For alumni donors Jill Zimmerman, M.D. ’93, and Michael Stifelman, M.D. ’93, it’s all about community. The couple, who met as medical students at Einstein, found mentors who “really cared about you on a personal level and were invested in your success,” recalls Dr. Zimmerman, who matched at Lenox Hill Hospital for her internal medicine internship, followed by a radiology residency at Montefiore Einstein.

She then completed a fellowship in breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Without my experience at Einstein, that might never have happened,” Dr. Zimmerman says. She is now a breast imager at Lenox Hill Radiology in New York City.

Dr. Stifelman is the founding chair and a professor of urology at Hackensack Meridien School of Medicine in New Jersey. He says clerkships with Einstein faculty were critical steps in his education and career. “There was an A-level trauma center [Jacobi Hospital] a hundred yards from where we lived. We were resuscitating patients with bullet wounds; we were dealing with the crack epidemic and AIDS,” he says.

Just as formative as his experience in the hospital was the vibrant sense of community he says he felt at Einstein. “Everyone lived together, worked together, and socialized together,” he recalls. “That made it easier to form lasting friendships. Everything felt very intentional. Einstein’s rich Jewish heritage was also central to our experience, and we are happy to see that it still thrives.”

Reflecting on the financial realities of medical school, Dr. Zimmerman says, “We were fortunate to have family support for expenses. Not everyone has that.” The recent transformative gift from Ruth Gottesman, Ed.D., of free tuition eliminated the biggest financial hurdle for medical students, Dr. Zimmerman points out, but she adds that “there are still many other costs to consider,” such as housing and food.

To help ensure that current students can have the same rich experience they did, Drs. Zimmerman and Stifelman have established a medical student support fund. “In the midst of the controlled chaos of medical school and demanding clinical rotations, it was the nurturing community, the social events, and access to an awesome gym that gave us lifelong friends and made our experience so life-changing. We want others to have that opportunity,” Dr. Zimmerman says.

Planning for the Future

Drs. Zimmerman and Stifelman are members of the Albert Einstein Legacy Society, which recognizes individuals—alumni, faculty, parents, and friends—who choose to advance Einstein’s mission and its future prosperity through legacy gifts in their estate plans.

“Planned giving is an easy way to give,” says Dr. Stifelman. “There’s a little paperwork, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not going to detract from your family, and it can make a huge impact for students and the institution.”

Whether you are a new homeowner or have achieved a lifetime’s worth of assets, you can set up a philanthropic plan that works for you while also benefiting Einstein.

Setting up a revocable trust naming Einstein as one of the beneficiaries, as Drs. Zimmerman and Stifelman have done, can help avoid the probate process and protect family assets while also investing in Einstein’s future.

If you would like to speak to someone about creating a plan that best meets your philanthropic goals, visit Planned Giving to explore your options, or contact Dorea Ferris, senior director of planned giving, at 718.430.3594 or dorea.ferris@einsteinmed.edu.