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Shirley Welsh Ryan — Shirley Ryan AbilityLab champion, benefactor and board member — will be honored at the National Women’s History Museum’s Women Making History Awards Gala on March 20 in Washington, D.C.
The Women Making History Awards is a celebration of “extraordinary, trailblazing women who have made a profound contribution to society.”
A History of Philanthropy and Leadership
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An advocate for infant motor ability, Mrs. Ryan launched Pathways.org more than 40 years ago.
With its clinical and web offerings, Pathways.org is the leading app/website resource to strengthen infants’ motor, sensory and communication development using the infants’ earliest brain plasticity.
Pathways.org is a trusted award-winning partner for parents and healthcare professionals everywhere.
Pathways.org’s message is in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pathways.org videos have been viewed more than 50 million times. Additionally, more than 300 .edu organizations use Pathways.org material.
In 2016, the record gift from Mrs. Ryan and her husband, Pat, supported the creation of the first-ever translational research rehabilitation hospital. When the new facility opened in 2017, it was named Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in recognition of this transformative gift.
Since 2017, Pathways.org has been integrated within the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab family. In the time since, Mrs. Ryan has been deeply invested in the success of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab as a member of the Board of Directors.
Additionally, she has partnered researchers and clinicians at Northwestern University and with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’ s Technology & Innovation Hub in “Project Corbett Ryan” — a world-first longitudinal trial using flexible body-worn sensors, video technology, and infant and parent therapy games which provide high-resolution measures of motor development aimed at improving parent bonding and outcomes for infants’ motor abilities.
“In Shirley Ryan, the National Women’s History Museum has chosen someone who truly embodies the concept of ‘making history,’” said Shirley Ryan AbilityLab CEO Pablo Celnik, MD. “Through her advocacy for those of all ages and support for the power of translational medicine, Mrs. Ryan has made an indelible impact on our organization and those we serve.”
A National Celebration
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The Women Making History Awards Gala will be hosted by CBS News journalist Norah O’Donnell, with actor Meryl Streep serving as honorary chair. Mrs. Ryan will be celebrated alongside her fellow honorees: Sara Blakely (philanthropist and founder of Spanx and Sneex), Dr. Opal Lee (known as the "grandmother of Juneteenth”) and the toy manufacturer Mattel.
