The University of Pennsylvania has received a $125 million gift to create the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program, which will recruit and prepare a diverse cadre of expert nurse practitioners to provide primary care to individuals and families in underserved communities across the U.S.
A Transformative Investment in Health Care Excellence and Equity
The Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program will offer tuition-free training to enhance accessible, high-quality care for underserved communities
Published: February 22, 2022
The donation from Leonard A. Lauder, W’54, PAR’83, PAR’84, Emeritus Trustee, Chairman Emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies, to create this first-of-its-kind, tuition-free program, is the largest gift ever to an American nursing school.
The gift comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the nation’s acute shortage of primary care providers and persisting inequities in access to quality health care. Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Fellows will enroll full-time in a rigorous, two-year Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Penn Nursing. Fellows will complete at least 50 percent of their clinical education at community partner sites and/or comparable sites that provide direct patient care, an invaluable experience that will prepare them to meet the complex needs of patients and families throughout their careers. Every Fellow will be expected to commit to practice or service in an underserved community for two years after graduation.
Penn Nursing will select 10 Fellows to begin classes this fall, growing the program enrollment through 2026 when it will reach its annual target enrollment of 40 Fellows, continuing in perpetuity. Penn Nursing will name the first endowed Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Professor, who will oversee curriculum innovation, support of community sites, and program implementation. In addition, Penn Nursing will provide support for select community partner sites to further the clinical education of Fellows while providing professional development and networking opportunities and access to School and University resources.
“Penn Nursing has a long history of advancing science, promoting equity, practice excellence, and preparing leaders. That’s why Mr. Lauder’s gift is so meaningful. The synergy between Penn Nursing and the Program will improve the health of underserved patients and families by uniquely preparing primary care nurse practitioners who will work with them in their communities. The sustained investment in the education and careers of primary care nurse practitioners and communities is unprecedented. We are excited by the opportunity to lead this important Program and to extend its impact beyond Penn Nursing,” says Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel. “We are deeply grateful to Mr. Lauder for recognizing and investing in this critical need, and for partnering with us in this ambitious endeavor.”
