BROOKE ELLISON, PhD
Brooke Ellison is an Associate professor of health policy and medical ethics at Stony Brook University, NY. She has a Ph.D. in sociology from Stony Brook University and a MPP from Harvard Kennedy School. When just 11, a traumatic injury left Brooke a quadriplegic and reliant on a ventilator. At 23, Brooke published Miracles Happen, a memoir of triumph over adversity adapted into The Brooke Ellison Story, a movie by Christopher Reeve. Her newest book, Look Both Ways offers a more mature, more contemplative look at life after the accident. Using personal and, at times, emotionally challenging events in her life as a platform, Brooke explores topics such as identity, ethics, inclusion, hope, and resilience. Brooke calls her life “a case study of many lives.” She has experienced trauma followed by recovery, devastation tempered by exhilaration, loss paired with achievement, and heartbreak healed by love. She believes that is what it means to be human. Dr. Ellison believes the fight for disabled rights is a fight for human rights: equal access to healthcare, schooling, job opportunities, independence, and the pursuit of happiness. In a word, inclusion.
