EMF Scholarship
David Reichman - PT/OT Scholarship
2024 Annual David Reichman PT/OT Scholarship Awards Dinner
We were honored to celebrate with you at our annual awards dinner. This year, we had the pleasure of hearing from two influential leaders in the field, Dr. Nancy Kirsch from Rutgers University and Dr. Claire Mulry from Kean University, as well as from our past recipients, Claire Hunter and Ashley Choi. We are inspired by all of you.
Congratulations once again to our 2024 winners:
Pictured: Karen Frank, Alexis Faria, Tamara Rivera, David Reichman, Melissa Quintana Blanco, Joseph Ramirez, Rachel Rothenberg, and Alex Zaloum
Pictured: David Reichman and Melissa Quintana Blanco
Pictured: David Reichman and Joseph Ramirez
The Story Behind Our Scholarship
On May 1st, 2020 David Reichman collapsed in his bathroom. After three hours, he managed to crawl to the phone to call for help. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC where he was diagnosed with a brain abscess. When standard treatment was unsuccessful, he underwent brain surgery to remove the abscess. The procedure saved his life but left him with a long road of rehabilitation ahead. David required comprehensive rehabilitation focused on neurological re-education to regain skills such as standing, walking, and performing activities of daily living. With the help of his rehabilitation team at Kessler Institute for Rehab, David progressed from requiring maximal assistance just to stand to walking independently and returning to his prior lifestyle. The David Reichman Scholarship for PT and OT Students was created to honor his therapists. Their skill, dedication, and care changed his life. Through this experience, David learned the integral role therapy plays in healthcare. This scholarship was developed to alleviate the financial burden of school thereby allowing graduate students to focus on becoming impactful therapists. David was inspired by the occupational and physical therapists by his side as he progressed from his first steps, to jogging on the sidewalks of New York City 5 weeks later, and dancing with his daughter one year after the event.
