2025 Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day at MA State House

This year’s SCI Awareness Day at the State House was a tremendous success! Nearly 75 community members, researchers, clinicians, and legislators gathered for SCI Awareness Day at the Statehouse. The new room, 428, provided an intimate setting for speakers to present their work, share powerful stories, and connect with the community. The event featured five researchers who are current recipients of grant funding from the Thomas Kennedy Trust Fund, two speakers with lived experience in the SCI community, Senator Michael Brady, and, of course, Dr. Eric Ruby. We learned about exciting advancements in spinal cord injury research—from how successful nerve transfers are improving quality of life for individuals with paralysis, to how artificial intelligence is helping us better understand blood pressure regulation and spinal cord regeneration. For the first time, SCI Awareness Day also included a dedicated networking session. Clinicians, legislators, researchers, and individuals living with SCI had a valuable opportunity to connect and collaborate. The energy in the room was palpable, leaving everyone with renewed hope for the future of SCI research and funding. A heartfelt thank-you goes to Dr. Eric Ruby, whose leadership over the past 20+ years has been instrumental in advancing the quality of life for those living with spinal cord injuries. We’re also incredibly grateful to all of our speakers: 0:00 Welcome & Introduction - Eric J. Ruby, M.D. – Massachusetts Walks Again 4:40 Proclamation 2025 Recipient: Senator Michael Brady received by Bob Smith Sponsor: Senator Michael Brady 15:00 Massachusetts Department of Public Health Data - Kelley Cunningham, Jeanne Hathaway Research Grant Presentations: 27:48 Jeffrey D. Macklis, M.D., D.Sc. – Harvard University, Speaker:Mariale Vicent, M.D., Ph.D. – Dr. Macklis’s Lab 37:19 Ted D. Teng, Ph.D., M.S., M.D. – PM&R/HMS/SRH/MGB, Speaker: Justin M. Brown, M.D. – Paralysis Center, MGH 48:53 Zhigang He, Ph.D., B.M. – Boston Children’s Hospital, Speaker: Jason Biundo – Ph.D. Student, Harvard Medical School 56:16 Speaker: Andrew T. Reisner, M.D. – MGH 1:01:14 Speaker: Christopher V. Gabel, Ph.D. – BU School of Medicine 1:06:00 Senator Michael Brady 1:10:50 Chloe Slocum, MD, MPH – Director of Health Policy, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital 1:17:55 David Estrada – SRN Research and DEIA Disability Program Manager 1:24:29 Closing Remarks - Eric J. Ruby, M.D. To view the full DPH spinal cord injury in Massachusetts slideshow, click the link https://www.mass.gov/lists/data-about...