Laird Patterson, MD ’68, describes her time at Harvard Medical School as the high point of her academic career. She's hoping to return to the Quad this spring to reminisce with her classmates at their 45th Reunion.

To mark this milestone, and in response to the increasing cost of medical education, she has established the Dr. James F. Holloran Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund with a $250,000 charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT). The fund honors her medical school classmate who died of AIDS in 1986.

This gift supports students who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people and/or who have dedicated time to researching or treating HIV/AIDS. Patterson had planned originally to set up this fund with a bequest, but was swayed by the benefits of a CRUT, which pays her income quarterly and offers a charitable deduction.

"I get to invest in something I believe in, Harvard will ultimately get more money, and I receive income payments now that I'm retired," says Patterson, who also set up a second CRUT to benefit both HMS and her undergraduate college, University of Kansas.

"I marvel at medical students today,” she says. “But for some people, the cost of medical education is just out of reach. I’m privileged to help them while promoting inclusion—the world will benefit from it."