Dr. Ross D. Zafonte is Earle P. and Ida S. Charlton Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital as well as Vice President Medical Affairs Research and Education at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.Dr. Zafonte also previously served on the Board of Governors of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. He is the author of more than 300 peer review journal articles, abstracts and book chapters. In 2012, Dr. Zafonte received the William Caveness award. In May 2013, he received the Joel DeLisa Prize from the Kessler Foundation. In 2014, Dr. Zafonte received the Robert L Moody Prize the University of Texas, Galveston.  In 2017, he was named Physician of the Year by the AOF Foundation.  In 2018, he received the Ed Lowman Award by the American Congress of Rehabilitation.  In 2020, Dr. Zafonte received the Distinguished Member Award from AAPM&R and the Public Service Medal from the United States Department of the Army.

Dr. Taylor is Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Associate Chair for Research in the Department of PM&R. He has pursued research into integrative human physiology for 35 years and has a strong understanding of both cardiovascular and exercise physiologies. He studies the cardiovascular benefits of a hybrid functional electrical stimulation exercise for those with SCI, bone blood flow regulation in SCI, Serotonin agonist to improve exercise ventilatory responses and sleep quality in high-level SCI, and the effects of heat therapy on cardiometabolic health in SCI. He created the ExPD program that provides access to physical activity for a broad range of those with neuromuscular disabilities who otherwise have limited access to appropriate exercise. In 2016, Dr. Taylor edited a book for the American Physiological Society series on physiology in health and disease entitled, The Physiology of Exercise in Spinal Cord Injury.

Dr. Jette is a physical therapist and an internationally recognized expert in the measurement of function and disability. He has developed numerous instruments that assess function and disability and has published numerous articles on these topics in the rehabilitation, geriatrics, and public health literature. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine in October 2013. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Jette has received a total of 54 grants and fellowships.From 2005-2007, Dr. Jette chaired the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Project, The Future of Disability in America. Professional recognition of Dr. Jette includes his being named an American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Catherine Worthingham Fellow in 2005, and the 2012 Mary McMillan Lecturer; and the 2010 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Recognition Award for Distinguished Public Service, as well as the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine’s 2016 John Stanley Coulter Award, for his pioneering contributions to the field of disability rehabilitation research and to people with disabilities.

Mr. Estrada taken part in various SCIMS research projects over his 25-plus years of living with SCI. His main interests focus on consumer-led community advocacy both locally and nationally to promote health-related quality of life through better self-management and access to resources. Mr. Estrada is a trained SCI peer mentor, was the Executive Director of the Greater Boston Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association for 8 years, and was the Athletes with Disabilities Coordinator for the Boston Marathon from 2008 to 2016. He also works as the Research and Development Coordinator in the Exercise for Persons with Disabilities Program (ExPD) at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.  He is co-chair of the Council on Disability Awareness for the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and a member of the Disability Task Force at MassGeneral/Brigham (MGB).

Dr. Blauwet is an Instructor in PM&R at Harvard Medical School, and also serves as the Disability Access and Awareness Director for Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. Dr. Blauwet is a former Paralympic athlete in wheelchair racing, competing for the US team in three Paralympic Games and bringing home a total of seven medals. Dr. Blauwet now serves as Chair of the International Paralympic Committee’s Medical Commission and on the Board of Directors for the US Anti-Doping Agency. Dr. Blauwet currently oversees the Kelley Adaptive Sports Research Institute. She is a global advocate for sport and physical activity to promote healthy lifestyles for all those with disabilities – exemplified by speaking on the floor of the UN for the UN International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. She has given many talks throughout the world and was keynote speaker at the Boston celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Dr. O’Connor specializes in pain management in SCI and has extensive clinical expertise in SCI rehabilitation. He is board certified in PM&R, as well as subspecialty certified in Spinal Cord Medicine, a clinical associate at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Assistant Professor of PM&R at Harvard Medical School. Since 2002, he has been the Medical Director of the SCI program at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and has helped advance the program through clinical care, advocacy, and education. Dr. O’Connor has been nominated for the MGH McGovern award for most outstanding physician. He directs a team of 6 board certified SCI medicine physicians and co-directs our SCI fellowship in collaboration with the VA Boston.

