A GIFT OF THE FUTURE

John Whyte, MD, PhD, founding Director of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) and Director of the TBI Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, is no stranger to seeking and soliciting funding for his research endeavors.

“When Myrna Schwartz and I founded MRRI in 1992, it was clear we were going to have to seek philanthropic support to continue the work,” he recalls. “For 25 years I’ve been nagging others to give.”

Recently, Dr. Whyte and his husband, Tom Wilson Weinberg, decided to do the proverbial “put your money where your mouth is” and made a significant gift to support MRRI, thus not only having an impact now, but also creating a legacy for the future. His motivation? “Since my training, when my interest in rehab medicine began, I have been frustrated by the lack of evidence to guide us as care providers in that field. This was my primary motivation when founding MRRI and I am committed to ensuring the important work being done there continues.”

For Weinberg, a songwriter and pianist, the opportunity to support John’s passion is one he took very seriously. “I’ve learned a lot about science and research over the years. To watch John start MRRI and see it grow has been a great pleasure and I’m thrilled to play a role in sustaining his work for the future.”

A career in research is not for the faint of heart. It is a constant cycle of developing viable projects, like aphasia rehabilitation, conducting the research and presenting results to obtain funding. “The catch-22 is that there is no ambitious research without funding and yet it often requires some preliminary research to obtain funding,” Whyte explains. “Researchers are always looking for committed funding to help develop new projects and to bridge the gaps between funding cycles of long-programs of research when funding may run out but the research is still being conducted.”

Whyte and Weinberg made a significant gift of real estate to Einstein and, when sold, the proceeds were dedicated to MRRI. This unrestricted research funding will help to make sure the outstanding scientific work being conducted at MRRI can continue.

 “I am so fortunate to work everyday at a place I love and conduct work that is challenging and meaningful,” says Whyte. “I am grateful to Tom for sharing in my vision of helping people with real problems and building upon the science of rehabilitation to not only treat them better, but to help them live better.”

If you are interested in learning more about how you can make a Legacy Gift to support MRRI or another Einstein program, please contact John Schlesinger at 215-456-3258 or schlesij@einstein.edu.