Stepping Strong

Stepping Strong We transform the lives of trauma patients worldwide through prevention, treatment, and recovery.

The mission of The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation is to catalyze trauma innovation for injured civilians and military heroes, through multidisciplinary collaborations across the continuum of trauma care, from prevention to treatment and recovery.

09/02/2026

Individual injury prevention tips can save lives, but safe infrastructure is what makes street safety possible for everyone.

A systems change approach, including lower speeds, better lighting, and safer crossings, makes the safe choice the easy choice.

Learn more and get involved at BWHSteppingStrong.org

Across prevention to treatment and recovery, funding is what turns promising research into better outcomes for traumatic...
09/01/2026

Across prevention to treatment and recovery, funding is what turns promising research into better outcomes for traumatic injury survivors.

Every discovery brings us closer to better trauma care, and the Stepping Strong Center is proud to support the projects making that possible.

Learn more at BWHSteppingStrong.org

What if high school students learned lifesaving naloxone education in health class? Every year, thousands of lives are l...
08/31/2026

What if high school students learned lifesaving naloxone education in health class?

Every year, thousands of lives are lost to opioid overdoses, many of which are preventable with timely intervention. Yet most high school health programs barely mention opioids, leaving students without the knowledge to recognize or respond to an overdose.

Scott Weiner, MD, MPH, a Stepping Strong Medical Executive Committee member, helped establish our Naloxone Education Initiative, which champions efforts to incorporate lifesaving naloxone education into the health curriculum for Massachusetts high schools.

Dr. Weiner, alongside local university students, also played a pivotal role in authoring legislation filed in the Massachusetts legislature. This bill aims to make opioid overdose prevention and naloxone education a required part of the high school health curriculum to empower students with the knowledge and tools needed to respond effectively to overdose emergencies.

The bill is currently active in both chambers of the Massachusetts legislature:
🏛️ Senate Bill S.382: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/SD869
🏛️ House Bill H.530: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD1593

Through advocacy, we can turn a gap in education into a policy solution that could equip the next generation to save lives.

Learn more: https://steppingstrong.bwh.harvard.edu/naloxone-advocacy-education-training-program/

One in ten trauma patients face catastrophic health bills that exceed 20% of their household income. Healing shouldn’t m...
08/25/2026

One in ten trauma patients face catastrophic health bills that exceed 20% of their household income. Healing shouldn’t mean choosing between basic life needs and healthy recovery.

The Stepping Strong Trauma Survivor Fund temporarily eases the financial burdens that patients experience after an injury, covering housing, food, transportation, and utility costs for survivors who need it most.

Learn more at https://steppingstrong.bwh.harvard.edu/trauma-survivor-fund/

08/24/2026

Can you control a prosthetic limb with your thoughts?

Shriya Srinivasan, PhD, is advancing prosthetic technology by rewiring neural pathways so people with limb loss can control their assistive devices more naturally.

Her team's approach uses small muscle grafts connected to nerve endings to prevent painful nerve growth while amplifying control signals from the brain. In early studies, patients have learned to independently activate different muscle groups, creating distinct signals that could control prosthetics more intuitively.

With support from the Stepping Strong Innovator Award, this research could mean improved mobility, greater independence, and life-changing outcomes for patients with limb loss after a traumatic injury.

Learn more: https://steppingstrong.bwh.harvard.edu/2025-stepping-strong-innovator-award-recipients/

Within the first hour of injury, treatment at a trauma center can save lives. Stepping Strong Breakthrough Award recipie...
08/20/2026

Within the first hour of injury, treatment at a trauma center can save lives.

Stepping Strong Breakthrough Award recipients Zain Hashmi, MD, and Carlos Camargo, MD, DrPH, evaluated existing teletrauma programs and found that they were not widely used, even if the capability for these structures existed. Their team is the first to study whether teletrauma improves injury care and outcomes, while identifying program features that support success.

These insights could guide future policy, funding, and program design to ensure that injured patients receive the right care at the right time. ​

Learn more at https://steppingstrong.bwh.harvard.edu/2025-breakthrough-award-recipients/

Minutes matter in bleeding emergencies. Walking blood banks offer an innovative solution that can mean the difference be...
08/17/2026

Minutes matter in bleeding emergencies. Walking blood banks offer an innovative solution that can mean the difference between life and death, especially in resource-limited settings. 🩸

In Kenya, Stepping Strong Breakthrough Award recipient Nakul Raykar, MD, has implemented an Emergency Transfusion Protocol that's already changing outcomes for people who suffer a traumatic injury. The model calls on pre-screened volunteer donors to give blood that can be rapidly tested and transfused to trauma patients, helping save lives.

Within the first two weeks, the protocol was activated six times, with preliminary results indicating that the time to transfusion was reduced by one to two days per patient.

Several countries have already expressed interest in adopting similar models, and the work is now the subject of an upcoming documentary from award-winning filmmaker Franco Sacchi, spotlighting the global fight against blood deserts.

This is what research funding can bring to life, and the Stepping Strong Center is proud to support early-stage projects that can have transformative results.

Learn more at: https://steppingstrong.bwh.harvard.edu/research-project/civilian-walking-blood-banks-save-lives-from-traumatic-injury/

Caring about traumatic injury is ~very~ chic 💅
08/14/2026

Caring about traumatic injury is ~very~ chic 💅

Saving lives in Boston and beyond 💪Building on our Train the Trainer model piloted with Harvard Medical School students...
08/13/2026

Saving lives in Boston and beyond 💪

Building on our Train the Trainer model piloted with Harvard Medical School students, the Stepping Strong Center has partnered with volunteer EMS providers in New Jersey. To date, the program has trained 17 squad members, who have gone on to train 93 people in their communities in naloxone administration and opioid overdose response.

Thank you Scotch Plains Rescue Squad for stepping up to train your community in lifesaving skills. 🚑

Technically, we do this ➡️Our work is simple. Transform care for trauma survivors, from prevention to treatment to recov...
08/12/2026

Technically, we do this ➡️

Our work is simple. Transform care for trauma survivors, from prevention to treatment to recovery.

Learn more at steppingstrong.bwh.harvard.edu

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60 Fenwood Road
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02115

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(617) 525-8919

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