Son Of Late Actor Christopher Reeve Addresses SBU Health Sciences Graduates
Matthew Reeve, Spoke About Importance of Professions Dedicated to Rehabilitation
STONY BROOK, N.Y., July 1, 2010 – Matthew Reeve, son of the late actor Christopher Reeve and Gae Exton, delivered the keynote address to 180 graduates of the Stony Brook University School of Health Technology and Management (SHTM) during a June 25 commencement ceremony at the Staller Center on the SBU campus. Collectively, the graduates will enter a variety of healthcare fields after completing either their undergraduate or graduate degrees in programs such as Athletic Training, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant and Respiratory Care, as well as a Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
In his address, Mr. Reeve, using crutches due to a recent accident that left him with a broken ankle and tibula, spoke not only about his own recent experiences with physical therapy, but shared stories of private moments with his father and family during the days and months after Christopher Reeve’s accident in 1995. Since the death of his father in 2004, and stepmother Dana Reeve two years later, Matthew and his sister, Alexandra, have continued to promote the work of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which focuses on ways in which to make the lives of those living with spinal cord injuries as full and complete as possible.
In establishing the Foundation, one of Dana Reeve’s goals was to make the world accessible to those with disabilities, and the Reeve children have remained committed to that goal. Since 1999, the Foundation has provided nearly 1,700 grants totaling over $13 million to organizations the world over whose philosophies align with those of the Foundation.
The Reeve Foundation participates in the NeuroRecovery Network, a cooperative of cutting-edge rehabilitation centers designed to provide therapies to promote functional recovery and improve health and quality of life of people living with paralysis. At Stony Brook, the SHTM is developing a Wellness Center dedicated to broad rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities, including people living with paralysis, and those recovering accidents.
A 2002 graduate of Brown University, Reeve is currently enrolled in a dual MBA/MFA graduate film program at NYU’s Stern School of Business and Tisch School of the Arts.
The School of Health Technology and Management at Stony Brook University, established as the School of Allied Health Professions more than 40 years ago, provides higher educational programs for those interested in the health sciences. Its Physician Assistant program is a leading one in New York State and both its Physical Therapy and Respiratory Care programs have student passing rates of 96 percent on the national board examinations. SHTM also offers a Master’s degree in Health Care Policy and Management as well as certificate programs in EMT/Paramedic; Phlebotomy; Polysomnography (sleep study) and dietetic internship.
