Stefanie Blain-Moraes
Associate Professor
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Consciousness and Personhood Technology
B.A.Sc. (Engineering Science), University of Toronto
Ph.D. (Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Sciences), University of Toronto
Postdoctoral fellowship (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Anesthesiology), University of Michigan
Design of Assistive Technology: Principles and Praxis
Consciousness, neuroprognosis, critical care, personhood, assistive technologies, minimally communicative individuals
Prof. Blain-Moraes runs the Biosignal Interaction and Personhood Technology (BIAPT) lab at McGill.Ìę Her lab applies physiological signal processing techniques and assistive technology design principles to address the needs of non-communicative individuals and their care providers.Ìę The objectives of the BIAPT lab are:
1.ÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌę To advance the understanding of the neurophysiological and physiological basis of human consciousness and interaction
2.ÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌę To translate this understanding into technologies that improve the quality of life of non-communicative persons and their caregivers
Prof. Stefanie Blain-Moraes is the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Consciousness and Personhood Technology (2019-2024). Since starting at Ïăœ¶ÊÓÆ” in 2016, she has been principal or co-applicant on 29 successfully funded grant proposals that have brought a total of $9.6M to Canadian researchers; including $3.3M in operating funds awarded directly to her lab. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of her research program, she has been a Principal Investigator on grants awarded from all three branches of the Canadian Tri-Council (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC). She has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers on the detection of consciousness and the development of technologies to maximize the personhood of non-communicative individuals. Her inventions are protected under one US Patent, and several Notices of Invention. Prof. Blain-Moraesâ research was recognized with Ïăœ¶ÊÓÆ”âs Principalâs Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers in 2022, and has been featured in National Geographic, STAT news, the New Scientist and CTV National News.
To date, Prof. Blain-Moraes has trained 51 highly qualified personnel (5 postdoctoral fellows, 4 PhD, 11 MSc and 24 BSc thesis students), and supervised an additional 56 undergraduate students for their capstone design projects. Collectively, her students have been awarded over $1.3 million through 33 scholarships and fellowships, and have received national and international recognition for their research and contributions to academia. The excellence of Prof. Blain-Moraesâ teaching and training was recognized with the 2020 Faculty of Medicine Teaching Innovation Award from Ïăœ¶ÊÓÆ” and by the 2023 Carrie M. Derrick Award for Graduate Teaching and Supervision.
Consciousness, neuroprognosis, critical care, personhood, assistive technologies, minimally communicative individuals
Notation. McGill research trainees supervised by myself are identified by italics; § indicates equal authorship contributions, * indicates corresponding or co-corresponding authors, and ° indicates authorship from a community partner (e.g. not affiliated with an academic institution).
2023
- Plez, L., Holland, M.°, Kulasegarampillai, P., Sieu, T-C. & Blain-Moraes, S. (2023) ââI made you a small room in my heartâ: How therapeutic clowns meet the needs of older adults in nursing homesâ. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. (accepted).
- Maschke, C., Duclos, C., Owen, A.M., Jerbi, K. & Blain-Moraes, S. (2023) âAperiodic brain activity varies in altered states of consciousnessâ. NeuroImage. 275:120154. Doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120154
- Brennan, J., Kelleher, M., Motta-Ochoa, R., Blain-Moraes, S. & Specker Sullivan, L. (2023) âSituated personhood: Insights from caregivers of behaviorally unresponsive individualsâ. International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics. (accepted).
- Kuhlmann, N., Robert, J., Thomas, A. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2023) âPiece of Mind: Mobilizing scientific and experiential knowledge of Parkinsonâs Disease through the artsâ. Leonardo. Doi:10.1162/leon_a_02371.
- Frantz, A., Incio-Serra, N., Lopez Almendariz, A., Duclos, C., Owen, A.M. & Blain-Moraes, S. (2023) âAssessing cognitive outcome in coma survivors: A literature review.â Brain Sciences. 13(1): doi:10.3390/brainsci13010096.
- Kuhlmann, N., Lecuyer, J., Thomas, A. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2023) âPiece of Mind: Mobilizing scientific and experiential knowledge of dementia through the artsâ. Leonardo. (accepted).
2022
- Ocay, D.D., Teel, E.F., Luo, O.D., Savignac, C., Mahdid, Y., Blain-Moraes, S. & Ferland, C.E.* (2022) âElectroencephalographic characteristics of children and adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal painâ. PAIN Reviews. 7(6):e1054. Doi: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001054.
- Teel, E.F., Ocay, D.D., Blain-Moraes, S.* & Ferland, C.E.*. (2022) âAccurate classification of pain experiences using wearable electroencephalography in adolescents with and without chronic musculoskeletal painâ. Frontiers in Pain Research. 3.
