Ruth Gottesman stunned the medical world when she announced a $1 billion donation to Albert Einstein College of Medicine, using money left to her by her late husband David, a financier and friend of Warren Buffett whose company was an early Berkshire Hathaway investor. The gift immediately made tuition free “in perpetuity” at the Bronx medical school, with current fourth-year students getting reimbursed for their spring 2024 semester and all future students paying nothing starting in August. Gottesman, who serves as chairperson of the college’s board of trustees, said the donation “radically revolutionizes” the school’s ability to attract students committed to their mission rather than just those who can afford the enormous cost of medical education.
The 93-year-old donor has deep ties to Einstein, having joined the Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center in 1968 where she researched learning difficulties in children and founded programs that helped countless families. Her historic gift represents one of the largest charitable donations to an educational institution in U.S. history, freeing up students to pursue innovative projects and ideas that might otherwise be financially prohibitive. Gottesman expressed gratitude to her late husband “Sandy” for leaving the funds in her care, calling it “a great privilege” to support such a worthy cause. The donation ensures that over 100 students entering Einstein each year will graduate as “superbly trained scientists and compassionate physicians” without the crushing debt that typically accompanies medical education.
