$20 million gift from Ballmers and Gates for endowed Deanship at UW Medicine

UW Medicine has announced the creation of a historic endowed deanship honoring retired dean, Dr. Paul G. Ramsey. The Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Deanship was established with leadership gifts from Steve and Connie Ballmer and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Each donated $10 million to advance research discoveries, train medical leaders and further excellence and equity in healthcare.

Dr. Paul G. Ramsey served as CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the UW School of Medicine from 1997 to 2022.

“We are deeply grateful to Steve and Connie Ballmer and the Gates family for their visionary investment in the UW School of Medicine,” said University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce. “Through this endowment, future School of Medicine deans will have valuable resources to help improve health for everyone, here in our community and around the world.”

Dr. Ramsey retired this past summer after 25 years of distinguished service as CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the UW School of Medicine.

During his tenure, he led the integration of the School’s clinical, research and training programs, a move that positioned UW Medicine to serve as a regional, national and global leader during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Dr. Ramsey has been an extraordinary leader, a trusted physician, a dedicated mentor, and a cherished friend. We are pleased to be able to honor Paul’s contributions to advancing health equity in our community in this way,” said Bill Gates.

The UW School of Medicine ranks No. 1 in the nation for primary-care education. It has held the top two spots for primary-care education since 1995 in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings. Additionally, the school has ranked in the top two in family medicine education for the past 30 years, and is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation. The UW School of Medicine is also home to one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive medical research programs. It is currently second in the nation for federal research grant funding.

“Because of his deep commitment to the mission of UW Medicine, I can think of no better way to honor my friend, Paul Ramsey, than to ensure its future leaders have the resources they need to advance initiatives that make a meaningful difference to the health of all people,” said Steve Ballmer, co-founder of Ballmer Group, a Bellevue, Wash.-based philanthropy.

The first distributions from the endowment will be available starting June 30, 2023, and decisions about the deanship appointment will follow University Regental processes after funds are fully vested.

The endowment will provide a stable source of funding to advance the mission, goals and reputation of the UW School of Medicine, including research projects, medical education and student support programs and initiatives that further excellence and equity in healthcare. Several generous families in the region have made additional philanthropic commitments to the deanship.

“The incredible generosity that led to the creation of the Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Deanship is both a recognition of Paul’s extraordinary contributions to improving the health of the public and a long-term investment in the UW School of Medicine’s work to improve health outcomes for everyone,” said Jeremy Jaech, member of the University of Washington Board of Regents and the UW Medicine advisory board.