Brandeis women's basketball rising senior Kyla Gabriel of Tivoli, New York, is interested in the value of teamwork, on and off the court.

On the hardwood, she supplies energy, speed and tenacious defense that has been a hallmark of coach Carol Simon's program over the past 30 years. But it's off the court where her drive and passion have led her to look at cooperation of a different nature.

Gabriel, a two-time Academic All-UAA selection, is double-majoring in business and Health: Science, Society and Policy with a 3.93 GPA. This summer, she's been participating in the Harvard Chan School of Public Health's Fostering Advancement & Careers through Enrichment Training in Science (FACETS) program. After mornings spent taking classes in biostatistics, epidemiology and social and behavioral sciences, her afternoons were filled with independent research in the department of Health Policy and Management.

For her project, Gabriel worked under Dr. Meredith Rosenthal of Harvard's School of Public Health. Using data from 2014 to investigate accountable care organizations (ACOs), she looked into how those programs could better prevent financial waste in the health care field, primarily through better coordination between physicians.

"The American health care system, with independent physicians who don't always communicate with each other, is set up for waste," Gabriel explains. "As athletes, we actually see it a lot. One of us gets an injury and gets an MRI here, but when we go to see a specialist, and they feel the need to redo it there. Even something at a simple level like that can cut costs."

The link between teamwork amongst doctors is a personal one for Gabriel. Kyla's mother was diagnosed with a relatively treatable medical condition. Because her team of doctors wasn't communicating properly, the condition was allowed to worsen greatly. Gabriel's mother is doing better now, but there are lasting consequences, and Kyla says that that experience is one of her major drivers.

"When people don't work together, it can clearly be harmful. That's true on a basketball court, it's true when you're getting care, it's true everywhere," Gabriel observes. "That's one of the many things that I've taken away from being an athlete."

Teamwork is what drew her to playing basketball for coach Carol Simon in the first place. Gabriel came to Brandeis because of its academic reputation and its location near Boston. She was sold on Waltham after taking part in the Department of Admissions SEED program (Students Exploring and Engaging in Diversity) program and learning more about Brandeis's social justice mission. A three-sport star at Red Hook High School in the Hudson Valley, Gabriel wasn't planning on playing for the Judges, focusing instead on classes and the college experience.

"I remember seeing the team at one of their first practices [her freshman year]," Gabriel remembers. "And I remember it really striking a chord. I really miss this, being part of a team."

After getting some advice from her high school coach about how to approach Simon about joining the team, Gabriel decided she'd get in Associate Head Coach Scott Foulis's good graces first, so she enrolled in one of his physical education basketball classes. Then, after the 2013-14 season ended, she got into some pickup games with the team and realized she could play on their level, setting up the opportunity to try out the following fall.

"We said, we'll give you a day to try out," Simon recalls. "A day became the second day, the second day became the third, and then we offered her a spot on the team."

Simon saw Gabriel's basketball IQ, her calmness and leadership potential from the first day. As she continued with the team, Simon observed the hard work that has seen Kyla constantly improve. She went from a PE class, to a walk-on to a starting role earned midway through her junior season.

"She does everything 120 percent, and she does it right," says Simon. "We knew she had the quickness and defensive ability, and once she proved she was able to handle pressure from the opponent, we knew she would earn a spot in the starting lineup."

A self-described Type-A goal-setter who has met her on-the-court goals for each of her first two seasons, Gabriel is looking to help the Judges back to the postseason as a senior. Brandeis won the 2014 ECAC Tournament, but was just out of the running this year. She thinks the experience that the squad returns has made for a cohesive unit that is ready to make a run.

"Joining the team was one of my best decisions," Gabriel says. "After coming to Brandeis in the first place."