On Jan. 30, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation announced a new $50 million commitment to establish the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, the Dell family foundation committed another $10 million to Austin and Travis County community health quality and access programs over the next 10 years. Since its inception in 1999, the foundation has invested nearly $1 billion in health and education programs around the globe, including $150 million during the past decade to promote family and childhood health in Central Texas.
“This gift truly saves lives,” said UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa. “Investments in medical education, biomedical research and health care touch all citizens. Nobody has done more for the people of Central Texas than Michael and Susan Dell. Their generosity not only benefits UT, it also lifts up our entire community.”
Gene Powell, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents added, “Between the generosity of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and the great citizens of Travis County who voted to transform health care in the community, a powerful public-private partnership has emerged. Austin is the new beneficiary of enhanced health care and countless economic development opportunities.”
The Dell Medical School is scheduled to enroll its first class of 50 students in 2016.
“A medical school at UT Austin further establishes Central Texas as a center of excellence for family health and research,” said Susan Dell, co-founder and board chair of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. “UT is a world-class university, and the medical school will be able to attract top talent, advance medical research and practices, and improve family health for generations to come.”
The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation previously funded $90 million of grants in the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, UT Austin’s Dell Pediatric Research Institute, UT’s Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living and the Texas Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity, as well as basic health services such as community clinics and health supports such as electronic medical records and mobile health programs.
“No university could ask for better friends than Susan and Michael Dell, whose generosity has transformed the health care landscape,” said Bill Powers, president of The University of Texas at Austin. “The Dells’ support has allowed UT Austin to conduct game-changing medical research and will now allow us to provide game-changing medical care.”
The new medical school will provide community-focused medical services, bring more medical professionals to Austin and create jobs. It will build on the world-class scientific research that UT Austin faculty members are conducting in related disciplines and is expected to attract top faculty members and students. Campus officials are currently seeking accreditation, working on state approvals, searching for permanent leadership and examining building sites for the medical school.
The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation (www.msdf.org) is dedicated to improving the lives of children living in urban poverty around the world. With offices in Austin, Texas, New Delhi, India, and Cape Town, South Africa, the Dell family foundation funds programs that foster high-quality public education and childhood health, and programs that improve the economic stability of families living in poverty. The foundation has committed more than $915 million (as of Jan. 1, 2013) to global children’s issues and community initiatives.