NYU Long Island School of Medicine has received a transformative $200 million gift from Kenneth and Elaine Langone.
The funding is designed to ensure generations of medical students continue to receive a tuition-free, medical education that is focused on primary care. The gift extends the school’s guarantee of full-tuition scholarships to every student, regardless of need, in perpetuity.
By expanding opportunities for future doctors, the funding aims to expand access to healthcare throughout Long Island, the region and beyond, according to a news release about the Langones’ gift.
“By providing our future doctors with an affordable education, we are investing in a brighter and healthier future for all, particularly here on Long Island, where Elaine and I grew up,” Langone, the co-founder of Home Depot and the chair of the NYU Langone Board of Trustees, said in a statement.
With the donation comes a moniker change for the medical school, which is now the NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine. The new name is in honor of Dr. Robert Grossman, MD, CEO of NYU Langone Health and dean of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in Manhattan.
“Providing a world-class, tuition-free medical education here on Long Island ensures many of these future doctors will remain and practice on Long Island,” Langone said. “None of this would have been possible without Bob Grossman’s visionary leadership shaping the future of medicine.”
The Langones announced the gift and the medical school’s new name at the school’s annual white -coat ceremony. At the ceremony, incoming students ascended to the stage where a member of the faculty cloaks them in their white coats for the first time, symbolizing the beginning of their formal medical education.
“This extraordinary gift from Ken and Elaine ensures that, just like today’s entering class, students for generations to come can follow their passion for medicine, regardless of their background and financial status,” Grossman said in a statement.
“Our goal has always been to offer exceptional opportunities to the most talented students,” Grossman added. “The focus on primary care at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine also allows them to meet a critical need in our local communities and have a real impact. I wish each of them great success on the wonderful path they have chosen.”
Established four years ago, the medical school offers an accelerated three-year MD curriculum, whereas most other medical schools have a four-year curriculum.
The school is focused on training primary care physicians and aims to attract “bright minds from diverse backgrounds,” according to the news release. Eighty-five percent of the school’s graduates remain in New York for their training after graduation.
This current gift advances a longstanding commitment to ensure the affordability of medical school and to advance healthcare on Long Island. In 2018, NYU Grossman School of Medicine in Manhattan made the historic announcement offering full-tuition scholarships to every current and future student, the culmination of over a decade of fundraising efforts led by Grossman and the Langones.
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