With the lack of funding dedicated to trauma research and innovation, The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation is stepping in to fill the gap and fuel groundbreaking research in trauma.
Funding by the Numbers
Our commitment to funding trauma research has led to a significant advancement in the development of innovative treatments by investigative teams.
74 research teams
funded to explore new ways to treat traumatic injuries
$8.8 million
in seed funding provided to support research projects
$34 million
in additional outside funding secured by our research teams
What Our Funding Has Done for Trauma
Restoring the Brain-Limb Connection With a Novel Amputation Procedure
The Ewing Amputation, developed by Matthew Carty, MD, allows a patient with an amputation to use prosthetics like a natural limb. The procedure preserves the connection between the brain and the amputation site by connecting agonist and antagonist muscles. This approach has become the standard of care for lower extremity amputations at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is performed at hospitals worldwide.
AI Tool Detects Patients at Risk for Intimate Partner Violence
Bharti Khurana, MD, MBA, created an artificial intelligence-based tool to detect common intimate partner violence-related injuries from radiological images and a patient’s clinical history. On average, this tool enables providers to predict intimate partner violence up to four years earlier than a patient self-reports, allowing the care team to provide victims with resources and develop a safety plan.
3D Printed Scaffolds and Stem Cells Improve Muscle Recovery
Indranil Sinha, MD, engineered advanced techniques for muscle regeneration that apply a scaffold (a biomaterial that replaces lost muscle) to promote regrowth of tissues, as well as stem cells to regenerate injured muscle. Current treatments, like amputation and muscle transfer, cannot fully restore strength, but this cutting-edge method offers a more viable long-term solution to regrow the lost muscle and improve the recovery of trauma patients.
Receiving the Stepping Strong Innovator Award has been transformative for both my research and the junior faculty in my lab. This funding has enabled us to pursue research on how we can strengthen the immune system after a traumatic injury, which wouldn’t be possible to study through traditional funding channels.”
Jim Lederer, PhD
Stepping Strong Center Scientific Director
Principal Investigator, Lederer Lab
Funding Opportunities for Researchers
Stepping Strong Innovator Award
An annually awarded, peer-reviewed seed grant program that provides $100,000 to research teams in pursuit of projects that address clinical problems across the continuum of trauma care.
Stepping Strong Breakthrough Award
A $250,000 award that provides critical follow-on funding to previous Stepping Strong Innovator Awardees who have met or exceeded the aims of their supported projects.
View Our Previously Funded Projects
Check out some of the incredible research we’ve funded over the past decade.
Your gift today can transform trauma care and save lives tomorrow.