Travis M. Roy Professorship in Rehabilitation Sciences

Boston University (BU) College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College received a $2.5 million gift to establish the Travis M. Roy Professorship in Rehabilitation Sciences and support an ongoing partnership with the Travis Roy Foundation.

The gift from an anonymous group of donors will immediately fund the Travis M. Roy Professorship at Sargent College. It will also provide, at Roy’s direction, infrastructure for the Travis Roy Foundation as well as outreach support for the shared objectives of the University and the Foundation. The gift will allow for office space on campus and a $50,000 yearly stipend toward staffing assistance for the Foundation over the next 10 years.

“This transformative gift will, in perpetuity, provide specific support and direction for innovative research, exemplary training, and scientific leadership in pursuing the shared goals of Sargent College and the Travis Roy Foundation,” said Sargent College Dean Christopher A. Moore. “Spinal cord injury presents a host of challenges across the entire healthcare landscape, which makes the Travis Roy Professorship especially important. Opportunities in spinal cord regeneration, adaptive technologies, and essential rehabilitation promise to alter our entire approach and outlook on a broad range of injuries.”

The announcement was made by Dean Moore during “A Night for Travis Roy” at Boston University’s Agganis Arena on October 20th. The event commemorated the 20th anniversary of Roy’s life-changing injury when eleven seconds into his first hockey game at BU, the freshman crashed headfirst into the boards, severely damaging his spinal cord and paralyzing him from the neck down.

Roy went on to graduate from Boston University and in 1997, founded the Travis Roy Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries and helping spinal cord injury survivors purchase the costly adaptive equipment necessary to live more active and independent lives.

Roy spoke at Sargent College’s 2012 Meredith E. Drench Lecture about the importance of rehabilitation professionals on his physical recovery as well as the psycho-social aspects of his rehabilitation.

“I had good experiences with my PTs and my OTs, and they changed my life,” said Roy during his 2012 lecture. “They’re a big, big part of the life I live now… It’s a really special career to be able to impact someone’s life that way.”

“We are extraordinarily appreciative of the vision and commitment expressed by these anonymous donors in focusing our research and educational efforts in this way, and in the mutual strength and support to be derived by BU and the Travis Roy Foundation in this unique partnership,” said Dean Moore. “We’re especially pleased that this collaboration will further the highest ideals of both BU and the Travis Roy Foundation, providing clear acknowledgment of the special place occupied by Travis in the Boston University family.”