The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has announced a $50 million gift from the Kern Family Foundation.

The gift includes $10 million as a matching challenge for philanthropists and foundations with an interest in transforming medical education and the profession. The gift accelerates efforts by the Kern National Network for Caring and Character in Medicine, which works to catalyze national leaders to transform clinical learning and practice environments, as well as to influence policy and culture change through its integrated framework for character, caring, practical wisdom, and flourishing in medicine, and the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education, which is dedicated to transforming faculty, students, and curriculum, as well as fostering culture and systems change in medical education.

The gift brings total support from the Kern family and the Kern Family Foundation for the institute and network to $87.9 million. A $37.9 million investment in 2017 launched the Kern Institute and the Kern National Network.

“The foundation is delighted to renew our support in the visionary leadership at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the teams working to integrate character, caring, practical wisdom, and flourishing into the training of physicians and other health professionals,” said Kern Family Foundation president James Rahn. “Since their launch in 2017, the Kern Institute has become a catalyst for transformation within MCW and a recognized thought leader in medical education, while the Kern National Network has begun to coalesce a network of leaders and institutions that is poised to grow and impact the practice of medicine, the lives of healthcare professionals, and the communities they serve.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/ninoon)