Dr. Rosenblum acts as Medical Director of the Gaylord Hospital SCI Program in Wallingford, CT, and is the Medical Director of Outpatient Services at Gaylord. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine, and is board certified in PM&R and the subspecialties of Spinal Cord Medicine and Brain Injury Medicine. Dr. Rosenblum also provides PM&R consultations to patients at Yale New Haven Hospital. In addition to his administrative and research activities, Dr. Rosenblum has an active inpatient and outpatient SCI practice. Under Dr. Rosenblum’s leadership, Gaylord’s SCI program provides excellent acute and life-long care. He has been named a Top Doc by Connecticut magazine 9 consecutive times and was named Health Care Hero of the Year, Physician in 2016 by the Hartford Business Journal, and Physician of the Year, and was awarded the Healthcare Heroes Award in 2014 by Business New Haven. Dr. Rosenblum has published and presented extensively on topics related to SCI and Multiple Sclerosis. In 2018, he was selected as a Top Physiatrist by the International Association of HealthCare Professionals (IAHCP).

Dr. Slocum is a member of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, where she is an SCI physician in the Division of Spinal Cord Medicine. Dr. Slocum has the unique perspective of a physician as well as advocate for patients and families through her work as a leader on numerous health policy initiatives at the state, local and national levels. She completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy as a Commonwealth Fund Mongan Fellow in Health Policy from 2016-2017 at the Harvard School of Public Health and has presented nationally and been invited to speak internationally on health issues faced by persons with SCI and health equity for people with disabilities. Dr. Slocum’s work has been published in medical journals and she lectures regularly to health professionals and physicians-in-training on health promotion in SCI. When she’s not working, she is an avid reader and adaptive sports enthusiast.

Dr. Solinsky is a spinal cord injury medicine physician-scientist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. While Dr. Solinsky’s clinical care focuses on delivering lifetime medical care for individuals with SCI, his research is centered on methods to understand and minimize common secondary complications of paralysis such as autonomic dysreflexia and neurogenic bladder. He is passionate about integration of technology into research and finding ways to translate leaps made in other fields to patients with spinal cord injury.

Randy Trumbower is Director of the INSPIRE Laboratory at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. Prior to joining Harvard, Dr. Trumbower was Director of Research within Emory University’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University & Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his MS and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Connecticut, as well as, his Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Duke University. He has been a licensed physical therapist for more than 18 years. Dr. Trumbower’s research interests focus on mechanisms of neural plasticity that underlie the restoration of limb function in persons with spinal cord injury.

Ms. Pernigotti has worked at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Connecticut since 2009. She is responsible for managing the recruitment and implementation of multiple SCI research projects at Gaylord Hospital and throughout the SNERSCIC network. She organizes the New England SCI Toolkit and serves on the Institutional Review Board at Gaylord. As an Executive Board Member of the SCI Association of CT, a Chapter of United Spinal, she engages people at every level from inpatients to professional members of the community. Consumer education, research opportunities and all programs related to improving the lives of people with and affected by SCI are priorities of both roles she fulfills as a Senior Project Coordinator and SCIACT Board Member.

Jenny joined Spaulding’s SCI Model System in 2015. As a research coordinator, she is involved in the data-gathering of spinal cord injury-related studies and dissemination of information for SCI consumers, their families and clinicians. Jenny has also been a coordinator for the ReNetx and Vertex  clinical trials at Spaulding.

A native of the North Shore of Massachusetts, Melissa is the newest member of our SNERSCIC team. She is involved in enrollment and data-collection for the SCI Model System Database Study. Melissa is actively involved in the disabled community, providing resources and support.

Khara graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Master of Science in Health, Physical Activity, and Chronic Disease. She is certified through the American College of Sports Medicine as an Exercise Physiologist. Previously, she worked at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh, assisting and coordinating studies related to assistive technology for persons with disabilities. She is eager to continue her work with the spinal cord injury population by bringing her knowledge and research experience in the fields of physical activity, health promotion and wearable technology.

Ms. Houlihan has been on the SCIMS research team for over 15 years. Her main research interests focus on developing and testing consumer-led community interventions to promote health-related quality of life through better self-management and access to resources. Ms. Houlihan acted as Project Director on My Care My Call, a peer-led phone coaching intervention that improved health self-management, participation, and access to resources for people with SCI in a randomized control trial. She was also Content Developer/Project Manager for the SCI Virtual Coach to Promote Self-Care in Pressure Ulcer Prevention. Ms. Houlihan has served as a board member for the Greater Boston Chapter of United Spinal since 2004. She isco-chair for the Health & Disability Partnership, which brings together state agencies and community non-profits to address the healthcare access needs of people with disabilities.

NSCISC, located at UAB, supports and directs the collection, management and analysis of data contributed from SCIMS Centers.  The Model Systems database is the world’s largest and longest SCI research database.  Findings have had significant impact on the delivery and nature of SCI rehabilitation services.

