A $1 billion donation to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx will provide free tuition for all students in perpetuity.
The donation, the largest to any medical school in the country, was given by Ruth L. Gottesman and her late husband, David “Sandy” Gottesman.
“This donation radically revolutionizes our ability to continue attracting students who are committed to our mission, not just those who can afford it,” Yaron Tomer, Ph.D., the school’s Marilyn and Stanley Katz Dean stated. “Additionally, it will free up and lift our students, enabling them to pursue projects and ideas that might otherwise be prohibitive.”
The generous gift aims to attract students committed to the school’s mission and enable students to pursue projects without financial constraints.
All current students will have their tuition reimbursed for the spring 2024 semester, with all students receiving free tuition starting in August.
“He left me, unbeknownst to me, a whole portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway stock,” Ruth Gottesman said of her late husband. “Do whatever you think is right with it,” she was instructed.
Ruth Gottesman’s donation will significantly impact the accessibility of medical education for students from diverse economic backgrounds.
“We have terrific medical students,” Gottesman said, “but this will open it up for many other students whose economic status is such that they wouldn’t even think about going to medical school.”
“I am very thankful to my late husband, Sandy, for leaving these funds in my care, and l feel blessed to be given the great privilege of making this gift to such a worthy cause,” Gottesman said.
“Each year, well over 100 students enter Albert Einstein College of Medicine in their quest for degrees in medicine and science,” she said. “They leave as superbly trained scientists and compassionate and knowledgeable physicians, with the expertise to find new ways to prevent diseases and provide the finest health care to communities here in the Bronx and all over the world.”
