WOODY AND GAYLE HUNT FAMILY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES $2M COMMITMENT TO SOUTHWEST FOUNDATION FOR OSTEOPATHIC EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
Gift will bolster medical education at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine through new student scholarships and expand its campus with a new Medical Education Center
Las Cruces, NM – The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation (WGHFF) announced a $2M investment in the Southwest Foundation for Osteopathic Education and Research (SWFOER) to help expand medical innovation and education at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (Burrell College), an osteopathic medical school located in the Paso del Norte region. The gift’s total impact will be $6.2M as a result of a unique charitable partnership between the WGHFF and SWFOER. This gift was the catalyst for the launch of the Woody & Gayle Hunt Medical Education Center, a new building which will expand the capacity for Burrell to serve more students, as well as the establishment of the Hunt Endowment, which will provide scholarships for medical students who are committed to improving the health of the border region.
Since its establishment in 1987, the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation has supported hundreds of organizations and initiatives that help improve the health, education, quality of life, and economic opportunities in the border region.
Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Burrell College was established in 2013 to improve the health of residents in the southwestern U.S. and neighboring areas of northern Mexico. The four-year private osteopathic medical school is student-centered, utilizing the latest medical education technologies and methods to provide state-of-the-art training in all fields of medicine — from primary care to subspecialties like surgery, anesthesiology, and emergency medicine.
“Since the College’s inception, we have graduated more than 425 physicians, the most from any college in the region, with one-third of them remaining in this region to continue to serve our communities,” said Burrell College president John L. Hummer. “The Woody & Gayle Hunt Family Foundation provided this generous gift to help meet the needs of our growing campus because they believe in our mission of improving healthcare access in the Southwest. We are honored to have their support and look forward to welcoming students back to our expanded campus.”
The new Medical Education Center increases the campus by more than 10,000 square feet and will house the new medical library, along with the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Clinical Education. The Woody and Gayle Hunt Medical Education Center will also feature dedicated student study spaces and additional staff offices. This building will allow the Burrell College to accommodate an increase in class size from 150 students to 200 students per year, bringing the total to over 800 medical students by Fall 2022. To date, Burrell College has graduated 427 physicians to help address the healthcare inequities in the United States.
“A strong healthcare system and workforce is a pillar of any vibrant and competitive community, and that is why our Foundation invests in improving healthcare access in the Borderplex region,” said Woody Hunt, Chairman of the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation. “Burrell College plays a critical role in training the next generation of physicians and helping our region tap into medical innovation, and we’re proud that through this charitable commitment they’ll be able to grow the healthcare system in our region.”
The endowment fund established by the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation in partnership with SWFOER will support Burrell’s medical students by providing financial assistance to graduates from the Paso del Norte region who desire to give back to their community.
“The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation has long supported aspiring physicians,” said Victoria Pineda, the college’s vice president of institutional advancement. “The medical education center and Hunt endowment are more than just investments in our students; they are an investment in the health and future of this region.”
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About the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation:
The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation is one of the Borderplex region’s preeminent private family foundations focused on creating a globally competitive region. Since 1987, it has made grants and commitments of more than $121 million to individuals and institutions working to transform education, improve healthcare, advance regional economic and cultural development, and create a greater quality of life for all Borderplex residents.
