Spaulding Rehabilitation Receives $10 Million Lead Gift to Establish New Research Institute
Largest donation in Spaulding’s history will fuel translational research
Boston, MA – Spaulding Rehabilitation is setting its sights on transforming the field of rehabilitation medicine and unlocking the science of recovery with the establishment of a new research institute and the announcement of a lead $10 million gift from Scott A. Schoen and Nancy W. Adams.
The gift—the largest in the 46-year history of Spaulding—will promote multidisciplinary translational research to improve the lives of people living with disabilities. In collaboration with Spaulding, Mr. Schoen and Mrs. Adams aim to help advance discoveries at a faster pace; to expand and support Spaulding’s world-class team of scientists; and to develop the next generation of rehabilitation researchers. The institute will be led by Dr. Ross Zafonte, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs, Research, and Education at Spaulding Rehabilitation, and Earle P. and Ida S. Charlton Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Harvard Medical School.
A portion of the gift will provide seed capital and multi-year funding to establish The Scott Schoen and Nancy Adams Discovery Center for Recovery from Chronic Pain, providing key support for intensified, coordinated and collaborative inquiries around rehabilitation and recovery from chronic pain. Nearly 50 million American adults experience significant chronic pain or severe pain, according to a 2015 study prepared by National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).
The balance of the gift will be used to expand other research initiatives, including Spaulding’s acclaimed work on concussion—the leading cause of disability in children and adolescents in the United States—as well as to recruit and support key leadership across the Institute.
A longtime champion and supporter of Spaulding, Mr. Schoen serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Partners Continuing Care, which includes Spaulding Rehabilitation’s flagship rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute facilities, skilled nursing center, and outpatient and homecare services. Mr. Schoen is Chief Executive of Baylon Capital, a private investment firm founded in 2013. He previously held a series of leadership positions at Thomas H. Lee Partners across the span of a twenty-five year career at the firm. Mr. Schoen and Mrs. Adams are active civic leaders and philanthropists throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“Nancy and I believe deeply in Spaulding’s mission and vision to transform the future of rehabilitation medicine through world-class research and scientific breakthroughs,” said Mr. Schoen. “There is a tremendous need to raise and leverage more private resources to advance discovery in the post-acute treatment of children and adults recovering from concussion and traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, burn, musculoskeletal injury, and stroke, and from the associated pain that accompanies these conditions.”
Joining Mr. Schoen and Mrs. Adams to announce this historic gift, David E. Storto, President of Spaulding Rehabilitation, remarked, “We are grateful and honored by Scott and Nancy’s visionary philanthropic support and leadership. This gift will have a tremendous positive impact, not only on the lives of our patients, but also on the future of the rehabilitation medicine field. At a time of great scientific potential, this exemplary investment will spur the kind of innovation and collaboration that can revolutionize recovery and truly transform lives.”
A part of Spaulding’s new research institute, The Scott Schoen and Nancy Adams Discovery Center for Recovery from Chronic Pain will also be established under the leadership of Dr. Ross Zafonte. “Scott and Nancy’s important gift will enable Spaulding to generate new knowledge and have a significant impact on those suffering from chronic pain,” said Dr. Zafonte. “The investment will catapult our research to the next level of discovery, allowing us to understand and strengthen brain connections to improve responses to pain, as well as reduce chronic opiod use. Such methods will allow us to identify new treatments to eliminate chronic pain.”
With more than 100 active research studies currently underway to improve the lives of its patients, Spaulding Rehabilitation is known for its first-class care and world-class research, and is home to Harvard Medical School’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
About Spaulding Rehabilitation
A member of Partners HealthCare, Spaulding Rehabilitation includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, its main campus in Charlestown as well as Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod, Spaulding Hospital Cambridge and two skilled nursing facilities, as well as twenty-five outpatient sites throughout Eastern Massachusetts. In 2016, U.S. News & World Report named Spaulding a “Top Five” rehabilitation hospital in the nation. Spaulding is one of the few hospitals in the U.S. to be awarded the prestigious Model Systems designation in all three areas of care—Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Burn Injury—selected by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research. A teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, Spaulding has been recognized for fostering the #1 residency program in the country for research output by Doximity Residency Navigator. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.