A former professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, Ruth Gottesman, has made an unprecedented $1 billion donation to the institution. This remarkable contribution is the largest of its kind ever in the United States, aimed at covering tuition for all its students, the school announced.

The donation comes from the estate of her late husband, David "Sandy" Gottesman, a noted Wall Street financier and Berkshire Hathaway investor, who passed away in September 2022. "I am profoundly grateful to my late husband Sandy for entrusting me with these funds. It's a great privilege to offer this gift for such a noble cause," Gottesman said in a joint statement with the school.

Ruth Gottesman's tenure at the medical school began in 1968. During her time there, she conducted research on learning disabilities in children and established an adult literacy program. She currently serves as the Chair of the Einstein Board of Overseers and is a board member of the Montefiore Health System, the hospital associated with the school.

Her generous donation will cover the tuition of the Spring 2024 semester for all current students, and henceforth, all future students will attend tuition-free. Tuition at the school amounts to about $60,000 per year, often leaving students with debts exceeding $200,000 upon graduation.

"This transformative gift aims to attract a diverse and talented group of individuals who might otherwise lack the means to pursue medical studies," the school emphasized. It is the most significant gift ever given to a medical school in the country.