• SCI Facts and Figures at a Glance
• Spanish SCI Facts and Figures
• Recent Trends in Causes of SCI
• 2016 NSCISC Annual Statistical Report- Complete Public Version

MSKTC is a national Center that provides resources about the Model Systems to consumers, clinicians and researchers.  Resources include SCI Fact Sheets, information about SCIMS centers and their studies, a research publications database for spinal cord injuries, and quick review summaries of Model Systems studies for consumers.

• • SCI Model Systems Program Brochure

• Quick Reviews of Model Systems Research

The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network Spinal Cord Injury programs provide an unparalleled level of care and support for individuals recovering from SCI. We treat patients who have suffered a SCI as a result of traumatic injury or as a result of illnesses such as polio, spina bifida or multiple sclerosis. Our comprehensive rehabilitation program focuses on maximizing neurorecovery while helping patients develop strategies for independent living. We do this in a comfortable, supportive environment in which patients—with the help and support of their families—can attain the skills they need to return to their community. We work with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) for acute care, and MGH Institute for Health Professions (IHP) for research and education support.

Learn more about receiving SCI care at Spaulding

Gaylord Specialty Healthcare is a prominent Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LATCH) collaborating with Yale New Haven Hospital that serves a higher proportion of patients with medically complex conditions in a suburban/rural locale. Dr. David Rosenblum, SCI-certified physiatrist, is SNERSCIC’s Director of Clinical Care, and Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services and of Outpatient Medical Services at Gaylord, directing Gaylord’s SCI program. Gaylord Specialty Healthcare is a 137-bed non-profit specialty hospital specializing in medical management and rehabilitation for patients who have experienced an acute illness or a traumatic accident. Gaylord is staffed and equipped to handle the needs of the acutely ill or chronically disabled patients who require a hospital level of care, and has expertise in treating individuals who need care and rehabilitation for illness or injury related to the spinal cord, brain, and many other conditions . Gaylord offers both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation to meet the patient’s needs throughout their life.

Learn more about receiving SCI care at Gaylord

Jason Fowler is a paraplegic as a result of a motocross accident 25 years ago. He received a BA from Northeastern University in business and an MBA with health care concentration from Boston University. He has 11 years of experience working for Medtronic promoting spasticity management. Most recently Jason started a Green Energy company focused on removing global emissions. Jason is passionate about sports and in 2009 he won the hand cycle division of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon in Hawaii. He often volunteers his time teaching youth and adults wheelchair racing.

Debra Freed is a veteran and advocate for veteran and disabled communities. She spent four years in the U.S. Air Force before suffering two falls that required surgery, leaving her with incomplete paraplegia. She received a Bachelor’s in Library Science in 1994, an MSA in Administration with a concentration in Health in 2000, and a paralegal certificate in 2004. She is currently the Executive Director and Government Relations Director of the New England chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America, a steering committee member of the MA Women Veterans’ Network, a member of the MA Governor’s Advisory Council on Veterans’ Affairs. She has served as the chapter’s Government Relations Director since 2005 and is also on PVA’s Planned Giving Committee.

Bill Henning is the Executive Director at the Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) and has been directing advocacy and human service organizations since 1979. Bill is a founding member of the Health Care for All board and the primary designer and advocate for CommonHealth, the Massachusetts insurance program for disabled adults and children that became a model for the Medicaid buy-in programs for people with disabilities established nationally by Senator Kennedy in 1999 legislation. He also worked with the national Disability Rights Action Coalition for Housing, successfully leading a campaign for $50 million in Section 8 vouchers from HUD to be given to people with disabilities.

Jonathan Hobbs is a C2 vent-dependent quadriplegic. He’s been injured for over seventeen years as a result of a diving accident at the age of 25. Throughout this period of his life, he has recreated himself in finding a passion for education and learning. Currently, he is the Assistant Director of the Allencrest Learning Center in Leominster, MA. He has also been a peer visitor with the Greater Boston Chapter of the United Spinal Association for over 10 years.

Karen J. Hutchinson, PT, DPT, PhD, is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at BU. She teaches in the area of Clinical Neuroscience and Clinical Neurological Management and is interested in research focusing on functional outcomes for patients with SCI. Dr. Hutchinson is also currently the Chair of the SCI Special-Interest-Group for the American PT Association.

Chris Johnson is a dedicated advocate, peer mentor, and civil servant in the city of Boston, MA. In 2006, he sustained a gunshot wound that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He now works as the first ever Outreach Advocate for the Greater Boston Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, where he helps those with SCI get connected to needed resources and navigate living with a disability successfully. He is also employed as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher for the city of Boston. Chris is a lifelong resident of Boston and enjoys playing wheelchair sports, swimming, fishing, and traveling.

Remon Jourdan is a poet, author, musician and artist who recently published children’s book entitled ͞Willie the Wheelchair,͟ which explores issues of self-esteem and helps children learn to appreciate differences. Rey was injured in a car accident in 2002 and became a quadriplegic. He now works as an ambassador and regional board member for Easter Seals Massachusetts, helping to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunities in all areas of life. Rey graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in Education and now resides in Randolph, MA with his daughter Nerissa. He has also served in several volunteer positions with the original New England Spinal Cord Injury Foundation.

Kristen has been an active member of the disability community for over thirty years. She sustained a C5/6 SCI in a diving accident as a high school freshman in 1983. Since that time, Kristen has been involved in disability issues in both her personal life and her professional career, having worked as a peer mentor, community organizer, service provider, and public servant. She is currently the City of Boston Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

Oswald (Oz) Mondejar is the Senior Vice President of Mission and Advocacy for Partners Continuing Care, Inc. (PCC), the non-acute care services division of Partners HealthCare. Oz works at the intersection of policy, advocacy and media, defining PCC’s core values and leveraging the organization’s resources in order to maximize positive social impact locally, nationally and internationally. He is responsible for mission integration and administrative operations across three divisions: Human Resources, Marketing Communications, and Community Relations including Adaptive Sports within the Partners Network.

Barbara Rivero is a person with quadriplegia from a motor vehicle accident at the age of 12 in Venezuela. She immigrated to the US two years following her accident. She was ventilator-dependent until 8 years ago when she had a diaphragm pacer inserted and now uses the ventilator only at night and the pacer during the day. Barbara is a Peer Visitor for Spaulding SCI patients. She is in college presently studying business administration.

Travis Roy (Consumer advocate) is founder of the Travis Roy Foundation. Travis was a promising 20-year-old hockey star, but moments into his first collegiate game as a Boston University freshman, a freak accident drove Travis into the boards. A cracked fourth vertebra left him paralyzed from the neck down. In 1997, Roy started The Travis Roy Foundation to help spinal cord injury survivors and to fund research into a cure. Since that time, the foundation has distributed more than $2.5 million in individual grants and to research projects and rehabilitation institutions across North America.

Eric J. Ruby, MD, FAAP is a Board-Certified Pediatrician who has practiced solo pediatrics since 1977. When his son, Ethan, was struck by an automobile and paralyzed in 2000, Dr. Ruby became a political advocate for Research and Cure of SCI. Dr. Ruby was responsible for the passage of the SCI Trust Fund Bill in 2004 and was appointed to the Massachusetts SCI Research Advisory Committee by then Governor Romney in 2004. Since 2004, Dr. Ruby’s organization, Massachusetts Walks Again, has been responsible for SCI Awareness Day, a yearly event held at the State House. In 2013 he received the Exemplary Achievement Award from the Boston Chapter of the NSCIA, of which he is a member. Dr. Ruby is presently the President of the Bristol North District of the MMS, a House of Delegate member, and member of the Legislative Committee. He lives in Taunton with his wife of 44 years, Terry E. Ruby, PT, PhD.

Molly Sebo, MPT, is a clinical specialist working at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in the Outpatient Department in Charlestown, MA. Molly has over 18 years of experience working in the area of SCI. Molly’s primary interests are providing hands-on clinical education to prospective PT students in the area of SCI, volunteering with Spaulding’s Adaptive Sports Program, collaborating with the Greater Boston Chapter topromote peer mentoring and fundraising events, and a strong commitment to implementing up-to-date treatment interventions for individuals with SCI. Molly has worked with the Reeve Foundation with the Neurorecovery Network program and is currently involved with the Exowell robotic program at SRH.

Sally Schrumm, APRN has worked in the healthcare field as a nurse and supervisor in both home and clinical settings. Treating patients with a focus on support and education regardless of their living situation has helped to maintain their quality of life and promote healthy aging. At Gaylord Hospital, Ms. Schrumm primarily works on the rehabilitation unit treating patients with spinal cord dysfunction.

Sarah Everhart Skeels is a lecturer in the Department of OT at Tufts University and Teaching Associate at Brown University. Sarah serves on numerous boards of non-profit adaptive sports organizations and is a Commissioner on the RI Governor’s Commission for People with Disabilities. Sarah is a person with paraplegia as a result of a bicycle accident in 1990. She has a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Virginia and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from George Washington University. Sarah is a member of the U.S. Sailing Team, an adaptive snow sports instructor, an avid outdoorswoman and a mom.