UVI Receives $6 Million Donation To Open Medical School

ST. THOMAS, USVI — Donald Sussman, founder of hedge fund Paloma Partners, has donated $6 million to the University of the Virgin Islands for the explicit purpose of opening an accredited medical school. The University announced that the school will be named S. Donald Sussman School of Medicine.

UVI has sought to open a medical school for some time, as first reported by the Daily News. Once completed, the UVI S. Donald Sussman School of Medicine would be the first new Historically Black College and University ( HBCU) medical school since 1975 and the only public HBCU medical school in the nation.

“Students from the Virgin Islands and other Caribbean islands who normally have to pursue their medical school dream in the mainland, can now be trained and inspired in the Virgin Islands. We are confident that this fact, along with scholarship support, will ensure that more of them will end up practicing medicine in the Virgin Islands or the broader Caribbean,” said Dr. Benjamin Sachs, planning dean of the developing medical school.     

Mr. Sussman was a member of the VI Board of Trustees from 2008 to 2012 and he has a house on St. John. He previously donated to the university naming of the medical school classroom building in honor of his scientist father, William.   

“UVI embodies all that I love about the Virgin Islands - its beauty and resilience, and the incredible strength and warmth of its community. The establishment of a medical school will serve to further enhance those qualities and ensure that more young people will have the opportunity to learn, grow, and live here,” said Sussman. “Moreover, this medical school will have a tremendous impact on the physical and mental health of residents, and I am proud to be a part of this critical, ongoing effort to improve overall quality of life on the islands.”   

The University plans to submit its application for preliminary accreditation to the Liaison Committee for Medical Education in November.   

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