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Post-Acute Care and Rehabilitation for Traumatic Injury
8th Annual Stepping Strong Trauma and Innovation Symposium
Overview
Post-Acute Care and Rehabilitation for Traumatic Injury explored strategies to advance rehabilitation, optimize functional outcomes, and integrate innovative therapies to improve long-term quality of life for trauma survivors. The event featured finalist presentations for the Stepping Strong Breakthrough Award, an expert panel on redefining recovery, and keynote speaker Dr. Simon Driver, who shared the newest research on the role of physical activity after traumatic brain injuries. Through each session, attendees learned about the widespread impact of trauma and the importance of multidisciplinary, collaborative approaches to care.
Elevating the Conversation on Trauma
Timely treatment at a trauma center reduces the risk of death by 25%. Yet, our Innovator Award showed that millions of Americans lack access to trauma center care.”
Zain Hashmi, MD
2025 Stepping Strong Breakthrough Award Finalist
Four percent of people who sustained traumatic injuries actually die. But, what happens to the 96% of people who sustained injuries and survive, and may have long-lasting physical, mental, or social reintegration issues?”
Juan Herrera Escobar, MD, MPH
2025 Stepping Strong Symposium Panelist
The unique physical, emotional, cognitive characteristics of people who’ve had a traumatic brain injury, or a spinal cord injury, definitely warrant some kind of modification to a program.”
Simon Driver, PhD
2025 Stepping Strong Symposium Keynote Speaker
2025 Symposium Schedule
3:00 pm – 3:05 pm
Opening Remarks
Ali Salim, MD
Ali Salim, MD
Co-Medical Director
Ali Salim, MD, FACS, is a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and the chief of the Division of Trauma, Burns, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency General Surgery at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. He leads a team of trauma specialists in providing expert, multidisciplinary care for thousands of trauma and burn patients each year. Additionally, he is the BWH Distinguished Chair in Surgery. Salim is both a traumatologist and a surgical intensivist. He devotes his time with equal intensity to research, surgical education, and clinical service. His clinical interests focus on the care of acutely ill trauma, emergency surgery, and intensive care unit patients. Salim’s clinical research is focused on the care and outcomes of trauma patients, traumatic brain injury, improving the physiology of organ donors, and improving the rate of organ donation. He has authored or co-authored over 350 peer-reviewed publications.
Audrey Epstein Reny, MBA
Audrey Epstein Reny
Founder and Advisory Board Chair
Audrey Epstein Reny serves as Co-CEO and managing partner at The Abbey Group. With more than 25 years of experience, she is involved in overall strategic planning for new development projects, management of the firm’s existing property portfolio, retail and commercial leasing, public and community relations, and marketing strategy development and implementation. Prior to working at The Abbey Group, Audrey taught at Northeastern University and worked for Bain & Company, American Express, and Johnson & Johnson. Audrey has served on the Boards of Horizons for Homeless Children, the Boston Ballet, and Mass General Hospital for Children. She has led fundraising efforts and run the Boston Marathon to support many local charities, and founded the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she also serves on The President’s Advisory Council. Audrey earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School.
3:05 pm – 3:50 pm
Leading the Way: Stepping Strong Breakthrough Award Finalist Presentations
Participants heard presentations from the 2025 Stepping Strong Breakthrough Award finalists, had the opportunity to ask questions, and cast their votes for the research project they believed would advance trauma care and was aligned with the mission of the Stepping Strong Center.
Moderator
Molly Jarman, PhD, MPH
Molly Jarman, PhD, MPH
Injury Prevention Program Director
Molly Jarman, PhD, MPH, is the Deputy Director and lead research faculty for Health Informatics and Data Infrastructure at the Brigham and Women’s Center for Surgery and Public Health. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her research addresses trauma surgery and emergency medical services, with a primary interest in trauma system organization, access to care for underserved populations, and the development of methodologies for the use of naturally occurring data in health services research. With training in both health behavior (MPH, University of North Carolina) and health policy (PhD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), Jarman believes multifaceted, interdisciplinary efforts are essential for preventing injuries.
