The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has announced an undisclosed gift of at least eight figures from Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan.

The gift, the largest in the organization's sixty-three-year history, will support the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, RIC's new hospital. When it opens next spring, the $550 million, 1.2-million-square-foot facility will be the first "translational" research hospital in the country and will bring together clinicians, scientists, innovators, and technologists in the same space to share and apply their research results in real time. Among its innovations, the hospital will introduce its model of care through centers focused on the brain; spinal cord; nerves, muscles, and bones; pediatrics; and cancer and will host working labs where interdisciplinary teams of researchers develop insights aimed at helping patients gain more function, achieve better outcomes, and enjoy greater independence.

RIC also announced that Pathways, the outpatient pediatric therapy clinic and educational website founded by the Ryans in 1985, will be integrated into the hospital, and that Shirley Ryan will join RIC's governing board.

Ryan has been appointed by two U.S. presidents to the National Council on Disability, which advises Congress on disability issues, and serves on the boards of Lyric Opera of Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Alain Locke Charter Academy, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Pat Ryan founded Aon Corporation and served as its CEO for forty-one years, and today heads the Ryan Specialty Group, a global holding company. He has been a member of Northwestern University’s board of trustees for the last thirty-eight years and served as its chair for fourteen years.

"The integration between Pathways, RIC, and the AbilityLab is historic — it makes possible a truly better future for children and adults from around the globe who need our support and services," said RIC president and CEO Joanne C. Smith. "We treasure Shirley and Pat’s trust, and we honor their innovative spirit, boundless compassion, and determination to make a difference in the lives of so many people around the world. Through this transformational gift and the growth of the Pathways and AbilityLab family, we will build upon our collective strengths to advance the science, medical care, and outcomes for patients everywhere."