Read the full story by Jennifer Durgin, published by the Geisel School of Medicine.

A $2 million gift from an anonymous Dartmouth alumnus and his spouse will provide essential funds for a comprehensive mental health and wellness program for medical students at the Geisel School of Medicine. The Healthy Students, Healthy Physicians Program, a top priority for Geisel that was launched in late 2019, has a fundraising goal of $5 million, and is part of The Call to Lead campaign.

“We want Dartmouth to be a national leader in preparing medical students to meet the stresses and challenges of their profession without sacrificing their own mental health and wellbeing,” says Duane Compton, dean of Geisel. “We are grateful to these donors for their generosity and leadership in supporting this vision. And we hope their gift will inspire other donors to support this pioneering program.”

“This gift will help plant the seeds of cultural change within the practice of medicine,” says Matthew Duncan, MED ’01, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Geisel and leader of the program. “We want to create a community in which developing resilience is part of physician training and seeking mental healthcare is seen as a sign of strength and not a personal weakness or professional liability.”