- Maschke, C., Duclos, C., Blain-Moraes, S. (2022) âParadoxical markers of conscious levels: Effects of anesthesia on patients in disorders of consciousnessâ. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 16.
- Sample, M., Boehlen, W., Sattler, S., Blain-Moraes, S. & Racine, E.* (2022) âBrain-computer interfaces, inclusive innovation, and the promise of restoration: A mixed-methods study with rehabilitation professionalsâ. Engaging Science, Technology and Society. 8(2).
- Holland, M.°, Fiorito, M.E., Gravel, M., McLeod, S., Polson, J., Incio Serra, N. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2022) ââWe are still doing some magicâ: Exploring the effectiveness of online therapeutic clowningâ. Arts and Health.
- Croteau, F., ThĂ©nault, F., Blain-Moraes, S., Pearsall, D., Paradelo, D. & Robbins, S.M. (2022) âAutomatic detection of passing and shooting in water polo using machine learningâ. Sports Biomechanics. Doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2022.2044507
- Fu, D., Incio Serra, N., Mansion, H.°, Tamko Mansion, E. ° & Blain-Moraes, S. (2022) âAssessing the effect of nature on physiological states using wearable technologiesâ. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19(3), 1231: doi:10.3390/ijerph19031231.
- Labonte, A., Kafashan, M.M., Huels, E.R., Blain-Moraes, S., Basner, M., Kelz, M.B., Mashour, G.A., Avidan, M.S., Palanca, B.J.A.*, ReCCognition Study Group. (2022) âThe posterior dominant rhythm: An electroencephalographic surrogate for cognitive recovery following general anesthesiaâ. British Journal of Anesthesia. Doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2022.01.019.
2021
- Azevedo, N., Crestol, A., Berkun, K., Papthanasopoulos, A., Yamani, L., Rokos, A., Kehayia, E. § & Blain-Moraes, S.* § â(2021) A N400 event-related potential elicitation paradigm for native French speakersâ. Mental Lexicon. (in press).
- Rokos, A., Misic, B., Berkun, K., Duclos, C., Tarnal, V., Janke, E., Picton, P., Golmirzaie, G., Basner, M., Avidan, M.S., Kelz, M.B., Mashour, G.A. & Blain-Moraes, S. (2021) âDistinct and dissociable EEG networks are associated with recovery of cognitive function following anesthesia-induced unconsciousnessâ. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
- Rokos, A., Mah, R., Boshra, R., Harrison, A., Choy, T.L., Blain-Moraes, S.* § & Connolly, J.F. § âEliciting and recording event related potentials (ERPs) in behaviorally unresponsive populations: a reflective commentary on critical factorsâ. Brain Sciences. Doi:10.3390/brainsci11070835.
- Savignac, C., Ocay, D.D., Mahdid, Y., Blain-Moraes, S. & Ferland, C.* âClinical use of electroencephalography in the assessment of acute thermal pain: A narrative review based on articles from 2009 to 2020â. Clinical EEG & Neuroscience. (accepted)
- Duclos, C., Maschke, C., Mahdid, Y., Berkun, K., Da Silva Castanheira, J., Tarnal, V., Picton, P., Vanini, G., Golmirzaie, G., Janke, E., Avidan, M., Kelz, M., Liuzzi, L., Brookes, M., Mashour, G. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2021) âDifferential classification of states of consciousness using envelope- and phase-based functional connectivityâ. NeuroImage. 237:118171 Doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118171.
- Mashour, G.A.*, Palanca, B., Basner, M., Li, D., Maier, K., Wang, W., Blain-Moraes, S., Lin, N., Muench, M., Tarnal, V., Vanini, G., Ochroch, E., Schwartz, M., Maybrier, H., Hardie, R., Janke, E., Golmirzaie, G., Picton, P., McKinstry-Wu, A., Avidan, M.S. § & Kelz, M.B. §. (2021) âRecovery of consciousness and cognition after general anesthesia in humansâ. eLIFE. Doi:10.7554/eLife.59525.
- Huels, E., Kim, H., Lee, U., Bel-Behar, T., Colmenero, A., Nelson, A., Blain-Moraes, S., Mashour, G.A., Harris, R.E.* (2021) âNeural correlates of the shamanic state of consciousnessâ. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Doi:10.3389/fnhum.2021.610466
- Motta-Ochoa, R., Incio-Serra, N. §, Frantz, A.§ & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2021) âEnacting agency: Movement, dementia and interactionâ. Arts and Health. doi.org/10.1080/17533015.2021.1894464
- Motta-Ochoa, R. §, Incio-Serra, N. §, Boulet, A.°, Fu, D., Frantz, A., Williams, M.° & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2021) âMouvement de passage: Creating connections through movement among persons with dementiaâ. Dementia. Doi.org/10.1177/14713012211004009.
