A former professor at a medical school in New York made her late husband's fortune last a long legacy.

Ruth Gottesman, a 93-year-old widow and Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has donated a whopping $1 billion to the private school, making free tuition available to all future medical students moving forward.

The staggering donation came from the fortune she got from her late husband, David "Sandy" Gottesman, who made an early investment in the conglomerate built by the Berkshire Hathaway CEO and founder Warren Buffett, per The New York Times.

Aside from the startling amount, Gottesman's choice of donating to the city's poorest borough was also worth noting. Usually, billionaires make their donations to better-known medical schools and hospitals in New York's wealthiest borough, Manhattan, per the Times.

With her donation, she hopes that new doctors will be freed from medical school debt. She also aims to reach the students who cannot afford to go to a medical school.

(Photo : Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is seen on February 26, 2024 in the Morris Park neighborhood in the Bronx borough of New York City.

On Monday, Dr. Philip Ozuah, the president and CEO of Montefiore Einstein, the umbrella organization for Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, announced the $1 billion donation gifted by Gottesman.

"I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Gottesman for this historic and transformational gift. I believe we can change healthcare history when we recognize that access is the path to excellence. With this gift, Dr. Gottesman will fund excellence in perpetuity and secure our foundational mission of advancing human health," he said.

The transformational gift is reportedly "the largest [donation] made to any medical school in the country."

Per a press release by Montefiore Health System, all current fourth-year students will receive a reimbursement for their spring 2024 semester tuition beginning in August. Moving forward, all students will enjoy free tuition.

During a speech, Gottesman happily shared the good news with the students, saying, "I am happy to share with you that starting in August this year, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine will be tuition-free."

As she announced this, the students leaped from their seats, clapping and crying, overwhelmed with gratitude.

"Each year, well over 100 students enter Albert Einstein College of Medicine in their quest for degrees in medicine and science. They leave as superbly trained scientists and compassionate and knowledgeable physicians, with the expertise to find new ways to prevent diseases and provide the finest health care to communities here in the Bronx and all over the world," she continued.

"I am very thankful to my late husband, Sandy, for leaving these funds in my care, and l feel blessed to be given the great privilege of making this gift to such a worthy cause."

Tags: Ruth Gottesman Albert Einstein College of Medicine