$45 million new donation announced by Gary S. Guthart aims to reduce the global burden of disease and improve patient outcomes through philanthropy, research, and education

Gary S. Guthart, CEO of Intuitive Surgical, a global leader in minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery, recently announced a $45 million donation to the Intuitive Foundation.

This announcement, made on January 27, 2025, brings the company’s total contributions to the Foundation to over $170 million since its inception in 2018.

The Intuitive Foundation is dedicated to reducing the global disease burden and improving patient outcomes through philanthropy, research, and education. Its primary focus is on advancing health and education initiatives worldwide.

Key programs supported by the Foundation include:

Medical Research Grants: Supporting innovative studies in healthcare.

STEM Education Initiatives: Encouraging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

Surgical Fellowships: Providing advanced training opportunities for healthcare professionals.

Healthcare Training Programs: Empowering clinicians with essential skills and knowledge.

In 2024 alone, the Foundation achieved the following milestones:

Matched over $7 million in employee donations, benefiting more than 2,000 causes.

Provided $6 million in research grants and surgical fellowships.

Contributed $3 million to the Surgical Education Learners Forum, which develops free training modules for clinicians in low-resource settings.

The Foundation has also spearheaded several impactful projects, including:

Global Surgical Training Challenge: Developing low-cost surgical training modules for practitioners worldwide.

FIRST Robotics Sponsorship: Offering grants to high school robotics teams globally to foster STEM education.

Surgical Education Learners Forum: Creating scalable procedural skills training modules for clinicians in underserved regions.

This significant donation highlights Intuitive Surgical’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and its strategic focus on advancing global health and education.

Investing in these areas strengthens its philanthropic impact while maintaining its reputation as a leader in healthcare innovation.

The Intuitive Foundation was established by Robert “Bob” Dobkin and Kathleen Dobkin.

Bob Dobkin is a renowned inventor and entrepreneur, he co-founded Linear Technology Corporation and served as its Chief Technical Officer.

He is considered one of the founding fathers of analog integrated circuit design.

Together, the Dobkins launched the Foundation to support education, innovation, and entrepreneurship in engineering, technology, medicine, and science.

By supporting groundbreaking initiatives and fostering collaboration, the Intuitive Foundation continues to make strides in reducing disease burden and promoting global health and education.