Presenters
Zain Hashmi, MD, and Carlos Camargo, MD, DrPH
Presenters
Peter Masiakos, MD, and Chana Sacks, MD, MPH
Presenter
Rayan Harari, PhD
3:50 pm – 5:00 pm
Redefining Recovery After Traumatic Injury
Expert panelists provided their insights on the direction of trauma rehabilitation and recovery, highlighting each stage of the continuum of care from prevention to treatment and recovery.
Moderator
Ali Salim, MD
Ali Salim, MD
Co-Medical Director
Ali Salim, MD, FACS, is a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and the chief of the Division of Trauma, Burns, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency General Surgery at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. He leads a team of trauma specialists in providing expert, multidisciplinary care for thousands of trauma and burn patients each year. Additionally, he is the BWH Distinguished Chair in Surgery. Salim is both a traumatologist and a surgical intensivist. He devotes his time with equal intensity to research, surgical education, and clinical service. His clinical interests focus on the care of acutely ill trauma, emergency surgery, and intensive care unit patients. Salim’s clinical research is focused on the care and outcomes of trauma patients, traumatic brain injury, improving the physiology of organ donors, and improving the rate of organ donation. He has authored or co-authored over 350 peer-reviewed publications.
Panelist
Juan Herrera Escobar, MD, MPH
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Panelist
Chloe Slocum, MD, MPH
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Panelist
Chyna Gray Lovell, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Panelist
Yi Lu, MD, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
5:00 pm – 5:45 pm
Keynote Presentation: Simon Driver, PhD
Simon Driver, PhD, highlighted the role of physical activity and the promotion of healthy behaviors for traumatic brain injury patients.
Moderator
Ali Salim, MD
Ali Salim, MD
Co-Medical Director
Ali Salim, MD, FACS, is a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and the chief of the Division of Trauma, Burns, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency General Surgery at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. He leads a team of trauma specialists in providing expert, multidisciplinary care for thousands of trauma and burn patients each year. Additionally, he is the BWH Distinguished Chair in Surgery. Salim is both a traumatologist and a surgical intensivist. He devotes his time with equal intensity to research, surgical education, and clinical service. His clinical interests focus on the care of acutely ill trauma, emergency surgery, and intensive care unit patients. Salim’s clinical research is focused on the care and outcomes of trauma patients, traumatic brain injury, improving the physiology of organ donors, and improving the rate of organ donation. He has authored or co-authored over 350 peer-reviewed publications.
Speaker
Simon Driver, PhD
5:45 pm – 6:00 pm
Closing Remarks
Ali Salim, MD
Ali Salim, MD
Co-Medical Director
Ali Salim, MD, FACS, is a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and the chief of the Division of Trauma, Burns, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency General Surgery at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. He leads a team of trauma specialists in providing expert, multidisciplinary care for thousands of trauma and burn patients each year. Additionally, he is the BWH Distinguished Chair in Surgery. Salim is both a traumatologist and a surgical intensivist. He devotes his time with equal intensity to research, surgical education, and clinical service. His clinical interests focus on the care of acutely ill trauma, emergency surgery, and intensive care unit patients. Salim’s clinical research is focused on the care and outcomes of trauma patients, traumatic brain injury, improving the physiology of organ donors, and improving the rate of organ donation. He has authored or co-authored over 350 peer-reviewed publications.
Cheryl Lang, MPH
Cheryl Lang, MPH
Program Director
After joining the Stepping Strong Center in 2019 as Injury Prevention Project Manager, Cheryl Lang, MPH, is now serving as the Program Director. In her new role, she will focus on the strategic oversight of the center while continuing her injury prevention program work. Lang is skilled at executing program strategies and cultivating multidisciplinary collaborations. A passionate advocate for advancing public health, Lang believes all injuries can be prevented. Previously, Lang worked at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Department of Public Health, where she focused on integrating poison prevention strategies into community public health initiatives. She received her Bachelor’s of Science and Master’s of Public Health degrees at Boston University.
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