Going to medical school comes at a value — the common med school grad owes $250,995 in total student loan debt, not including any debt taken on in undergrad. Students on the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in Bronx, Latest York are not any exception to this trend, with nearly half owing greater than $200,000 for his or her medical school education after they graduate, in accordance with the college.
Now, a $1 billion donation from Dr. Ruth Gottesman, once a professor at Einstein, changes every thing.
Starting in August of this 12 months, all students at Einstein will attend completely tuition-free. All current fourth-year students might be reimbursed for the schooling cost for spring 2024.
Gottesman’s gift is the largest made to any medical school within the country; it implies that no Einstein student could have to pay tuition going forward.
We’re profoundly grateful that Dr. Ruth Gottesman, Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at @EinsteinMed, has made a transformational gift to #MontefioreEinstein—the most important to any medical school within the country—that ensures no student has to pay tuition again. https://t.co/XOy9HZLbfD pic.twitter.com/1ijv02jHFk
— Montefiore Health System (@MontefioreNYC) February 26, 2024
Gottesman’s husband passed away in 2022 and left her $1 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock with the instruction “Do whatever you’re thinking that is true with it.” After deliberating over what to do with the cash, she ultimately decided to donate it to Einstein — on the condition that the college not change its name to honor her gift.
“We have the gosh darn name — we have Albert Einstein,” Gottesman told the Latest York Times.
Gottesman has been related to Einstein for over 55 years, starting in 1968 when she led efforts to screen, evaluate, and treat learning problems in children at Einstein’s Kid’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC). She began the first-of-its-kind Adult Literacy Program and founded the Emily Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of Learning Disabilities at CERC. She is currently Clinical Professor Emerita of Pediatrics (Developmental Medicine) at Einstein and chair of Einstein’s board of trustees.
Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine Ruth L. Gottesman. Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Getty Images
In a press release, she thanked her late husband, stating “l feel blessed to be given the nice privilege of creating this gift to such a worthy cause.”
Gottesman’s colleagues noted her contributions and impact.
“Ruth Gottesman’s extraordinary and unprecedented gift gives latest intending to selfless determination and transformational philanthropy. She has at all times been an inspiration to her fellow board members and your entire Montefiore Einstein community. She is going to have the lasting gratitude of all who decide to train and learn here,” said Dan Tishman, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Montefiore Einstein.
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