Wave Staff and Wire Reports
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science has received $75 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the largest gift in the school’s history.
The donation, announced Aug. 6, was part of an overall $600 million in gifts from Bloomberg to help bolster the endowments of the nation’s four historically Black medical schools.
“This monumental gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies is a transformative investment in the future of health care, our university, and most importantly, our students,” Dr. David M. Carlisle, president and CEO of Charles R. Drew, said in a statement.
“It will significantly enhance Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science’s ability to educate and empower diverse health care professionals who are committed to serving underserved communities.”
The university is a private, nonprofit school founded in 1966. It offers a range of undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, doctorate and certificate programs, including nursing, medicine, biomedical science, public health, genetic counseling and psychology.
It is also a leader in health-disparities research, with a focus on education, training and treatment for cancer, diabetes, COVID and HIV/AIDS, school officials said.
Michael R. Bloomberg announced the donations at the National Medical Association’s Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly in New York City.
“We have much more to do to build a country where every person, regardless of race, has equal access to quality health care — and where students of all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams,” Bloomberg said.
“Diversifying the medical field and tackling health inequality are society-wide challenges, and Bloomberg Philanthropies is committed to helping to lead the way in tackling them. This gift builds on our earlier investment in these vital institutions, and it will help new generations of Black doctors build a healthier and more equitable future for our country.”
The new funding will increase the size of Charles R. Drew University’s endowment, representing a significantly “transformational moment in the history of the university,” school officials said. Funding levels were determined by current class size and anticipated growth.
Research has shown that Black people have better health outcomes and receive medical care more frequently when they are treated by Black physicians, according to Bloomberg Philanthropies. Yet data show that while the U.S. population is 13% Black, only 7% of medical school graduates and less than 6% of all practicing doctors are Black.
The other historically black medical schools receiving money from Bloomberg were Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C.; Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee; and Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.
Those four schools alone graduate around half of all Black doctors in the U.S., but they have significantly underfunded endowments as a result of systemic funding inequities, including lower federal and state support, according to Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Since the early 1900s, underinvestment and other discriminatory practices led to the closing of 10 Black medical schools in the United States, officials said.
“It is impossible to overstate the monumental impact of a gift of this size,” Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, dean of Drew University’s College of Medicine, said.
“This donation adds a level of stability that will further our capacity to improve the health, economic development and opportunities for the children in our surrounding communities and others like them. As the founding dean for the program, I can only say wow — this is a dream come true.”
In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies gave $100 million to the four historically Black medical schools, including $7.7 million to Charles R. Drew. At the time, it was the largest philanthropic gift from a single donor to Charles Drew University.
“Our students will benefit immensely from the expanded opportunities and resources this donation provides, helping them to become leaders dedicated to health equity and social justice,” Carlisle said.
“We are profoundly grateful for this historic gift, whose impact will be felt in South Los Angeles, California, United States, and globally for generations to come.”
