Acts of generosity can sometimes overwhelm us. Just ask Harvard Medical School Dean for Medical Education Edward M. Hundert, MD ’84, who could not contain his emotions when he first learned of a donor’s recent $1 million gift to the School.

“I’m quite serious that I burst into tears, knowing how many remarkable HMS students—future leaders of medicine—will have their lives forever changed by this act of generosity,” Hundert says.

The donor, who chooses to remain anonymous, is supporting two funds: The REACH Financial Aid Fund ($750,000) and the COVID-19 Student Emergency Aid Fund ($250,000). REACH provides funding through HMS’s need-based financial aid program to reduce the loan component of a student’s financial aid package, making it more feasible for those who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those historically underrepresented in medicine, to accept their offers of admission.

“Our ability to make an HMS education accessible to students from disadvantaged backgrounds is so dependent on support to the REACH scholarship program,” Hundert says. Seventy-one students have received REACH awards since the fund was established in early 2018.

The COVID-19 Student Emergency Aid Fund was created to provide financial assistance to medical students who are struggling with unanticipated or emergency financial situations as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have already had some unforgettable moments of awe from students when they learned of the availability of this fund, which is enabling them to continue at HMS when a parent lost their income or life due to COVID-19,” Hundert says.

To date, money from the fund has been distributed to 162 students, with individual awards ranging from $100 to $22,000. This assistance includes support for temporary housing and/or other essential needs, such as food; for travel associated with a personal or family emergency, crisis, or death; for unforeseen or unusually high medical expenses and related costs; for technology needs related to remote learning; and for additional scholarship support to cover the loss of family income that would have contributed to the cost of attendance.

The donor says he received scholarship support at the high school, college, and medical school levels and has been fortunate to build a successful career, so he feels it’s important to give back. “My wife and I were weighing our planned giving options over the next several years. Then COVID happened, and we thought, why not advance this philanthropy and put it to work now to support emerging needs?” He said scholarship aid—with a particular focus on students underrepresented in medicine—has been a theme of the couple’s philanthropy, and they have been very impressed by the return on their investment.

Hundert is thankful for that investment. “It’s impossible to express fully the gratitude we all feel for such magnificent support of our medical students at this time when they need it most,” he says.