The Stroke Wellness Institute seeks to expand the clinical and translational stroke research program in Spaulding Rehabilitation, and to develop innovative clinical programs to improve recovery and quality of life for stroke survivors.
The Stroke Wellness Institute is a consortium of researchers and clinicians affiliated with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, Massachusetts and additional sites in Spaulding Rehabilitation. The Institute is directed by Dr. Randie Black-Schaffer, a physiatrist who specializes in the rehabilitation and recovery of young adult and older patients after stroke. Dr. Black-Schaffer in addition is Medical Director of the clinical Stroke Program at Spaulding and Chief, Division of Stroke and Neurology of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.
Lynne Brady Wagner, MA, CCC-SLP, HEC-C
Chief Learning Officer, Chair of the Ethics Advisory Committee, and Associate Director of the Spaulding Stroke Wellness Institute
Lynne Brady Wagner serves as the Chief Learning Officer, Chair of the Ethics Advisory Committee and Associate Director of the Stroke Wellness Institute at Spaulding Rehabilitation. In her 23 years at Spaulding Rehabilitation, she has fulfilled many roles including speech-language pathologist, Director of the Stroke Rehabilitation Program, and Director of the Clinical Scholars Program.
Ms. Brady Wagner is a faculty associate of the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, an adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the MGH Institute for Health Professions and a lecturer at other local universities. Lynne has numerous publications in peer reviewed journals. She has presented nationally on the topics of stroke rehabilitation, ethics and disability and serves on the editorial board for the journal, Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation.
Ms. Brady Wagner has been consistently active in several professional organizations including the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association where she served on the Board of Ethics, and as Coordinating Committee Associate Chair and Chair for the Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders Special Interest Group. She is also involved in clinical and professional committees and projects for the American Heart/Stroke Association.
Ms. Brady Wagner holds a masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from St. Louis University, a graduate certificate in Healthcare Ethics from Rush University Medical School, and was the first Disability Ethics Fellow at Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. She is certified by the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities as a Healthcare Ethics Consultant. Lynne is committed to continual improvement of the quality of clinical programs for people with disabilities and to supporting the professional and personal growth of our work force.
Rita Patel
Business Development and Operations Manager
Ms. Patel has been with Spaulding Rehabilitation for over five years. She brings over fifteen years of diverse experience within healthcare and higher education. Ms. Patel manages the operations and business development of the Stroke Institute through strategic planning for research and recreational rehabilitation programs, which includes financial planning, development of marketing and communication strategies and creating opportunities for growth and community outreach. She holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.
