Gift to UC College of Medicine will provide full tuition scholarships for 40 medical students

A pledge of nearly $7 million to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is one of the largest donations supporting student scholarships in the college’s history.

The $6.9 million anonymous gift will create the Webster-Gustin Medical Scholarship Fund and benefit 10 medical students in each incoming class for the next four years, beginning with the Class of 2024 that started classes earlier last month. Ultimately, 40 students will receive full tuition scholarships for each of their four years of medical school, provided they remain in good academic standing. Scholarship recipients will be selected from students who completed their high school or undergraduate education at Ohio institutions and preference will be given to students interested in pursuing a primary care specialty.

The Webster-Gustin Medical Scholarships honor two College of Medicine alumni of the Class of 1970: Warren Webster, MD, and Byron Gustin, MD, who both also completed their residency training at the College of Medicine and UC Medical Center. Webster, an internist, and Gustin, a cardiologist, both have practiced in Cincinnati throughout their careers.

“Dr. Webster and Dr. Gustin are outstanding physicians who have remained here in Cincinnati for their education, training and career. They are incredible role models for our students. We are honored and proud to have this scholarship recognize them,” said Andrew T. Filak Jr., MD, senior vice president for health affairs and Christian R. Holmes Professor and Dean.

The first 10 students to receive Webster-Gustin Medical Scholarships are Michael Brooks, Batavia; Nina Bredemeier, Mason; Garrett Gordon, West Chester; Eric Huff, Cincinnati; John Kennedy, Toledo; Justin Kenney, Batavia; Gillian Null, Hilliard; Megan Schott, Fairfield; Katherine Smith, St. Clairsville; and Joseph Walden, Cincinnati. All are members of the Class of 2024.

“The lives of many will be transformed by this inspirational gift, as these students will in turn impact the lives of their patients for years to come,” said UC President Neville G. Pinto. “This gift embodies our Next, Now Campaign’s commitment to students — allowing them to attend, grow and graduate from UC.”

“This is a truly generous and enormously impactful gift,” added Filak. “These scholarships will allow much-deserving Ohio students to stay in Ohio for their medical education.”

Webster and Gustin were part of a committee that recommended this gift to the College of Medicine.

“I feel both honored and humbled to have my name attached to this very generous gift given by wonderful people,” Webster said. “There is a significant debt burden today’s medical student takes on and to free some of them from this burden will allow them to pursue their goal of becoming physicians serving their community with one less worry. It was enjoyable and stimulating to help make this possible.”

Webster, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, completed his undergraduate education at Youngstown State University. Following his residency, he completed a fellowship in infectious disease at UC. Webster was in private practice in Cincinnati from 1977 until his retirement in 2011. For much of that time, he served as a clinical instructor at the UC College of Medicine. Earlier this year, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the College of Medicine.

“The size of this scholarship is enormous, both in terms of dollars and in potential impact on medical care in Cincinnati. This will allow some medical students to choose the UC College of Medicine for their professional training without debt consideration. To have my name associated is an enormous honor and quite unexpected,” Gustin said.

Gustin was born in Dayton, Ohio, and attended Ohio State University. He received his postgraduate medical training in Cincinnati and at Columbia University in New York. Gustin practiced cardiology at Deaconess and Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital, where he was head of cardiology. He is past president of the Cincinnati Society of Internal Medicine. Gustin was president of his medical school class and has served on the College of Medicine alumni committee for 50 years. He twice was honored with Golden Apple awards for medical student teaching at Christ Hospital.

Founded in 1819 as the Medical College of Ohio, the UC College of Medicine was the first medical school in Ohio and is the second-oldest public medical school in the country. It became part of the University of Cincinnati in 1896. The college has more than 1,800 faculty members and nearly 1,700 medical, graduate and baccalaureate students. Deeply involved in research, the college and the affiliated Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center received more than $347 million in research funding in FY2019. Patient care is provided by University of Cincinnati Physicians, the college’s 800-member faculty group practice, at UC Health, the college’s affiliated academic health system, and the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Featured image at top: UC College of Medicine students. Photo/Chris Radcliffe/UC Foundation.