‘Our Way of Expressing Thanks’
Moved by compassionate care, Bhatias give back to support hospital expansion and brain science.
Ramesh and Kalpana Bhatia have focused their philanthropy on causes with global impact, including health care and medical research. Their latest gift puts UT Southwestern at the top of the list.
The couple donated $5 million to support construction of the third tower at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and an additional $2 million to establish the Ramesh and Kalpana Bhatia Family Foundation Distinguished University Chair in Brain Science. In recognition, UT Southwestern named the second floor atrium in the hospital’s new third tower the Ramesh and Kalpana Bhatia Family Foundation Atrium.
Mr. and Mrs. Bhatia, who hail from India, consider their Foundation to be a family affair and share much of the decision-making with their two children. Mr. Bhatia is currently retired after having sold ATCO Rubber Products, the world’s largest manufacturer of air ducts.
“The new tower of Clements University Hospital represents an exciting chapter in our history,” said Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, President of UT Southwestern. “We are deeply grateful for the generosity of the Bhatia family, which has helped make this possible and with it our ability to deliver the very best care possible to our patients needing access to treatments not available anywhere else in Texas and beyond.”
Last year, Mrs. Bhatia sought treatment from a spine specialist at UT Southwestern and, over the summer, Mr. Bhatia was admitted to Clements University Hospital after suffering a stroke. The couple was impressed with the knowledgeable physicians and attentive teams who cared for them.
When they learned that UT Southwestern’s expansion of Clements University Hospital would include space for neuroscience and brain-related specialties, they wanted to make a difference.
“Our giving is our way of expressing thanks to everyone – the front-line workers, nurses, doctors, and all the staff who helped our entire family get better and took great care of us,” Mr. Bhatia said. “And we want to wish you all the best and to help make this hospital as successful as possible.”
Mrs. Bhatia echoed her husband’s excitement.
“This new facility is state-of-the-art,” she said. “To have contributed to it as we did is truly an honor.”
Dr. Podolsky holds the Philip O’Bryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration, and the Doris and Bryan Wildenthal Distinguished Chair in Medical Science.