- Motta-Ochoa, R., Leibing, A., Bresba, P.°, William, M.°, Shaffer, S.°, Julien, O.°, Racine, E. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2021) âYouâre Part of Us and Weâre Happy to Have You Hereâ: Practices of Social Inclusion in a Community-Based Organization for Persons with Dementiaâ. Clinical Gerontology. 44(4): 471-480. Doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2021.1891170
- Duclos, C. §, Nadin, D. §, Mahdid, Y., Tarnal, V., Picton, P., Vanini, G., Golmirzaie, G., Janke, E., Avidan, M.S., Kelz, M.B., Mashour, G.A. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2021) âBrain network motifs are markers of loss and recovery of consciousnessâ. Scientific Reports. 11:3892. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83482-9.
2020
- Mahdid, Y., Lee, U. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2020) âAssessing the quality of wearable EEG systems using functional connectivityâ. IEEE Access. 8:193214-193225. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3033472
- Duclos, C., Norton, L., Laforge, G., Frantz, A., Maschke, C., Owen., A.M. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2020) âProtocol for the prognostication of consciousness recovery following a brain injuryâ. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 12.
- Motta-Ochoa, R., Bresba, P.°, Da Silva Castanheira, J., Kwan, C.L., Shaffer, S.°, Julien, O.°, William, M.° & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2020) ââWhen I hear my language, I travel back in time and I feel at homeâ: Intersections of culture with social inclusion and exclusion of persons with dementia and their caregiversâ. Transcultural Psychiatry. Doi.org/10.1177/13634615211001707.
- Nadin, D., Duclos, C., Mahdid, Y., Rokos, A., Badawy, M., Letourneau, J., Arbour, C., Plourde, G. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2020) âBrain Network Motif Topography May Predict Emergence from Disorders of Consciousness: A Case Seriesâ. Neuroscience of Consciousness. 2020(1):niaa017.
- Cascio, M.A., Motta-Ochoa, R., Teachman, G., Grond, F., Tembeck, T., Blain-Moraes, S. & Park, M.* (2020) âWhatâs at stake with biomusic? Engaging the humanities and social sciences in the ethical reflections on an emerging technology.â Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation. 5(20):1-20.
- Cascio, M.A., Grond, F., Motta-Ochoa, R., Tembeck, T., Van Teen, D.°, Blain-Moraes, S.* (2020) âWorking together â ethnographic observations on participatory design involving adults with autismâ. Human Organization. 79(1):1-12. doi.org/10.17730/0018-7259.79.1.1
2019
- Sample, M., Sattler, S., Blain-Moraes, S., Rodriguez-Arias, D. & Racine, E.* (2019) âDo publics share expertsâ worries about brain-computer interfaces? A trinational survey on the ethics of neural technologyâ. Science, Technology, and Human Values. doi.org/10.1177/0162243919879220
- Kwan, C.L., Mahdid, Y., Motta Ochoa, R., Lee, K., Park, M. & Blain-Moraes, S.* (2019) âWearable technology for detecting significant moments in individuals with dementiaâ. Biomed Research International. Vol. 2019, Article ID 6515813, 13 pages. .
- Renda, E., Karmali, S.A., Yordanova, I., Schwartz, S., Mahdid, Y., Blain-Moraes, S.§ & Boudrias, M.H. §* (2019) âEffects of transcranial direct current stimulation on an individualâs ability to learn to control a brain-computer interfaceâ. McGill Journal of Medicine.
- Sample, M., Aunos, M., Blain-Moraes, S., Bublitz, C., Chandler, J., Falk, T., Friederich, O., Groetzinger, D., Jox, R.J., Koegel, J., McFarland, D., Neufield, V., Rodriguez-Arias, D., Sattler, S., Vidal, F., Wolbring, G., Wolkenstein, A. & Racine, E.* (2019) âBCIs and personhood: Interdisciplinary deliberations on the impact of neural technologyâ. Journal of Neural Engineering. doi:10.1088/1741-2552/ab39cd
- Moraes, C.§, Blain-Moraes, S.§, Morell-Tomassoni, S. & Gorbet, R.B.* (2021) âThe W-model: A pre-college design pedagogy for solving wicked problemsâ. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. 31(1): 139-164.
- Grond, F., Motta-Ochoa, R., Miyake, N.°, Tembeck, T., Park, M. & Blain-Moraes, S. (2019) âParticipatory design of affective technology: Interfacing biomusic and autismâ. IEEE Transactions of Affective Computing.
