“A doctor is one of the greatest assets in a community. Encouraging future physicians to stay in our Islands not only strengthens the medical profession and quality of care, it helps improve the quality of life in Hawaiʻi.” —Virginia Weinman
Inspired by the success of their $1 million donation in 2006 establishing the Barry and Virginia Weinman Fellowship to fund 10 medical students’ educations, renowned philanthropists Barry and Virginia Weinman recently donated $1.56 million. This new gift will fund 10 full-tuition scholarships at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). The Weinmans, in partnership with The Queen’s Health Systems and Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, are also currently supporting 23 students on full scholarship at JABSOM.
- Related UH News story: Community partners donate $3.66 million for 23 “full-tuition” JABSOM scholarships [VIDEO], July 19, 2018
“We are honored to be able to assist in helping local students become medical doctors, which will help strengthen the medical profession in Hawaiʻi,” said Virginia Weinman. “There is an ongoing shortage of doctors in Hawaiʻi and our contribution is a tool to help address this issue by recruiting and retaining future physicians.”
Weinman added, “With rising tuition and other costs, medical students can be facing a huge burden of debt upon graduation. They then encounter skyrocketing malpractice insurance premiums in many needed specialties. This encourages them to leave Hawaiʻi or practice in fields based on economic realities, rather than the community’s needs.”
JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges, Barry and Virginia Weinman Endowed Chair, said, “The path to becoming a physician is arduous. The personal investment of time and resources is significant. Providing aspiring public school students from Hawaiʻi with financial support through these Weinman Scholarships represents a major commitment to easing the path to and through medical school.”
Since 2001, Barry and Virginia Weinman have personally invested more than $6.5 million to support the University of Hawaiʻi. This includes support for the UH Cancer Center, the Shidler College of Business and UH Mānoa Athletics.
“We are so grateful to the Weinmans for their deep commitment to the people of Hawaiʻi,” said UH Vice President of Advancement and UH Foundation CEO Tim Dolan. “The Weinmans are incredibly generous, strategic philanthropic leaders who understand that UH is an economic driver integral to a healthy Hawaiʻi. With every gift to our university, their impressive legacy of ensuring our future wellness grows.”
