SUBMIT A STORY IDEA
SUBSCRIBE
Pat Gerleman speaks at an event Friday for Gerleman scholarship recipients with University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella.
Chris Richards/University Communications
A San Francisco woman is fulfilling the wishes of her late husband and his late brother by donating $14.2 million from her husband’s estate to the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson to provide scholarships for students bound for medical school.
Pat and James “Jim” Anthony Gerleman.
Pat Gerleman made the gift in the memory of James “Jim” Anthony Gerleman, her husband of 41 years, and John Edward Gerleman.
“An education from the U of A can leave an indelible mark in the lives of our students, and it is gratifying to have that inspire our alumni and their families to create an enduring legacy in support of the next generations,” said University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella. “I’m thankful to Pat Gerleman for this transformative gift in honor of her late husband, Jim, and his brother, John. Their generosity will have far-reaching impact in giving our students the financial freedom to pursue their dreams and in the lives of the people who will be cared for by our future physicians and health care professionals.”  
James Gerleman inherited $700,000 upon the death of his older brother, John, a U of A alum who admired the work of the College of Medicine – Tucson. Before his death, John told Jim to use the account to pay for the education of his nieces and nephews and donate the remainder to the College of Medicine – Tucson.
Through tech stock investment and dividend reinvestment, Gerleman grew the account to $14 million before his death in 2023. Now that those nieces and nephews have completed their educations, Pat is following through on her husband’s final wishes.
“The gift is not a portion of a large estate. It is a sum of years of hard work and of lives without luxury,” Pat Gerleman said. “Both Jim and John shared an ideal: to make a difference in the lives of their family and in the lives of future doctors, to help those who need it most. Now that I am the trustee, I am honored and humbled to follow through on their inspiration by gifting this small fortune to the College of Medicine – Tucson in the name of John Gerleman and James Gerleman.”
The bequest will fund scholarships for students in two programs: the Pre-Medical Admissions Pathway and the Honors Early Assurance Program.
The P-MAP program is a 13-month, full-time, intensive medical school preparation program for students who face considerable obstacles in their paths to medical school. To be eligible, applicants must be Arizona students who have completed a bachelor’s degree. Students who successfully complete the program are guaranteed admission to the College of Medicine – Tucson.
The HEAP program allows for academically talented students from the W.A. Franke Honors College to gain early admission to medical school. As undergraduates, students follow an academic plan to complete all medical school prerequisite coursework as well as individual learning modules. Following graduation from their undergraduate programs, HEAP students begin medical school.
Pat Gerleman with the first class of Gerleman scholarship recipients.
Chris Richards/University Communications
Established in 1967, the College of Medicine – Tucson enrolls more than 2,400 undergraduate students, which is one of the nation’s largest enrolled undergraduate population at a medical school.
“I am deeply moved and humbled by the Gerlemans’ story and immensely grateful for Pat’s donation in the name of Jim and John Gerleman,” said Dr. Michael M.I. Abecassis, the Humberto and Czarina Lopez Endowed Dean of the College of Medicine – Tucson. “We are honored by the opportunity to pay tribute to the Gerleman legacy by using this generous gift to educate and train the next generation of physicians to promote health and wellness, and to attend to those in need of disease intervention.”
One of six colleges under the U of A Health Sciences banner, the College of Medicine – Tucson has 22 departments – five basic science and 17 clinical science – and nine centers and institutes dedicated to specific areas of research, clinical care and teaching. Clinical departments provide medical care through the Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, a teaching and research hospital. 
“This transformative gift is a shining display of generosity,” said Dr. Michael D. Dake, senior vice president for U of A Health Sciences. “Its impact will be felt through many generations, as today’s medical students become tomorrow’s physicians, providing compassionate and sensitive care and building healthier communities throughout Arizona and beyond.”
The $14.2 million gift is part of the Fuel Wonder campaign, the university’s $3 billion fundraising effort. Gifts already made to the campaign are giving every student access to a cohesive ecosystem of support, powering new insights into the human immunome and transforming research in areas including cancer, engineering, space sciences and the humanities.
“This generous bequest will change lives,” said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the University of Arizona Foundation. “Medical school is costly, and this gift will ease the financial burden for future physicians and their families. It is the perfect example of what we aspire to do for students through the Fuel Wonder campaign. I could not be more grateful to Pat for linking Jim and John’s legacies to the success of medical students at the University of Arizona.”
CONTACT US SUBSCRIBE
We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. The University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service.
University Information Security and Privacy
© 2025 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of The University of Arizona.

source