University of Houston College of Medicine received a $50 million pledge from businessman Tilman Fertitta, who owns Landry's restaurants as well as the NBA's Houston Rockets, and his family. The school has been renamed the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine.
As a longtime chair of the UH System board of regents, Mr. Fertitta played a major role in creating Houston's first new medical school in nearly 50 years, according to a May 19 news release. The medical school was founded in 2019.
The gift will be used to combat the state's primary care physician shortage, particularly in low-income and underserved communities. It will also be used to attract scholars with a focus on healthcare innovation and advance research for population health, behavioral health community engagement and the social determinants of health, the release said.
"Our family has such a passion for this medical school and its pursuit of health equity so everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, ZIP code or socioeconomic status, has the same opportunity to be as healthy as possible," Mr. Fertitta said in the release. "My hope is that the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine will be a game-changer for the health and well-being of Texans by improving access to quality health care, advancing medical knowledge and improving patient care through health and healthcare research."