AbilityLab Blog
See the latest news, updates and patient stories from Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
Ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report for 35th Consecutive Year
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab again has been recognized as the national leader in rehabilitation, topping the U.S. News & World Report list for the 35th consecutive year. It remains the only hospital of any kind to hold this distinction, and has been ranked the No. 1 rehabilitation hospital every year since 1991.
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What is a Stroke?
Stroke is a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain that causes brain injury and results in impairment or loss of some functions.
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Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Launches Golf Performance Program to Improve Play, Reduce Injury Risk
Are you looking to improve your golf game — longer drives, crisper chips — without risking injury? Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s new Golf Performance Class can help!
News
NBC 5 Profiles New Sports Program for Chicago Teens
In a recent news broadcast, NBC 5 aired a segment on the After School Matters Adaptive Sports Camp at Rainbow Beach Park. This pilot program — a partnership between After School Matters, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Adaptive Sports Program and the Chicago Park District — introduced Chicago Public Schools students to wheelchair basketball and hand-pedal bikes.
News
“INside the OUTcomes” Podcast: Working with Parkinson’s Disease
The latest episode of “INside the OUTcomes” — the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research’s (CROR) podcast — features an interview with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Miriam Rafferty, DPT, PhD, director of Implementation Science, and research scientist II, Strength + Endurance Lab. This episode was released to coincide with World Parkinson’s Day on April 11.
Blog
Physical Therapist Sam Pietrzak Shares Her 'Why'
Samantha Pietrzak, senior physical therapist, Margaret & Mark Stephan Legs + Walking Lab, has been with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab for three years. Why? She credits a top-to-bottom dedication to excellence and mentoring that creates benefits for team members and patients.
Blog
Multi-site, non-invasive electrical stimulation helps restore function in patients with spinal cord injury
In novel research led by scientists at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, patients with spinal cord injury who received non-invasive electrical stimulation simultaneously targeting motor neurons in the arms and legs followed by physical therapy had lasting improvements in walking and grasping.
News
Oak Point University: Celebrating Our First CNA Graduates
On March 25, the first class of graduates from Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Oak Point University CNA Career Accelerator Program received their certificates in a ceremony attended by colleagues, family and distinguished guests. This unique program provides a fully-paid fast track to educate, certify and employ certified nursing assistants (CNAs) — what we refer to as patient care technicians, or PCTs, at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. PCTs provide basic care to our patients, including basic hygiene, activities of daily living and therapeutic rehabilitation activities.
News
Dr. Brenna Argall Inducted to Prestigious AIMBE College of Fellows
At a March 27 ceremony in Washington, D.C., Brenna Argall, PhD, research scientist and director, argallab, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering’s (AIMBE) College of Fellows. The AIMBE College of Fellows is a unique honor, recognizing the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers in the country.
News
Dr. Rick Lieber Receives 2023 Elsass Foundation Research Prize for Impacting Lives of People with CP
On March 27, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s chief scientific officer, Richard Lieber, PhD, was named the recipient of the 2023 Elsass Foundation Research Prize in recognition for being “one of the world's leading researchers in the field of cerebral palsy (CP).” He was nominated by his long-time collaborator Jan Fridén, MD, PhD, professor of hand surgery, Swiss Paraplegic Centre in Nottwil, Switzerland.
News
Six Years of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
To commemorate Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s six-year anniversary in our flagship hospital, we’re celebrating bold moves, big bets and breakthroughs that are advancing rehabilitation science and patient care.
Blog
Speeding Drug Repurposing for Patients
Using an Anti-Cancer Drug to Treat Muscle Contractures in Cerebral Palsy.
Blog
Translating Research into Recovery
For those with aphasia — a disorder challenging language production and processing — the ability to communicate could be right at their fingertips.
Blog