A 93-year-old retired professor just made the biggest donation in U.S. medical school history. Dr. Ruth Gottesman gave $1 billion to Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. This money will make medical school free for all students – now and in the future.
Why This Matters
Medical school is very expensive. Students often graduate with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. This debt can take 20 or 30 years to pay back. Many smart people don’t go to medical school because they can’t afford it.
Dr. Gottesman saw this problem up close. She worked at Einstein College for 55 years as a teacher and researcher. She knew how hard it was for students to pay for their education.
About Dr. Gottesman
Ruth Gottesman has spent her whole career helping medical students. She taught in the children’s medicine department and later became the head of the school’s board. She always fought for students and their needs.
The money came from her late husband, David Gottesman, who was a successful investor. When he died, he left his money to his wife. Instead of keeping it, she decided to give it all away to help future doctors.
What Happens Now
The changes started right away in 2024. Students who were already in their final year got their money back for that semester. All new students starting in August 2024 don’t have to pay anything for tuition.
School officials say this gift will last forever. The $1 billion will be invested and earn interest. As the money grows from these earnings, it will always be enough to cover tuition costs. This means the fund will keep growing even while paying for students’ education.
This means students can focus on learning to be good doctors instead of worrying about money. They can choose what type of medicine to practice based on what they love, not just what pays the most.
Making Medicine More Fair
One big reason Dr. Gottesman made this gift was to help more different types of people become doctors. When medical school costs too much, only wealthy families can afford it. This means we lose out on smart, caring people who would make great doctors but can’t pay for school.
Now, anyone who is smart enough and works hard enough can go to Einstein College, no matter how much money their family has.
A First in Medical Education
No one has ever given this much money to a medical school before. Dr. Gottesman’s gift is the largest ever. It shows other wealthy people what’s possible when they want to help solve big problems.
The school is in the Bronx, which is home to many different communities. Now it can train doctors who look like and understand the patients they will treat.
Recognition
Dr. Gottesman was named to TIME magazine’s list of most important people in health in 2024. This honor shows how much her gift will change medicine for the better.
She said in a statement: “I am very thankful to my late husband, Sandy, for leaving these funds in my care, and I feel blessed to be given the great privilege of making this gift to such a worthy cause.”
She didn’t just give money and walk away. For years, she has worked to help students at the school. She was chair of the board from 2007 to 2014 and started a special committee just to make sure students were being treated fairly. She also helped create the Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of Learning Disabilities in 1998.
What This Means for the Future
This gift will help thousands of future doctors. It will also help millions of patients who will be treated by these doctors. When good people can become doctors without worrying about money, everyone wins.
Other medical schools are watching what happens at Einstein College. If it works well, maybe more schools will find ways to make medical education free or cheaper.
Dr. Gottesman has shown that one person really can change the world. Her gift will help train doctors for many, many years to come. These doctors will save lives and help sick people feel better.
The best part? This gift keeps giving forever. The school officials say the donation will last forever because the $1 billion will be invested and earn interest. As the money grows from these earnings, it will always be enough to cover tuition costs. Students 50 years from now will still go to medical school for free because of what Dr. Gottesman did today.
