Dr. Rakesh Gupta and Dr. Vineeta Gupta made a generous donation to the North Carolina Methodist University School of Medicine.
Dr. Rakesh Gopra and Dr. Vineeta Gupta, two Indian-origin doctors and philanthropists, have donated $500,000 to the Cape Fear Valley Health Methodist University College of Medicine.
$100,000 of the total amount will be available immediately as merit scholarships for students enrolling in 2026 and 2027, the university said. The remaining US$400,000 is invested as enrichment scholarships and awarded to students who meet the aforementioned criteria at the end of the first year of medical school.The Gupta family calls the Fayetteville, North Carolina, community their home, and they have been involved in community services for decades.
Methodist University is a private university in Fayetteville, and the Guptas have served the university’s board of directors for years. Dr. Rakesh Gupta was one of the members who helped conceptualize the medical college.The university honored Rakesh Gupta with the Algernon Sidney Sullivan Award and Vinita Gupta with the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award for their continued acts of generosity. These awards, which have been presented since 1925, honor members of the community who exemplify noble character and humble servant hearts, and who put service before self-interest.
“They have been generous donors to MU, including a very large scholarship recently to the School of Medicine. They are also some of the kindest and most welcoming people I know,” Methodist President Stanley T. Wearden said.
Who are the two favorite doctors in the Fayetteville community?
Both the Gupta spouses are now retired after their long service to the community. Dr. Veneta is a U.S. Army veteran and served 25 years as a pediatrician at Womack Army Medical Center. Rakesh Gupta is a gastroenterologist.They met while they were in medical college in Belgaum, India. After they married, they moved to New York City, where Rakesh Gupta completed his residency at Lincoln Medical Center in 1985 and his gastroenterology fellowship in 1987 at SUNY-Brooklyn College of Medicine.Dr. Venita completed her residency in Pediatrics at Lincoln Medical Center. She joined the Army, and in 1989, was assigned to Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg.
Rakesh Gupta came to Fayetteville with his wife in 1990, joining Dr. Wes Jones in private practice, which later became the Cape Fear Digestive Center.The Guptas have been members and leaders of a number of community boards and organizations including the Cumberland Community Foundation, Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Better Health Advocates, Care Clinic, Child Advocacy Center, and Cape Fear Regional Theater.In 2010, they helped establish the local Hindu Bhavan temple, where they volunteered and taught Sunday school.Their two sons, Ashish and Amit, also work in the health sector.“Our journey has been very enjoyable and enriching. We have made many friends along the way and giving back in a small way is very rewarding and we are grateful for this opportunity,” the Gupta seniors said of their donation to the university.