“During the pandemic, we have been awestruck by the Brigham’s caregivers at every level. The family that is the Brigham came through with flying colors at great personal sacrifice and risk.”
—ROB HALE

When longtime Brigham benefactors Karen and Rob Hale talk about the hospital, the word they use most often is “family.”

“During the pandemic, we have been awestruck by the Brigham’s caregivers at every level,” says Rob. “The family that is the Brigham came through with flying colors at great personal sacrifice and risk.”

Inspired, Rob joined with other leaders of the Life.Giving.Breakthroughs. campaign to conceive the Honoring Our Caregivers Initiative. Together, the Hales built on their legendary generosity and leadership by giving $2.5 million to the effort.

“We want the staff to know how grateful we are,” Karen says. “We will always be there for them. We have their backs.”

The Hales made Brigham history in 2018 with a $50 million gift, the largest individual gift to the hospital. In gratitude for the family’s landmark contribution, the Brigham named its state-of-the-art clinical and research facility at 60 Fenwood Road the Hale Building for Transformative Medicine.

“Whenever I meet new people and they learn I’m from Boston, they always want to talk about the incredible medical care and research here,” says Karen. “It’s a great place to invest, and it’s not an understatement to say the Brigham is changing the future of medicine.”

As chair of the Brigham’s recently concluded campaign, Rob guided the hospital to successfully complete Boston’s largest hospital fundraising campaign, which raised $1.75 billion.

“It’s been an honor to experience all the watershed moments of the campaign,” says Rob. “The incredible scope of skills, caring, and compassion throughout the hospital is unique for an institution the size of the Brigham. We’re humbled to help bring better resources, tools, and talent to a place that has always been there for us, as well as the greater Boston area, our country, and people all over the world.”

Betsy Nabel, MD, former president of the Brigham, says, “We are so fortunate to have Rob and Karen as leaders and role models in support of the hospital’s mission. Their special blend of humility and world-changing impact is inspiring beyond words.”

About Rob and Karen Hale

In 2019, Rob and Karen Hale were recognized among the nation’s 15 most generous philanthropists by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. That same year, Granite Telecommunications, of which Rob is co-founder and president, was named the most charitable company in Massachusetts. Rob is also a co-founder of Copley Equity Partners, founder and chair of Fox Rock Capital, founding owner of FoxRock Properties, and a co-owner of the Boston Celtics and Boston Cannons.

The Hales are widely known for their active work and philanthropy in the community. With the Brigham, Rob is on the President’s Advisory Board and served as co-chair of the Campaign Cabinet and as a member of the Board of Trustees. Karen is a current member of the Brigham’s Board of Trustees and Cancer Advisory Board. They have three children.