January 17, 2025

On Thursday, Ohio University and the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation announced that the Foundation’s Board of Directors had approved a gift of $70 million to the Heritage College to expand scholarships for future physicians and help fund transformational research. The gift commitment comprises $45 million for research and up to $25 million for scholarships upon raising $25 million in matching private funds. The commitment will bring the Foundation’s total support of the Heritage College to more than $193 million, making the Foundation one of the nation’s largest donors to an osteopathic medical school.

“Our long-term partnership with the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine is integral to our mission to improve health and quality of life through education, research and service consistent with our osteopathic heritage. This latest commitment has two primary goals: to substantially increase scholarships for medical students and to strengthen the Heritage College’s research enterprise with a focus on discovery that leads to life-changing impact.”

- Terri Donlin Huesman, President and CEO of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation

“Ultimately, this commitment from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation will ensure that cost is not a barrier for physicians in training, and we’ll be able to move more discovery to clinical applications that make people healthier. We are thankful for the Foundation’s confidence in us to deliver on these lofty goals, and we are confident that together we will continue to uplift the health of Ohioans.”

- Lori Stewart Gonzalez, Ph.D., Ohio University President

The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
has been a longtime advocate for Ohio
University and its Heritage College of
Osteopathic Medicine, providing
substantial financial support for their
shared mission. Since 2000, the
Foundation has awarded more than $193 million to advance education, research, training
and scholarships at Ohio University,
including a groundbreaking $105 million
gift in 2011 - the largest single gift in Ohio
public higher education at the time. This
gift, called “Vision 2020: Leading the
Transformation of Primary Care in Ohio,”
sparked the Heritage College’s most
significant period of growth, helping
transform the Heritage College into the
largest public medical school in the state
and elevating it to national prominence
in primary care, medical education and
research.

To date, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation has awarded more than $193 million to Ohio University to advance education, research, training and scholarships.

The $70 million Vision 2035 award from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation builds on the success of the Foundation’s previous $105 million Vision 2020 award. Vision 2020 aimed to elevate the Heritage College’s state and national prominence, strengthen our teaching, research and outreach missions, and act as a catalyst for growth and expansion. This investment was successful in all areas, enabling us to achieve some of our most ambitious goals. Its impact has extended beyond the college, improving the health and well-being of Ohioans and transforming primary care across the state.

“The 2011 gift completely transformed the Heritage College and primary care in the state of Ohio. We doubled our enrollment. We opened two new medical campuses. Thanks to the Foundation, we have trained thousands of primary care physicians, many of whom are now serving in rural and underserved communities across Ohio, expanding access to healthcare and improving lives.”

- Ken Johnson, D.O., executive dean of the Heritage College and OHIO’s chief medical affairs officer