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The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, the nationally recognized rehabilitation hospital, today announced a seven-figure gift from David G. Kabiller, Co-founder of AQR Capital Management, a leading global investment management firm.
The gift will establish the Kabiller Humanitarian Prize, a prestigious annual award to be conferred upon exceptional Shirley Ryan AbilityLab employees who personify the organization’s uniquely compassionate culture, a critical aspect of providing exceptional patient care.
In addition to receiving a cash prize, annual winners will be named Kabiller Fellows and will be inducted into the Kabiller Humanitarian Society, an exclusive cohort of employees who will be empowered to set and execute humanitarian goals that help advance the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab mission.
“David’s generous gift comes at a perfect time in our organization’s journey,” said Joanne C. Smith, M.D., president and CEO of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. “With the opening of our state-of-the-art research hospital in 2017, we’re transforming rehabilitation in the name of better, faster outcomes, and even cures, for our patients. We hire only the cream of the crop in medicine and science, but we also recruit — throughout all levels and functions in the organization — for the very best human beings. David’s gift honors our team members and helps ensure that we preserve forever this precious culture of caring.”
Twenty-five percent of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab employees have been hired within the last year. This prize will encourage mentorship between veteran and new employees, highlighting the central importance of human connection to the quality of recovery — a connection that Kabiller himself valued tremendously when the hospital cared for his parents.
David’s gift honors our team members and helps ensure that we preserve forever this precious culture of caring.
Joanne C. Smith, MD
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“The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab attracts and retains the top physicians, nurses, scientists, therapists and leaders in the field,” said Kabiller. “Even more importantly, the organization hires employees who are committed to improving the lives of others and who find their own identity, purpose and joy in caring for others. I’ve personally benefited from this culture of humanitarianism and that experience sparked the idea to help ensure that this culture is protected and fostered as the organization continues to grow.”
Kabiller is Co-Founder and the Head of Business Development at AQR, overseeing client relationships, business development and strategic initiatives. He holds a BA and MBA from Northwestern University. He lives in Greenwich, Conn.
I’ve personally benefited from this culture of humanitarianism and that experience sparked the idea to help ensure that this culture is protected and fostered as the organization continues to grow.
David G. Kabiller
Body
About the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), is the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions — from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab expands and accelerates leadership in the field that began at RIC in 1953 — its care and research designated the “No. 1 Rehabilitation Hospital in America” by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991. Upon opening in March 2017, the $550 million, 1.2-million-square-foot Shirley Ryan AbilityLab became the first-ever “translational” research hospital in which clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work together in the same space, surrounding patients, discovering new approaches and applying (or “translating”) research real time. This unique model enables patients to have 24/7 access to the brightest minds, the latest research and the best opportunity for recovery. Recent honors for the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab include a Chicago Innovation Award and the Modern Healthcare Design Gold Award (2017). For more information, go to www.sralab.org.
