Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles, one of the nation’s four historically Black medical schools and the only HBCU west of Texas, has received a $20 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. This one-time gift represents the largest private donation in the history of the university.
“CDU has been on a tireless pursuit to cultivate diverse health professional leaders dedicated to social justice and health equity for underserved populations,” noted Dr. David M. Carlisle, president of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. “This investment will advance that goal by providing resources to support and enhance our outstanding education, research, clinical service, and community engagement. We are truly grateful for MacKenzie Scott’s generosity and dedication to important issues around social justice.”
Over the past several years, MacKenzie Scott has personally donated more than half a billion dollars to public and private historically Black colleges and universities. See JBHE posts here and here.
