discoveries that link sensorimotor integration to real‑world mobility, she traces how neuroscience and emerging technologies have evolved together to transform rehabilitation practice. Blending scientific insight, technological innovation, and lessons from collaborative clinical research, she offers a forward‑looking perspective on the next generation of immersive tools poised to redefine mobility and participation in rehabilitation.
Previous Winners
2025: Alma Marians, Rutgers University
2024: Judith E. Deutsch, Rutgers University
2023: Mindy Levin, McGill University
2021: Skip Rizzo, University of Southern California
2019: Patrice L. (Tamar) Weiss, University of Haifa
2017: Emily Kesner, Temple University
2013: Grigore Burdea, Rutgers University
Early Career Investigator Award
The purpose of the Early Career Investigator Award is to recognize and acknowledge outstanding contributions by early career scientists whose research relates to virtual rehabilitation. The recipient will be awarded a certificate, a complimentary registration for the next ISVR-sponsored conference, and the chance to present a talk.
2025 Winner
Bruno Bonnechère
University of Hasselt
Bruno presently holding the position of assistant professor at the Faculty of Rehabilitation at the University of Hasselt in Belgium. He holds a chair devoted to the utilization of new technologies in rehabilitation. He created and is the director of the TechnoRehabLab (www.technorehablab.net), a lab dedicated to the development and implementation of new technologies in the rehabilitation. At the core of Bruno’s research lies the development, validation, and implementation of cutting-edge technologies in the rehabilitation domain. His primary interest revolves around leveraging the data generated during rehabilitation, termed as rehabilomics, to construct predictive models utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Previous Winners
2024: Maxime Robert, Université Laval
2023:
Winner: Naomi Gefen, ALYN Hospital
Runner Up: Sebastian Rutkowski, Opole University of Technology
2022: Athanasios Vourvopoulos, Instituto Superior Tecnico (IST) & University of Lisbon
2021: Marika Demers, University of Montreal
2020: Tal Krasovsky, University of Haifa
2019: Danielle Levac, University of Montreal
2018: Sandeep Subramaniam, UT Health San Antonio
2017: Roberto Llorens, Technical University of Valencia
2016: Monica da Silva Cameirão, University of Madeira
Best Talk Award
The ISVR Best Talk Awards are awarded to the most innovative and exciting conference platform presentation as identified by a panel of junior and senior ISVR members led by the Awards Co-Chairs. Each award is given to a junior (student, postdoc) and a senior (3 years from terminal degree) recipient. Recognition includes a cash prize (for junior awardees only), recognition on the website and in an ISVR Newsletter/eblast,
and a certificate.
2025 Winners
Previous Winners
2024: No award
2023 (Senior): Tal Krasovsky, University of Haifa
2023 (Student): Daniela Chan Viquez, University of Toronto
2022: Sandeep Subramanian, UT Health San Antonio & Elizabeth Wilson, Temple University
2021: No award
2020: No award
2019: Grigore Burdea, Bright Cloud International Corp & Oran Ben-Gal, National Instuments
2018: No Award Given
2017: Danielle Levac, University of Montreal & Desiderio Cano Porras, Tilburg University
2016: No Award Given
Best Poster Award
The ISVR Best Poster Awards are awarded to the most innovative and exciting conference poster presentation as identified by a panel of junior and senior ISVR members led by the Awards Co-Chairs. Each award is given to a junior (student, postdoc) and a senior (3 years from terminal degree) recipient. Recognition includes a cash prize (for junior awardees only), recognition on the website and in an ISVR Newsletter/eblast,
and a certificate.
2025 Winners
Best Product Demonstration Award
The ISVR Best Product Demonstration Award will be presented to the demo that best represents innovative and exciting clinical applications of virtual reality for assessment or intervention purposes. Recognition includes a cash prize, placement on the website and in an ISVR Newsletter/eblast, and a certificate. Award decision is determined by a panel of junior and senior ISVR members led by the Awards Co-Chairs.
Sponsored By:
2023 Winner
Iveta Fajnerova
National Institute of Mental Health
Presentation: OCD House – Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder
Iveta Fajnerova studied psychology and neurobiology, and obtained her PhD in neuroscience at the 3rd Medical Faculty of the Charles University in Prague. She is a head of the VR Research centre at the National Institute of Mental Health in Czech Republic. Her work focuses on the use of VR in research, diagnosis and therapy of psychiatric disorders, with emphasis on anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and cognitive impairments.