BURST
The University of B.C. has received a $40 million donation from two alumni, a gift the university says is the largest donation ever made to a school of nursing in Canada.
To honour the donation from local philanthropists Matthew and Natalie MacIsaac, UBC says it will formally name the school the MacIsaac School of Nursing, to be housed in the MacIsaac Health Building, formerly Gateway Health Building.
The nursing program at UBC admits 150 undergraduate students each year, according to a university news release Thursday. The school said the money will go to nursing education and research, expand simulation-based clinical learning, and support research, including how AI can help students safely master complex tasks such as administering medications.
B.C. faces an ongoing nursing shortage driven by vacancies, burnout, and retention challenges, according to the B.C. Nurses’ Union. The union says the province will need more than 26,000 nurses by 2031, yet one out of three nurses say they are thinking of leaving the profession in the next two years.
The UBC news release did not say whether the money would create more spaces in the program.
“The School of Nursing has a new name, and health education at UBC has a new home,” said Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc, director of the MacIsaac School of Nursing, in a statement Thursday.
“This gift allows us to lead the future of nursing education, practice and research, while sustaining our deep commitment to health equity.”
Matthew and Natalie MacIsaac, parents to four children, said in a statement that health has always been important to their family, and they believe in the power of education and research to improve people’s lives.
Matthew is a hedge fund manager and Natalie is a naturopathic doctor.
“We are proud to support the next generation of nurses and the researchers and educators whose work strengthens health care in communities across British Columbia and beyond.”
More to come…