Ninety-nine-year-old Robert Larner, MD, a Vermont physician for which the Burlington-based University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine was named, died of natural causes in his California home April 20.
Dr. Larner was born in Burlington in 1918. He went on to receive his undergraduate degree from the Burlington-based University of Vermont in 1939 and his medical degree from the university's College of Medicine in 1942.
Following a brief stint in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II, Dr. Larner settled in Los Angeles and started his own internal medicine practice which thrived for roughly 40 years.
In the 1980s, Dr. Larner and his wife began leading a number of philanthropic efforts to give back to his alma mater. The pair created the Larner Loan Fund to provide low-interest loans to UVM medical students, which has helped nearly 1,300 students afford their education since its creation. The pair also funded the UVM Clinical Simulation Laboratory and, in 2015, donated the largest one-time gift in the university's history which funded the Larner Endowed Professorship in Medical Education, among other programs.
Dr. Larner was awarded the university's UVM Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award in 2013 and was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree in 2014.
In September 2016, the university named the medical school after Dr. Larner on behalf of the nearly $100 million in donations he had given to the university.
Medical school officials said the college will hold a dedication ceremony for Dr. Larner in recognition of his "extraordinary life in medicine and unparalleled spirit of dedication to the institution," according to the news release.
"Dr. Larner was a Vermont native who never forgot his roots and never ceased being grateful for the start in life that he found at UVM," said Frederick Morin, MD, dean of the UVM Larner College of Medicine.