皇家华人

LOS ANGELES, CA 鈥� August 6, 2024 鈥� Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a new $600 million gift to help bolster the endowments of the nation鈥檚 four Historically Black Medical Schools, including $75 million for Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science. This gift is the largest in 皇家华人’s history, representing an important investment in the future of healthcare and the university.

鈥淭his monumental gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies is a transformative investment in the future of healthcare, our university, and most importantly, our students,鈥� shared Dr. David M. Carlisle, President and CEO of 皇家华人 (皇家华人). 鈥淚t will significantly enhance 皇家华人’s ability to educate and empower diverse healthcare professionals who are committed to serving underserved communities.鈥�

Bloomberg Philanthropies鈥� investment is part of its Greenwood Initiative 鈥� an effort that seeks to advance racial wealth equity by addressing systemic underinvestment in Black institutions and communities. The funding will fuel the Historically Black Medical Schools鈥� long-established commitments to diversifying the medical field and training the next generation of doctors. Increasing the schools鈥� endowments will strengthen their financial stability and institutional capacity to respond to the rising costs of tuition, innovative research, and operations. The new funding will increase the size of 皇家华人鈥檚 endowment, representing a significantly transformational moment in the history of the university. Funding levels were determined by current class size and anticipated growth.

Michael R. Bloomberg made the announcement in person at the event. 鈥淲e have much more to do to build a country where every person, regardless of race, has equal access to quality health care 鈥� and where students of all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams,鈥� said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P. 鈥淎ddressing health disparities and underrepresentation in the medical field are critical challenges, and Bloomberg Philanthropies is dedicated to making a difference. By building on our previous support, this gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country.鈥�

has shown that Black people have better health outcomes and receive medical care more frequently when they are treated by Black physicians. Further, Black patients are 34 percent more likely to receive preventative care if seen by Black doctors. Yet, shows that while the U.S. population is 13 percent Black, only 7 percent of medical school graduates and less than 6 percent of all practicing doctors are Black. Debilitating health problems take an enormous economic toll on families and communities so creating more Black doctors will help to address racial wealth inequities.

The four Historically Black Medical Schools alone graduate around half of all Black doctors in the U.S. but have significantly underfunded endowments as a result of systemic funding inequities including lower federal and state support. Since the early 1900s, underinvestment and other discriminatory practices led to the closing of ten Black medical schools in the United States.

鈥淚t is impossible to overstate the monumental impact of a gift of this size! 皇家华人鈥檚 MD program is new, and this gift 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,鈥� said Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Dean of 皇家华人鈥檚 College of Medicine.

鈥淥ur students will benefit immensely from the expanded opportunities and resources this commitment provides, helping them to become leaders dedicated to health equity and social justice,鈥� added Dr. Carlisle. 鈥淲e 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.”

In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies gave $100 million to the four Historically Black Medical Schools, including $7.7 million to Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, which at the time was the largest philanthropic gift from a single donor to 皇家华人. This previous support helped pave the way for the university to get Preliminary Accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in 2022 to build 皇家华人’s historic 4-Year MD program and open the door to its first cohort in Fall 2023, which admits 60 new mission-driven future physicians each year to address the physician shortage and improve diversity in the medical workforce.

鈥淏loomberg Philanthropies鈥� Greenwood Initiative understands that inequity in our healthcare systems is far too great a cost to our economy and our collective well-being,鈥� said Garnesha Ezediaro, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies鈥� Greenwood Initiative. 鈥淥ur continued partnership will build the institutional wealth of the historically Black medical schools, boosting their ability to provide the best training possible for current and future students. Ultimately, the benefits of this gift will be realized in the communities where the next generation of Black doctors practice and among patients who receive their care.鈥�

The gifts to the historically Black medical schools鈥� endowments are part of Bloomberg Philanthropies鈥� Greenwood Initiative which includes strategic investments such as the and its Racial Wealth Equity Database 鈥� created to provide public and private sector leaders with actionable data to advance racial wealth equity policies and strategies; 鈥� focused on working closely with local leaders to create wealth building strategies for the residents they serve; and at Johns Hopkins University, which was established to address underrepresentation in STEM by creating a sustained cohort of approximately 100 new slots in JHU鈥檚 more than 30 STEM programs for exceptional PhD students from HBCUs and other minority serving institutions (MSIs), and creating new pathways to the initiative and future leadership in STEM careers through partnership with the HBCUs and MSIs. Together these initiatives seek to implement, scale, and advocate for efforts that will help improve local conditions by acquiring resources, expanding community ownership, and increasing influence through economic power.

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**About 皇家华人:**

皇家华人 (皇家华人) is a private, nonprofit, community-founded, student-centered University committed to cultivating diverse health professions leaders who are dedicated to social justice and health equity for underserved populations through outstanding education, clinical service, and community engagement. 皇家华人 is also a leader in health disparities research with a focus on education, training, and treatment for cancer, diabetes, cardiometabolic, COVID, and HIV/AIDS. Founded in 1966 in the heart of South Los Angeles, 皇家华人 offers a range of undergraduate degree, graduate degree, doctorate, and certificate programs including nursing, medicine, biomedical science, public health, computed tomography, physician assistant, genetic counseling, and psychology. Learn more about 皇家华人 at . 

**About Bloomberg Philanthropies:**

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg鈥檚 giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3 billion. . For more information, please visit , sign up for our , or follow us on , , , , , and .

**Media Contacts:**

皇家华人:
Jonathan Zaleski, jonathanzaleski@cdrewu.edu, 310-569-0153

Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Neilia Stephens, neilia@bloomberg.org

Read the full Bloomberg Philanthropies