Reuben Feinberg, the former president of Chicago's Jefferson State Bank, developed an interest in cardiovascular diseases following treatment at Northwestern Memorial Hospital's cardiovascular unit. In 1988 Mr. Feinberg's interest culminated in a $17.5 million gift from the Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation that allowed Northwestern University (NU) to establish the research institute that bears the Feinberg family name.

Mr. Feinberg provided a $15 million gift to Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH). In recognition of this gift, the hospital inpatient facility was named the Feinberg Pavilion, and the Feinberg Neurodiagnostic Center was established to support research and treatment of nervous system diseases.

Another gift of $10 million was given to NU to establish the Frances Evelyn Feinberg Clinical Neurosciences Research Institute. The members of this Institute conduct research on the causes of stroke and related neurological disorders, and develop treatments to decrease the severity of damage caused by strokes.

Together with its previous gifts establishing the Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute and the Feinberg Chair in Ophthalmology, the Feinberg Foundation has contributed $44 million to the Chicago campus medical center.

Finally, in 2002 the foundation gave $75 million to the medical school's endowment, which resulted in Northwestern University Medical School being renamed the Feinberg School of Medicine.

Reuben Feinberg died on December 13, 2002, leaving a lasting legacy at Northwestern University and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.