Brooke Ellison

Brooke Mackenzie Ellison (born October 20, 1978)[1] is an American politician. She is known for being the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard University.[2]

Brooke Ellison
Born
Brooke Mackenzie Ellison

(1978-10-20) October 20, 1978
EducationHarvard University
OccupationProfessor
Websitebrookeellison.com

History

On September 4, 1990, at the age of 11, Brooke was hit by a car while walking home on her first day of junior high school, resulting in her being paralyzed from the neck down. Although her injuries left her completely dependent on other people, she graduated from Ward Melville High School in 1996 with high honors, and was accepted by Harvard. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a bachelor of science in cognitive neuroscience in 2000, and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.[3] In 2004 Rutgers University awarded Brooke Ellison with an honorary doctorate in humane letters.[4] Ellison completed her Ph.D. in 2015 from Stony Brook University.[5]

In November 2005, Ellison teamed up with director James Siegel to create the winning documentary "Hope Deferred",[6] which aims to educate the general public about embryonic stem cell research.

The Brooke Ellison Story

Ellison was portrayed by Lacey Chabert and Vanessa Marano in The Brooke Ellison Story. The 2004 television film was directed by fellow quadriplegic Christopher Reeve, star of Superman. It is also notable for being Reeve's final directing project. The film aired after Reeve's death.[3][7]

Candidate for State Senate

Brooke Ellison ran for New York State Senate as a Democrat in 2006[8] but was defeated by the Republican incumbent, John Flanagan.[3] Ellison has not commented on whether or not she intends to run for office again. One of Ellison's principal issues is her support for embryonic stem cell research.[3] She serves on the advisory board of the Genetics Policy Institute.[9]

Ellison is also a motivational speaker.[10]

Further reading
  • Ellison, Brooke and Jean Ellison Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey (Hyperion Press, New York 2012). ISBN 0-7868-6770-1.
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References
  1. "Brooke Ellison Biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  2. Steinberg, Jacques (17 May 2000). "QUADRIPLEGIC ABOUT TO BECOME GRAD OF HARVARD". OrlandoSentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel.
  3. "One Woman's Fight for Human Lives: An Interview with Brooke Ellison". AmericanProgress.org. Center for American Progress. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  4. "Stony Brook University Bioethics Department". Archived from the original on 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  5. Brookeellison.com
  6. Boston Film Festival Winners
  7. Stanley, Alessandra. "Getting to Harvard, With Mom and a Wheelchair". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 25 October 2004.
  8. Lambert, Bruce. "Paralyzed, 28, and Aiming for the State Senate". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2006.
  9. "Genetics Policy Institute : Strategic Advisory Board". GenPol.org. Regenerative Medicine Foundation. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  10. Jones, Bart. "Pioneering quadriplegic encourages students to overcome obstacles". Newsday.com. Newsday. Retrieved 19 August 2018.


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