Montefiore Einstein announced on Thursday, March 2, that an anonymous donor is making a $100 million contribution to Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Representatives from Montefiore-Einstein say the gift, one of the largest in Einstein’s history, will support biomedical research that includes basic, clinical, and translational research programs serving the nation and the world. They added that it will also provide direct financial support to students, ensuring greater access to what was described as “the vibrant and innovative learning environment that Einstein provides.”

 

Reacting to the news, Philip Ozuah, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine, the umbrella organization over Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, said the gift was historic and transformational and will enable the college to expand its research capabilities in unprecedented ways. “It will provide an opportunity for our students and faculty to excel in the pursuit of innovation while continuing to deliver on our commitment to health equity,” he said.

 

According to Montefiore Einstein officials, for years, the college has been at the forefront of translating scientific research into diagnostics and treatments that save lives. “The institution is dedicated to educating the next generation of compassionate healthcare professionals and bringing a deep, socially conscious commitment to the community with world-renowned expertise,” they wrote.

 

According to its representatives, Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. They say that during the 2022-23 academic year, Einstein is home to 740 M.D. students, 194 Ph.D. students, 118 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and approximately 225 postdoctoral research fellows.

 

The college also has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates, according to college sources. The sources added that in 2022, Einstein received more than $202 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health, which included the funding of major research centers at Einstein in cancer, aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS.

 

Other areas where the college is concentrating its efforts, according to college representatives, include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities.

 

College officials said through its partnership with Montefiore, the university hospital and academic medical center for Einstein advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients.

 

In other Montefiore-related news, as reported, a recent nurses’ strike against Montefiore and Mount Sinai in January ended after 3 days when a deal was struck between the nurses’ union and the two large hospital networks. Meanwhile, more recently, resident physicians and fellows at Montefiore Medical Center voted to re-unionize after four decades with the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) by a supermajority of 82 percent.

 

Meanwhile, on the latest donation to Einstein, Ozuah concluded, “We are extremely proud to receive this support as it comes from someone whose life has been dedicated to transforming the lives of others.  I am humbled by the donor’s friendship and by their extraordinary degree of trust and confidence in us.”