The University of Alabama at Birmingham's medical school has been renamed after receiving a record-breaking $95 million gift.
The gift was from Marnix Heersink, MD, a renowned eye surgeon, innovator and entrepreneur. To honor the gift, UAB School of Medicine will now be named the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine.
The gift will create endowed funds and provide support for key initiatives at the school of medicine.
"On behalf of the School of Medicine and all the people we serve across Alabama, the nation and the world — now and in the years to come — I sincerely thank Dr. Heersink," said Selwyn Vickers, MD, UAB senior vice president of medicine and medical school dean. "This act of tremendous generosity reflects his heart for service and the scale of our shared ambition for the UAB School of Medicine to be a global leader in biomedical discovery and innovation, medical training, and patient care. It is a powerful affirmation of the unlimited potential of our school and reinforces what we have always known: that UAB truly is a world-class institution."
UAB also announced Sept. 28 that it received a $5 million donation from Triton Health Systems, bringing the total support for the school to $100 million.