David Geffen. Photo: Bruce Weber
Longtime UCLA supporter and legendary entertainment visionary David Geffen has made an additional $46 million gift to the David Geffen Medical Scholarship Fund at UCLA, a reinvestment that brings the amount of the fund to $146 million.
The latest gift will enable 120 more students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA to benefit from the scholarships, bringing the total number of students expected to receive awards to 414 over a 10-year period.
The medical school was named in Geffen’s honor after a $200 million gift in 2002. In 2012, he created the scholarship fund with a $100 million gift. The full-ride scholarships, consisting of full tuition and a living stipend, have helped UCLA attract a broader array of exceptional medical school candidates. The number of applications increased more than 50 percent between 2013 and 2018, when the school received an all-time high of more than 14,000. Nearly one of every four United States medical school applicants applies to UCLA.
“Mr. Geffen’s groundbreaking contributions have inspired others across the nation to assist more students with the cost of their medical education,” UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block said. “His support has made it possible for UCLA to lead the way.”
Reducing debt enables graduates to pursue additional paths of study that help them become leaders in their fields or devote themselves fully to patient care. That is significant in California, where physician shortages are a growing challenge. Dr. Allen Rodriguez (MD ’18) was among the Geffen Scholars who graduated in 2018. “Without looming debt from medical education, I was able to choose to go into family medicine, a field I find to be extremely challenging, but one that positions me to provide care for the greatest number of people with the greatest number of issues — and pursue it in a location where my work is very much needed,” he said.
At a time when higher-education debt is a subject of great concern and debate, the percentage of UCLA medical students graduating debt-free has nearly tripled since Geffen gave the inaugural gift, from 17 percent in June 2013 to 45 percent in 2019. “The Geffen Scholars program is helping our medical students enhance their training with research and scholarly activities that prepare them to be leaders in health care,” said Dr. John C. Mazziotta (RES ’81, FEL ’83), vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health. “In addition to practicing medicine, they will be game changers for their profession and experts in areas such as health care policy, medical innovation and community well-being.”
“The Geffen Scholars program is life-altering for our students and their future patients,” said Dr. Kelsey C. Martin, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Gerald S. Levey, M.D., Endowed Chair. “Mr. Geffen’s generosity has remarkable ripple effects.”
For more information, contact Emily McLaughlin at: 310-794-4763
