Medical students at Montefiore’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine learned on Monday morning, Feb. 26, that they will receive free tuition in perpetuity thanks to a gift from Dr. Ruth L. Gottesman, Ed.D., chair of the Einstein Board of Trustees and Montefiore Health System board member.

 

“Each year, well over 100 students enter Albert Einstein College of Medicine in their quest for degrees in medicine and science,” Gottesman said as part of the announcement.

 

“They leave as superbly trained scientists and compassionate and knowledgeable physicians, with the expertise to find new ways to prevent diseases and provide the finest health care to communities here in The Bronx and all over the world, she said. “I am very thankful to my late husband, Sandy, for leaving these funds in my care, and l feel blessed to be given the great privilege of making this gift to such a worthy cause.”

 

The gift from Gottesman, the largest made to any medical school in the country, will ensure that no student at Einstein will have to pay tuition again.

 

According to officials at Montefiore-Einstein, the umbrella organization for Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, Gottesman joined Einstein’s Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) in 1968. They said at a time when learning problems were often unrecognized and misdiagnosed, she developed widely used screening, evaluation, and treatment modalities that have helped tens of thousands of children.

 

They said in 1992, she started the Adult Literacy Program at CERC, the first of its kind, which is still in operation, and in 1998, she was named the founding director of the Emily Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of Learning Disabilities (at CERC). Gottesman earned her bachelor’s degree at Barnard College and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is Clinical Professor Emerita of Pediatrics (Developmental Medicine) at Einstein.

 

Dr. Philip Ozuah, president and CEO of Montefiore Einstein, was present for the announcement, saying, “I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Gottesman for this historic and transformational gift. I believe we can change healthcare history when we recognize that access is the path to excellence. With this gift, Dr. Gottesman will fund excellence in perpetuity and secure our foundational mission of advancing human health.”

 

The transformational gift is intended to attract a talented and diverse pool of individuals who may not otherwise have the means to pursue a medical education. It will enable generations of healthcare leaders who will advance the boundaries of research and care, free from the burden of crushing loan indebtedness.

 

With this donation, all current fourth-year students will be reimbursed their spring 2024 semester tuition and, effective Aug. 1, all students moving forward will receive free tuition at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The College was founded in 1955 with a mission to welcome all students, without restrictions. Montefiore Einstein officials said the gift today furthers that mission by removing the financial restrictions for those without the economic means to afford medical school.

 

Dr. Yaron Tomer, the Marilyn and Stanley Katz Dean at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said, “This donation radically revolutionizes our ability to continue attracting students who are committed to our mission, not just those who can afford it. Additionally, it will free up and lift our students, enabling them to pursue projects and ideas that might otherwise be prohibitive. We will be reminded of the legacy this historic gift represents each spring as we send another diverse class of physicians out across the Bronx and around the world to provide compassionate care and transform their communities.”

DR. Ruth L. GOTTESMAN, Ed.D., chair of the Einstein Board of Trustees and Montefiore Health System board member tells medical students at Montefiore’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine on Monday morning, Feb. 26, 2024, that they will receive free tuition in perpetuity. Video courtesy of Montefiore-Einstein

Montefiore Einstein officials went on to say that over the course of her 55-year association with the College of Medicine, Gottesman’s dedication and philanthropic vision have helped make it the remarkable institution it is today. They said she and her late husband, David S. Gottesman, have been “enormously generous donors” in the past to Einstein’s innovative research and education initiatives.

 

Dan Tishman, chair of the Board of Trustees of Montefiore Einstein, said, “Ruth Gottesman’s extraordinary and unprecedented gift gives new meaning to selfless determination and transformational philanthropy. She has always been an inspiration to her fellow board members and the entire Montefiore Einstein community. She will have the lasting gratitude of all who choose to train and learn here.”

 

Montefiore Health System officials say it is one of New York’s premier academic health systems and “a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley.”

 

It comprises ten hospitals, including the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, and over two hundred outpatient ambulatory care sites. Montefiore officials say the advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes.

 

“From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families,” they said.