- Connolly, J.*, Reilly, J., Fox-Robichaud, A., Britz, P., Blain-Moraes, S., Sonnadara, R., Hamielec, C., Herrera-Diaz, A. & Boshra, R. (2019) âDevelopment of a point of care system for automated coma prognosis â a prospective cohort study protocolâ. BMJ Open.
- Shortal, B.P., Hickman, L.B., Mak-McCully, R.A., Wang, W., Brennan, C., Ung, H., Litt, B., Tarnal, V., Janke, E., Picton, P., Blain-Moraes, S., Maybrier, H., Muench, M., Lin, N., Avidan, M., Mashour, G., McKinstry-Wu, A., Kelz, M., Palanca, B., & Proekt, A. (2019) âDuration of electroencephalogram suppression does not predict recovery time from general anesthesiaâ. British Journal of Anaesthesia. Doi:
- Lee, H., Golkowski, D., Jordan, D., Berger, S., Ilg, R., Lee, J., Mashour, G.A., Lee, U., Avidan, M., Blain-Moraes, S., Golmirzaie, G., Hardie, R., Hogg, R., Janke, E., Kelz, M.B., Maier, K., Maybrier, H.R., McKinstry-Wu, A., Muench, M., Ochroch, A., Palanca, B.J.A., Picton, P., Schwarz, E.M., Tarnal, V., Vanini, G., Vlisides, P.E. (2019) âRelationship of critical dynamics, functional connectivity, and states of consciousness in large-scale human brain networksâ. NeuroImage. 188:228-238. Doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.12.011
2018
- Blain-Moraes, S.*, Racine, E. & Mashour, G.A. (2018) âConsciousness and Personhood in Medical Careâ. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 12. 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00306
- Thiery T, Lajnef, T, Combrisson E, Dehgan A, Rainville P, Mashour G, Blain-Moraes, S. & Jerbi K.* (2018) "Long-range temporal correlations in the brain distinguish conscious wakefulness from induced unconsciousness", NeuroImage 179: 30-39. Doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.069
- Koller, D.*, McPherson, A.C., Lockwood, I., Blain-Moraes, S. & Nolan, J. (2018) âThe impact of Snoezelen in pediatric complex continuing care: A pilot studyâ. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine: An Interdisciplinary Approach. 11:31-41.
2017
- Walsh, A.*, Evans, J.E., Sims, E., Goldberg, R.L., Peters, K.L., Globerson, K., Drossel, C., Blain-Moraes, S., Merbitz, N.K. (2017) âBedside audio storytelling for hospital patients: A program overviewâ. The Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation. Fall 2017, pp. 1-24.
- Blain-Moraes, S., Tarnal, V., Vanini, G., Bel-Behar, T., Janke, E., Picton, P., Golmirzaie, G., McKinney, A., Palanca, B.J.A., Avidan, M.S., Kelz, M.B. & Mashour, G.A.* (2017) âNetwork efficiency and posterior alpha patterns are markers of recovery from general anesthesia: A high-density electroencephalography study in healthy volunteersâ. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00328.
- Maier, K.L., McKinstry-Wu, A.R., Palanca, B.J.A., Tarnal, V., Blain-Moraes, S., Basner, M., Avidan, M., Mashour, G.A., Kelz, M.B.* (2017) âProtocol for the reconstructing human consciousness and cognition studyâ. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00284.
2016
- Blain-Moraes, S., Boshra, R., Ma, H.K., Mah, R., Ruiter, K., Avidan, M. Connolly, J.F. & Mashour, G.A.* (2016) âNormal brain response to propofol in advance of recovery from unresponsive wakefulness syndromeâ Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00248
- Kim, M., Mashour, G., Blain-Moraes, S., Vanini, G., Tarnal, V., Janke, E., Hudetz, A.G. & Lee, U. (2016) âFunctional and topological conditions for explosive synchronization develop in human brain networks with the onset of anesthetic-induced unconsciousnessâ Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience. doi:10.3389/fncom.2016.00001
2015
- Moon, J., Lee, U., Blain-Moraes, S. & Mashour, G.* (2015) âGeneral relationship of global topology, local dynamics, and directionality in large-scale brain networksâ. PLoS Computational Biology. 11(4):e1004225. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004225.
- Lee, U., Blain-Moraes, S. & Mashour, G.* (2015) âAssessing levels of consciousness with symbolic analysisâ. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. 373:20140117. .
- Blain-Moraes, S., Tarnal, V., Vanini, G., Alexander, A., Rosen, D., Shortal, B., Janke, E. & Mashour, G.A.* (2015) âNeurophysiological correlates of sevoflurane-induced unconsciousnessâ. Anesthesiology. 122(2):307-316. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000000482
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