Mayo Clinic receives largest gift in history

Philanthropist Jay Alix has made a gift of $200 million to the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, the organization announced Tuesday.

The gift — the largest in Mayo history — will be used to expand scholarship opportunities, further innovation in the school’s curriculum and establish a professorship, according to the announcement. In recognition for the contribution from Alix, founder of the consultancy group AlixPartners, the school will now be known as: Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine.

“My primary philanthropic interests are medicine and education. Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine will offer an ideal opportunity to advance both fields,” said Alix, who also serves as a member of Mayo’s Board of Trustees and co-chair of Mayo’s Global Advisory Council. “Genetics, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality and other technologies are transforming medical research, education and practice. This gift will further enable Mayo’s medical school to recruit the best medical students and to create a curriculum that trains them to harness evolving radical advances in medical science and technology to the greatest benefit of patients.”

The endowment will also support scholarships for students across socio-economic backgrounds at a time when physicians are needed more than ever. The country faces a physician shortage projected to hit nearly 121,000 by the year 2030, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

“Increasingly, scholarships are essential to medical schools,” said Dr. Fredric Meyer, Juanita Kious Waugh Executive Dean for Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. “They help attract diverse, high-potential learners who will care for our nation’s increasingly diverse patient populations.”

The Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is consistently ranked among the best — and most selective — medical schools in the nation. Originally established in Rochester, it now also has campuses in Arizona and Florida.

In the announcement, Mayo leader Dr. John Noseworthy said the gift will have a “long-lasting impact as we boldly transform medical education and research training so the next generation of care providers can improve patient care, accelerate discovery and advance the practice of medicine.”

Cover photo: Jay Alix / Courtesy Mayo Clinic