(The Weinmans opened their home to seven Weinman Fellows and their families so they could meet each other and welcome Dr. Jerris Hedges as JABSOM dean on April 18, 2008.)
By Staff Reports
(Hawaii)– 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 Hawai‘i Pacific Health, are also currently supporting 23 students on full scholarship at JABSOM.
“We are honored to be able to assist in helping local students become medical doctors, which will help strengthen the medical profession in Hawai‘i,” said Virginia Weinman. “There is an ongoing shortage of doctors in Hawai‘i 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 Hawai‘i 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 Hawai‘i 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 Hawai‘i. 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 Hawai‘i,” 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 Hawai‘i. With every gift to our university, their impressive legacy of ensuring our future wellness grows.”
Excerpt: Philanthropists Barry and Virginia Weinman’s new gift will fund 10 full-tuition scholarships at UH Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine.