Dr Philip Ozuah, Chief Executive Officer of Montefiore Medicine, the umbrella organization for the 10-hospital Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has orchestrated a $1 billion donation to make the college tuition free.
The money was donated by Dr Ruth Gottesman, inspired by her late husband, David Gottesman, who was a prominent Wall Street financier.
Gottesman and Ozuah had met on a plane in the United States and chatted, finding out they had similar interests. Their friendship blossomed and Ozuah paid daily house calls to check on Ruth and her husband during his illness.
The $1 billion donation will provide free tuition to medical students to save from towering student debts after graduation.
Gottesman expressed joy at the opportunity to effect transformative change, saying she sees her gift not only to support future students but also as a catalyst for broader societal impact.
She said her hope is that her donation would enable a wider pool of aspiring doctors to pursue their dreams, regardless of economic status.
“We have terrific medical students, 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,” she said.
“That’s what makes me very happy about this gift,” she added. “I have the opportunity not just to help Phil, but to help Montefiore and Einstein in a transformative way — and I’m just so proud and so humbled — both — that I could do it.”
Ozuah had donated $1 million to the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, where he graduated from, for the Student Hostel Building Project in 2022.
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