Norma Lerner

Twenty years ago, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine welcomed its first class. Since then, you’ve made a point of meeting incoming students. Why? 

It’s very important to me because this is a continuation of my husband’s legacy.¹ The students and I go to lunch. I ask each of them to tell me about themselves — where they went to school, what they’re pursuing, what being at the Lerner College of Medicine means to them. It gives me great pleasure. 

The college broke ground in a number of ways, from its emphasis on problem-based learning to its tuition-free model. Two decades into this grand experiment, are you pleased with the results? 

Definitely. On Match Day, when our students find out where they’re going next to continue their training, it’s amazing. They go to the best places in the country. Whatever they end up doing, they’re successful. As part of our five-year program, students must do research. It really sets them apart from graduates of other programs. 

Speaking of research, when the Lerner Research Institute was established, Mr. Lerner said: “If we can make advances, find cures and make improvements either in extending people’s lives or improving their quality of life, that’s terrific.”² When you reflect today on the impact, how does it make you feel? 

There are really no words. I’m so pleased we made this contribution. We were told that research is the most important thing that Cleveland Clinic does, because the discoveries go from the bench to the bedside. These researchers are so dedicated to improving medicine. 

Cleveland Clinic Children’s Lerner School for Autism touches a lot of lives, too.³ What was your vision for the school? 

It came from my daughter.⁴ After she visited the old facility, she said, “We have to do something.” Her vision was to do better there for the children and their families. So we made a commitment. Now it’s an amazing place. There’s no greater joy than seeing what the school has done for these children. Parents move to Cleveland just to be able to send their children there.

You’ve talked about your humble beginnings and how you were taught to give back from a young age. Clearly, those lessons stuck with you. 

My parents had very little money. They always had to work hard to make ends meet. I remember this gentleman who came by our apartment with a little can. He was raising money for something. My mother scraped together a bunch of coins to put in the can. From that day on, I realized how important it is to give back. In that way, Al and were very similar. His parents and my parents were immigrants from different parts of Russia. His parents were giving people, too. It was in our DNA. This is what we were taught. I was very lucky to have met Al, to marry him and to share in his success.⁵  As soon as we had enough money, we wanted to make a contribution to society. We just had to find the right place. Both of us were pleased to be able to do the things we’ve done with Cleveland Clinic.

You created the 1921 Society to foster a culture of philanthropy at Cleveland Clinic.⁶ How can we inspire others to follow the example set by donors like you?

Good question. I’ll tell you a story. When we were going to make our major gift, Al kept thinking we would do it anonymously. He didn’t really want publicity. He was shy in that way. Then he spoke to a friend of his, a very wealthy man in California whose name appears on many buildings in L.A. He told Al that he had to put his name on the gift because that’s how you get other people to give. When they see your name on a building, they’re going to want their name on a building, too. That really held true. I’ve seen that happen many times.

As you continue to try to do the most good for the most people, why is Cleveland Clinic a good partner for your philanthropy?⁷

Cleveland Clinic is the most wonderful place. I grew up in New York City, and I was exposed to many hospitals there through family and so on. The care we get at Cleveland Clinic is better than any care anywhere, as far as I’m concerned. When we first got involved, Dr. Fred Loop was running Cleveland Clinic. We became very close friends with Fred and Bernadine Healy.⁸ It was really Bernadine who convinced us to build the Lerner Research Center. I still live in Cleveland. I don’t want to leave, because Cleveland Clinic is here. To me, it’s one of the most outstanding hospitals in the world.