When Mount Sinai’s Angela Riccobono, PhD, first met Nancy Lieberman, she was struck by her patient’s remarkable determination to return to work and live life to the fullest after becoming quadriplegic. Neither could have anticipated the profound impact this meeting would have on their lives and the countless future patients with spinal cord injuries.
Inspired by the late Ms. Lieberman’s tenacity in getting “back to life” after a disabling accident, Dr. Riccobono, Associate Professor of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, was energized to establish the Nancy A. Lieberman Back-to-Life Center, a groundbreaking space within the Mount Sinai Health System. Ms. Lieberman’s family, friends, and colleagues launched a fundraising campaign and over the course of two years, have received more than 100 gifts ranging from $18 to $300,000. With the addition of a recent transformative gift from Ms. Lieberman’s husband, Mark Ellman, the center was named in her honor.
The Center is designed to empower newly injured and long-term patients through access to state-of-the-art assistive technologies, peer engagement, and personalized support. Dr. Riccobono believes it is a first-of-its-kind hub to help individuals with disabilities overcome the barriers to accessibility and inclusivity through unique interventions and supports.
The Woman Who Inspired It All
In early 2008, Ms. Lieberman, a successful mergers and acquisitions lawyer, was flown to The Mount Sinai Hospital for rehabilitation from Telluride, Colorado, after she became quadriplegic due to a skiing injury while on vacation with her family.
Although Ms. Lieberman was on a ventilator and unable to speak, she was able to mouth a question about her future: Could she go back to work?
Nancy A. Lieberman (center), with her son, Eric (left), and husband, Mark Ellman (right), at Windsor Castle in England, in August 2015.
“I thought, ‘There is something about this woman that’s different.’ “Can I go back to work?” is not the first question patients typically ask,” recalled Dr. Riccobono, who is also Director of the Rehabilitation Neuropsychology program. “I told her that it was possible.”
Less than a year after her injury, Ms. Lieberman returned to her position as a partner in her firm. But that was just the start of her journey of recovery. Ms. Lieberman was determined to live to the fullest. She began traveling the world with her husband and son, participating in everything from an African safari to a camel ride in Morocco.
“She had a tenacious spirit and a determination to figure things out,” Dr. Riccobono said. “I loved that about her, and everyone who knew Nancy admired that about her.”
When Ms. Lieberman passed away in April 2023, Dr. Riccobono wanted to keep her spirit alive. She approached the Lieberman family with an idea that drew inspiration from Ms. Lieberman’s refusal to accept barriers.
“Nancy used to get frustrated upon learning that almost 80 percent of people do not return to work, school, or travel following a spinal cord injury,” Dr. Riccobono said. “I told them I wanted to start a center to help people see what’s still possible and reimagine what a life with disabilities can look like, just as she did.”
The Nancy A. Lieberman Back-to-Life Center
The Center opened this October at The Mount Sinai Hospital.
“Our goal is to keep hope alive from the very beginning,” Dr. Riccobono said. “That means showing patients that, no matter how much they have lost, there is still plenty of life left to enjoy, and we are going to show them how.”
The Back to Life Center features an assistive technology loan bank, allowing patients to borrow novel equipment—such as the adaptive gaming controller shown in this photo—to help them on their journey of rehabilitation.
Technology has advanced these adaptive controllers and setups to a point that people with spinal cord injuries using them perform just as proficiently as other people on regular keyboards and controllers, said Wilber Parada Iraheta, DPT, Lead Physical Therapist (left) at the Abilities Research Center at Mount Sinai. These setups can be customized to the level of need of the patient, he said, demonstrating to Angela Riccobono, PhD, Associate Professor Rehabilitation and Human Performance (right), how the chin supports of the mouth stick controller can be adjusted.
“We want them to reimagine what’s possible, from going parachuting to playing video games and accessing social media,” Dr. Riccobono (left) said.
The Center offers comprehensive services, including an inpatient assistive technology lab and loan bank. This innovative space allows newly injured patients to explore and trial cutting-edge accessibility options and voice recognition software, such as virtual reality headsets and mouth pads that enable them to control a computer using their tongue. Patients can borrow these technologies through the loan bank.
“We want them to reimagine what’s possible, from going parachuting to playing video games and accessing social media,” Dr. Riccobono said. “That way, they leave the hospital with a mindset that says, ‘I can.’”
This mindset is further reinforced through the Center’s commitment to hiring coaches and mentors who have spinal cord injuries, so patients can see that it is possible for them to return to their jobs or to school. A notable hire includes the Center’s director, Steve Spohn, who has spinal muscular atrophy.
Nancy Lieberman with then-Vice President Joe Biden, in March 2015
Nancy Lieberman riding a camel in Morocco, in October 2014
While Ms. Lieberman passed away of pneumonia-related complications in 2023, at the age of 66, her spirit lives on in the upcoming Back to Life Center. She had left a request for her favorite flowers, seen in this photo, to be planted at the Center, and Dr. Riccobono has plans to run an adaptive gardening workshop—one of Ms. Lieberman’s hobbies.
The Nancy A. Lieberman Back-to-Life Center outpatient space enables patients to progress beyond basic technology trials and receive additional hands-on education and training, attend programming and workshops, and meet individually with counselors, peer mentors, and coaches. Patients can also participate in programming such as “Nancy Talks”—which Dr. Riccobono describes as TED-style talks for people with disabilities—and workshops on a wide range of topics from returning to work to intimacy.
There are also plans for a free adaptive gardening program—one of Ms. Lieberman’s passions.
“We want to continue creating novel ways for people to experience joy after injury and realize their potential,” she said. “Nancy would have loved that.”