Attending medical school comes at a cost: The average medical school graduate has a total student loan debt of $250,995, not including any debt incurred during undergraduate studies. Students at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, are no exception to this trend, with nearly half owing more than $200,000 for their medical education after graduation, according to the school.
Now, a $1 billion donation from Dr. Ruth Gottesman, a one-time Einstein professor, changes everything.
Starting in August of this year, all Einstein students will participate completely tuition-free. All current fourth-year students will have their spring 2024 tuition refunded.
Gottesman’s gift is the largest made to any medical school in the country; It means no Einstein student will have to pay tuition in the future.
We are deeply grateful that Dr. Ruth Gottesman, Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at @EinsteinMedgave a transformative gift to #MontefioreEinstein– the largest medical school in the country – which ensures that 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 died in 2022 and left her $1 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock with the instruction “Do what you think is right with it.” After pondering what to do with the money, she ultimately decided to donate it to Einstein, on the condition that the school not change its name to honor her gift.
“We have that damn name: We have Albert Einstein,” Gottesman told the New York Times.
Gottesman has worked with Einstein for more than 55 years, beginning in 1968, when he led efforts to identify, evaluate and treat learning problems in children at Einstein’s Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC). She initiated the first-of-its-kind adult literacy program and founded the Emily Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of Learning Disabilities at CERC. She currently serves as Clinical Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics (Developmental Medicine) at Einstein and Chair of the Einstein Board of Trustees.
Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Ruth L. Gottesman. Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Getty Images
In a press release, she thanked her late husband, saying that “I feel fortunate to have the great privilege of making this gift for such a worthy cause.”
Gottesman’s colleagues noted his contributions and impact.
“Ruth Gottesman’s extraordinary and unprecedented gift gives new meaning to selfless determination and transformative philanthropy. She has always been an inspiration to her fellow board members and the entire Montefiore Einstein community. She will have the enduring gratitude of all who choose to train and learn here,” said Dan Tishman, chair of the Montefiore Einstein board of trustees.
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