For Dr. Paulinder Rai, helping people recover from traumatic brain injuries is more than a medical specialty. It is a mission shaped by his own family’s experience.
Rai, a board-certified physician in physical medicine and rehabilitation and founder of The Rai Clinic — Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation of Long Island, has been named the statewide medical honoree for the Brain Injury Association of New York State’s 2026 March On for Brain Injury Walk.
He will be recognized at the Long Island walk Sept. 26 at The Scarlet Oak in Eisenhower Park, where he is expected to speak about his work with people recovering from traumatic brain injuries. Registration begins at 10 a.m., and the walk begins at noon.
Rai chose rehabilitation medicine because of its emphasis on helping people regain function and independence after serious injuries and illnesses. But his understanding of brain injury also comes from personal experience.
Several years ago, Rai’s father and younger sister were involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. Both survived, but each sustained a traumatic brain injury that continues to affect daily life.
Their experiences gave Rai a firsthand understanding of the long-term challenges that brain injury survivors and their families can face. Unlike injuries for which recovery may be measured in weeks or months, the effects of a brain injury can require ongoing treatment, adaptation and family support.
“It is a tremendous honor to be named the Medical Honoree and one that I accept with both gratitude and humility,” Rai said. “While I’ve spent my career caring for individuals with brain injuries, this recognition carries special meaning because brain injury has also affected my own family.”
Rai founded The Rai Clinic — Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation of Long Island to treat people with neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. His work includes caring for traumatic brain injury survivors who may experience cognitive, behavioral, physical and functional challenges.
His approach emphasizes patients’ medical needs as well as the role played by their families and caregivers throughout recovery.
“Their journey gave me a deeply personal appreciation for the challenges that survivors and families face every day,” Rai said of his father and sister. “This honor represents not only my work as a physician, but also my admiration for every survivor, caregiver, therapist, and advocate who helps make recovery possible.”
Eileen Reardon, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of New York State, said Rai’s work reflects the organization’s broader goal of helping survivors regain independence and quality of life.
“At the core of Dr. Rai’s work is a belief that recovery after brain injury is not defined solely by physical healing, but by restoring dignity, independence, and purpose,” Reardon said. “His dedication to comprehensive, compassionate care continues to make a meaningful impact on patients, families, and the broader brain injury community across New York State.”
The annual March On for Brain Injury brings together survivors, caregivers, medical professionals and advocates. Walks are held in three locations across the state — Long Island, the Hudson Valley and Rochester.
The Brain Injury Association of New York State, founded in 1982, advocates for people with brain injuries and their families while providing education and community support services and promoting injury prevention.
For more information about the Sept. 26 walk or to register, visit BIANYS.org.
