A generous $2 million donation from Yale alumni Jonathan Rothberg, MPhil ’87, MS ’87, PhD ’91, a renowned entrepreneur, and his wife Bonnie E. Gould Rothberg, MD ’94, PhD '09, MPH ’05, FACP, an oncology hospitalist working on the frontlines of patient care at Smilow Cancer Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, will aid Yale’s clinical and research response to the current coronavirus emergency. “Our doctors, nurses, and first responders, and all of our health care workers are saving the lives of people we love. We each need to do everything we can to keep them safe and let them know that we are there for them,” says Jonathan Rothberg. “This is the worst enemy the world has faced in 70 years and it is ruthless. But we know the enemy and we can defeat it by supporting each other in our generation’s finest hour.”
The Rothbergs’ gift comes as Yale is taking swift and bold action to mitigate COVID-19’s impacts, help treat and care for those affected by this virus, and better understand the disease. “In bolstering our capacity and resources to address the need at hand, this vital support increases our ability to care for patients and their families when they need it most.” says Paul A. Taheri, MD, MBA, chief executive officer of Yale Medicine, the medical school’s clinical practice.
The funds will be deployed to meet urgent needs of those on the frontlines of COVID-19 care and research. Yale’s community of physicians, investigators, trainees, and staff has mobilized to address the impacts of COVID-19, working across disciplinary boundaries and coordinating with colleagues around the globe. Yale is coordinating efforts to bring effective therapies to light, spanning medicine, public health, nursing, engineering, data science, and additional areas.
“In response to COVID, Yale clinicians and investigators, faculty, and staff alike, are working together as never before to defeat this virus,” says Nancy J. Brown, MD, the Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Medicine and C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine. “The Rothberg Family’s timely gift in support of their work is inspirational.”
This is the worst enemy the world has faced in 70 years and it is ruthless.
Jonathan Rothberg
Awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Obama, Jonathan Rothberg is a scientist and entrepreneur widely recognized for inventing and commercializing high-speed DNA sequencing. He is the founder of multiple life science and medical device companies including Butterfly Network, the maker of the world’s first handheld whole-body ultrasound scanner.
To donate to Yale’s coronavirus response, click here.
To learn more about Yale’s research, clinical, and data-driven responses to COVID-19, click here.