Darcy Fehlings

Dr. Darcy Fehlings is Head of the Division of Developmental Paediatrics and is a Professor in the Department of Paediatrics, at the University of Toronto. She is the inaugural holder of the Bloorview Children’s Hospital Foundation Chair in Developmental Paediatrics. Dr. Fehlings is the Senior Physician Director of the Child Development Program at Holland Bloorview Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital and provides medical leadership for a large ambulatory program for cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Dr. Fehlings is a Senior Clinician Scientist in the Bloorview Research Institute. Her research focuses on the innovation and evaluation of interventions for children with cerebral palsy. She is the lead investigator of an Ontario Brain Institute integrated neuroscience network focused on children with cerebral palsy (CP-NET) and leads the CP Discovery Project in the Canadian NeuroDevNet Networks of Centres of Excellence. Professor Fehlings was the president of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) in 2015.

Research Synopsis

Dr. Fehlings innovates and evaluates neurorehabilitation treatments for children and youth with cerebral palsy.

Recent Publications

1. Deep brain stimulation for pediatric dystonia: a meta-analysis with individual participant data.
   Elkaim LM, Alotaibi NM, Sigal A, Alotaibi HM, Lipsman N, Kalia SK, Fehlings DL, Lozano AM, Ibrahim GM; North American Pediatric DBS Collaboration.
   Dev Med Child Neurol. 2019 Jan;61(1):49-56
2. Positive Distraction in Pediatric Healthcare Waiting Spaces: Sharing Play Not Germs through Inclusive, Hands-Free Interactive Media.
   Biddiss E, Knibbe TJ, Fehlings D, McKeever P, McPherson A.
   Dev Neurorehabil. 2018 Sep 20:1-8. 
3. The Association Between Maternal Age and Cerebral Palsy Risk Factors.
   Schneider RE, Ng P, Zhang X, Andersen J, Buckley D, Fehlings D, Kirton A, Wood E, van Rensburg E, Shevell MI, Oskoui M.
   Pediatr Neurol. 2018 May;82:25-28.
4. A whole new world: a qualitative investigation of parents' experiences in transitioning their preterm child with cerebral palsy to developmental/rehabilitation services.
   Ballantyne M, Bernardo S, Sozer A, Orava T, McPherson AC, Church P, Fehlings D.
   Dev Neurorehabil. 2018 Mar 12:1-11. 
5. Rationale for dopa-responsive CTNNB1/ß-catenin deficient dystonia.
   Pipo-Deveza J, Fehlings D, Chitayat D, Yoon G, Sroka H, Tein I.
   Mov Disord. 2018 Apr;33(4):656-657.