The Morningside Foundation, a nearly 20-year-old foundation begun by brothers Dr. Ronnie Chan and Dr. Gerald Chan, has given $350 million to Harvard University’s School of Public Health. The foundation is based in Newton, Massachusetts. The century old School of Public Health will be renamed the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. T.H. Chan, Drs. Ronnie and Gerald Chan’s late father, was a Hong Kong real estate mogul.
The money can be used as the school sees fit, but will focus on fighting pandemics like malaria and ebola, eradicating unhealthy circumstances deriving from poverty, and improving healthcare systems globally. According to the Harvard Gazette, it is the largest gift in Harvard’s history. “This gift is really a commitment to population health on a global scale,” Meredith Rosenthal, the School’s associate dean for diversity, told the Gazette.
