In an unusual act of philanthropy, an anonymous donor has committed more than $50 million to the University of Washington to support the little-known field of medical laboratory science. The funds will be distributed over the next half-century.

UW leaders called the gift “transformational,” noting it’s the largest gift they’re aware of for this particular specialty.

The donation will immediately impact the current class of 35 students in the Medical Laboratory Science Undergraduate Program by covering their tuition costs — waiving about $9,000 per student — during the two quarters of clinical rotations in their senior year.

When the students learned the news at an event Monday at the UW’s Seattle campus, many began to cry.

Students who graduate with a four-year degree in medical laboratory sciences are essential, behind-the-scenes healthcare workers. They collect biological samples, process the material, help interpret the results, and provide necessary data for individual patients and public health institutions.

Dr. Geoff Baird, chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at UW Medicine, praised the program for training these healthcare professionals.

“No one really ever pays attention to the glue that holds the whole thing together,” Baird said of their critical role.

Dr. Tim Dellit, UW Medicine CEO and the dean of the School of Medicine Tim Dellit, echoed the sentiment in sharing news of the gift with the students. “In many ways, you are the unsung heroes,” he said. “You work behind the scenes that allow all of the healthcare machinery to continue to work.”

The field, however, is facing a challenge. Despite its importance, the workforce is aging, and there aren’t enough students graduating with the needed expertise, said Baird. The new gift is designed to help address that shortage by expanding the two-year medical laboratory sciences program from the current 70 students to 100 over the next decade.

Graduates earn a four-year bachelor’s degree and professional certifications, ready for employment at clinics and hospitals.

The university didn’t share details about the donor, except to say that he is a Washington resident and a big fan of the longtime, local burger franchise, Dick’s Drive-In. To celebrate the news, he requested that the students were served burgers at the announcement.

For the students, the financial relief felt profound.

Senior Lily Koplowitz-Fleming was grateful that she won’t have to juggle an additional job on top of the nine-hours, five-days a week that’s required by the clinical rotation. Instead, she’ll be able to focus on the training for her future career, which she said is a meaningful blend of “skills-based and knowledge-based” work.

Another senior, Keila Uchimura, also said she enrolled in the program because she “really likes being able to see the direct impact you make.”

While medical lab scientists typically work in the background, their roles became more noticeable during the pandemic as people rushed to get tested and waited anxiously for results.

Baird praised the donor and his gift in an earlier GeekWire interview.

“The morality, the righteousness of it — it’s just really impressive that someone was able to find that generosity,” he said. “And we’re all in the state of Washington forever indebted — not just the students.”