Philanthropy: 93-year-old woman gives $1 billion to medical college

Dr. Ruth Gottesman, also a former professor of Einstein . There she studied learning disabilities and developed screening tests and ran literacy programs. The gift is one of the largest philanthropic donations to an academic institution in the United States and possibly the largest to a medical school.

dr. Ruth received the amount from her late husband, David Gottesman. It was known only after her late husband David Gottesman, known as the partner of the world-famous billionaire Warren Buffett, left a billion dollars for her. Her husband, known as Sandy, made an early investment in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

This gift is notable not only for its large amount of money, but also because it will go to a medical college in the Bronx, the poorest borough in New York. The Bronx has a high rate of premature death and is listed as the unhealthiest county in New York . Over the past generation, many billionaires have given hundreds of millions of dollars to renowned medical schools and hospitals in Manhattan, New York's wealthiest borough .

dr. According to Gottesman, his gift will enable new doctors to leave medical school and start their careers debt-free. Otherwise, when a doctor leaves medical college, he would have a debt burden of at least 200,000 dollars. In addition, Dr. hopes that this support will help those who are unable to go to medical college because of lack of money to become doctors. Ruth has six .

When her husband runs an investment firm called First Manhattan, Dr. Gottesman began working at Einstein in 1968 as director of psychoeducational services. She has served the same medical college for a long time and now she is the president of the board of trustees.

In recent years, Dr. Dr. Dr., a pediatrician leading the said medical college as well as the attached Montefour Medical Center. She is close friends with Philip Ojuah . This friendship helped her decide what to do with the money left by her husband.

Both of them who have degrees in education have started their careers from the same institution in the Bronx and are spending their lives there . They have always supported families and children in need of help.

When the coronavirus brought the world to a standstill, Dr. Gottesman and Dr. Ojuah's friendship has become stronger. Dr. in the 90s. Gottesman's husband fell ill with a new virus infection. Dr. Gottesman also got a mild infection. Dr. Ozuah sent an ambulance to take both of them to Montefiore, the largest hospital in the Bronx. In the following weeks, Dr. Ojuah daily Dr. After going to Gottesman's house, both of them began to monitor him until he was fully recovered. This is how the friendship developed .

About three years ago, Dr. Dr. Ojuah Gottesman was asked to lead the medical school's board of trustees . She had worked there as a member before. But the opportunity that came to him at this age reminded him of the story of the lion and the mouse. At that time, Dr. She told Ojuah that when a lion saves a mouse's life, the mouse tells him, 'Maybe one day I will help you.' In the

story, the proud lion laughs. But Dr. Philip didn't laugh . Dr. Gottesman commented with a smile.

dr. Gottesman's husband died in 2022 at the age of 96. "He inadvertently left me an entire portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway stocks," she recalled. And, the instructions were also simple - "Do what you think is right," she said.

It was very difficult to think of what to do with such a large sum at this age. So at first she didn't care . But her children encouraged her not to wait too long.

When she focused on the will, she says she immediately realized what it would do. ``I wanted to build a fund for students studying at Einstein for free,'' she said, ``enough money to do that forever.'' A year's tuition there was $59,000 and most students were forced to drop out with heavy debt. According to the medical college, more than 50 percent of students have to pay two hundred thousand dollars when they pass out of the college. In other medical colleges in New York, this number is only 25 percent.

Nearly half of first-year medical students at Einstein are New Yorkers, and nearly 60 percent are women . About 48 percent of medical students at Einstein are white, 29 percent are Asian, 11 percent are Hispanic, and 5 percent are black .

Because of this funding, on the one hand, future students will be able to start their careers without the burden of debt, and on the other hand, the number of doctors willing to apply to medical school will increase . "We have excellent medical students." But it will open up opportunities for many more students who may not think of going to medical school because of their financial situation,” she said.

She said that she was very happy to be able to give this gift. "Not only do I have the opportunity to help Philip, but I have the opportunity to help Montefiore and Einstein in a transformative way." I am very proud and grateful that I was able to do this,” she said.

dr. Dr. Gottesman in December. She went to meet Ojuah to tell him that she was thinking of giving him a big gift. He said Dr. She reminded Ojuah of the story of the lion and the mouse and said - this is the moment of the mouse.

If someone says, I want to make a transformational gift for your medical school . What do you want to do ?' she asked .

'There are three things you can do,' Dr. Ojuah said, "Free education may be the first."

"That's what I want to do," said Dr. Gottesman said and her other two ideas were never heard .

dr. Gottesman sometimes wonders what her late husband would have thought of her decision. "I hope he's smiling and not freaking out," she said with a laugh, "but he gave me a chance to do it, and I think he's happy." I hope .'

Einstein is not the first medical school to teach free . In 2018, New York University announced free tuition for medical students.

dr. Although Gottesman gave the biggest gift, she asked not to attach her name to it . "Nobody needs to know," Dr. Ozuah recalled the words of Ruth . But Dr. Ojuah said he stressed that his life could inspire others. "There are those who are completely devoted to the welfare of others and seek no praise or validation," Dr. Ojuah said .

dr. According to Ojuah, Dr. to attach his name to a medical school or hospital. Gottesman's gift is a small fifth.

However, the name of Einstein College of Medicine will not be changed. A condition of Gottesman's gift is . Albert Einstein, the physicist who developed the theory of relativity, agreed to give his name to the medical school that opened in 1955. He said that Einstein's name cannot be surpassed. "Bafrebaf, we have a dangerous name". We got Albert Einstein .'

(Translated with the help of agencies .)