Total among donated by Geffen to UCLA nearly half-a-billion
By Sam Catanzaro
UCLA has received an additional $46 million gift from longtime supporter and entertainment visionary David Geffen, a donation that brings the amount of the David Geffen Medical Scholarship Fund to $146 million and the total Geffen has donated to UCLA to nearly half a billion dollars.
According to UCLA, this latest contribution will allow an additional 120 at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA to benefit from the fund, bringing the total number of students estimated to receive awards to 414 over a decade-long period.
The full-ride scholarships, consisting of full tuition and a living stipend, have allowed UCLA bring in a broader range of top-tier medical school candidates, says UCLA. Between 2013 and 2018, the number of applications increased over 50 percent and nearly a quarter of U.S. medical school applicants apply 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 Block said. “His support has made it possible for UCLA to lead the way.”
According to UCLA, 73 percent of 2019 Geffen Scholar graduates are pursuing residency training in California, and 63 percent of all Geffen Scholar graduates are training in California.
“That is significant in California, where physician shortages are a growing challenge,” UCLA said in a press release.
Dr. Allen Rodriguez graduated as a Geffen Scholar in 2018 and is now a second-year family medicine resident at Scripps Mercy Chula Vista Family Medicine program, which provides integrated health care, just north of the San Diego–Tijuana border.
“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,” Rodriguez told UCLA News.
Geffen launched the scholarship fund in 2012 with a $100 million donation. The reinvestment brings his total contributions to UCLA to over $450 million.
“The Geffen Scholars program is life-altering for our students and their future patients,” said Dr. Kelsey Martin, dean of the Geffen School of Medicine. “Mr. Geffen’s generosity has remarkable ripple effects.”
