Queen’s Health Sciences Announces 2025 Basmajian Award Recipients

News & Announcements | 11 Dec 2025

Congratulations to Dr. Sahar Saeed and Dr. Beata Batorowicz, this year’s co-recipients of the Basmajian Award of Excellence in Health Research.

“The remarkable achievements of Dr. Saeed and Dr. Batorowicz exemplify the spirit of research excellence that drives Queen’s Health Sciences,” says Dr. Stephen Scott, Vice-Dean Research, Queen’s Health Sciences. “Their innovative, impactful scholarship is not only advancing scientific knowledge, it is reshaping how we deliver care, promote inclusion, and improve health outcomes across communities. We are proud to celebrate their exceptional contributions at this early stage of their careers.”

The Mihran and Mary Basmajian Award for Excellence in Health Research, established by Dr. J.V. Basmajian in memory of his parents, celebrates outstanding research contributions from early-career faculty at Queen’s Health Sciences. Both Dr. Saeed (Department of Public Health Sciences) and Dr. Batorowicz (School of Rehabilitation Therapy) are advancing innovative scholarship, while demonstrating outstanding research productivity.

Dr. Sahar Saeed’s work is changing how we think about, deliver, and evaluate community-based health interventions. Since joining Queen’s University in 2022, she has created a nationally recognized research program through the EPIX Research Laboratory, advancing and developing equitable care models for chronic liver disease and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. Her leadership of the SPRITE study (Syphilis Point-of-care Rapid Testing and Immediate Treatment Evaluation) in partnership with South East Pubilc Health, has grown to include eight public health units across Ontario. Through a decentralized test-and-treat model, the study has reached more than 1,500 people across 400 outreach events, expanding access to syphilis care for street-involved populations in the region.

Dr. Saeed has secured over $1.1 million in CIHR funding and has contributed to more than $30 million in collaborative research initiatives. A dedicated mentor and educator, she has supervised 21 trainees—whose collective fellowships exceed $330,000—and developed two graduate courses that strengthen public health education at Queen’s.

Dr. Beata Batorowicz’s research is reshaping how children and young adults with communication and physical disabilities participate, interact, and thrive in society. An internationally recognized leader in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), she has advanced innovative interventions and co-designed technologies with families and interdisciplinary teams. With a focus on enhancing social inclusion, she has led pioneering work using robots, AI, and multimodal communication.

Dr. Batorowicz’s work has been cited more than 1,300 times with an h-index of 21. She has attracted over $1M as PI/Co-PI and, as a co-applicant, contributes to more than $5M in grants focused on assistive technology and childhood disability. A highly sought-after supervisor, she leads the Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Interaction and Technology Lab, where trainees work with robots, eye-trackers, alternative access devices, and a full range of AAC technologies.

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Queen’s Health Sciences Announces 2025 Basmajian Award Recipients

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