On April 15, 2013, Gillian Reny stood near the finish line of the Boston Marathon with her parents, Steven and Audrey Reny, waiting for her sister, Danielle, to finish the race. Then two bombs went off and a beautiful day turned to heartbreaking tragedy for the Renys and all of Boston. When first responders rushed the Renys to the Brigham, doctors and nurses worked heroically to save Gillian’s life and legs — a miraculous outcome.
Forever grateful to the Brigham team that saved their daughter’s life, the Reny and Epstein families established The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation to turn tragedy into hope for other patients like Gillian.
Today, with co-medical directors at the Brigham and Mass General Hospital and more than 100 Stepping Strong-affiliated faculty, the Stepping Strong Center catalyzes robust research collaborations across medical disciplines and institutions while providing funding to talented physician-scientists — all with a goal of transforming trauma care for civilians and military heroes who suffer from devastating traumatic injuries. The center’s core work focuses on groundbreaking trauma innovation, effective injury prevention and compassionate intervention.
Despite the center's remarkable momentum since the Boston Marathon bombings, trauma's impact on individuals and society remains a severely underfunded global health crisis. For more information about giving to the Stepping Strong Center or connecting with our researchers or clinicians, please contact steppingstrong@bwh.harvard.edu.
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