The Weldons hope others will join them in funding need-based scholarships to increase access to Quinnipiac Netter, especially for students pursuing careers in primary and rural care. The future of medical education in Connecticut and beyond depends on it, according to Bill Weldon, who was chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson from 2002-2012, and Barbara Weldon, whose father was a physician.

“The first goal when people talked about creating a medical school at Quinnipiac (in 2010) was to support general practitioners because there's a tremendous shortage of them right now in our country,” Barbara Weldon said. “Bill and I were very supportive of that because they’re so desperately needed.”

According to The American Journal of Medicine, “In 2024, only 24.4% of U.S. physicians are in the primary care specialties of Family Practice, General Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, while 50% is considered the ideal ratio.”

At the same time, the Weldons understand a shortage of general practitioners is only part of the challenge in enabling access to healthcare. The financial commitment that’s required to become a physician is also a critical driver of the challenge — and very often, the biggest impediment to assuring healthcare coverage in all communities.

“We know that a medical school education is incredibly expensive,” Barbara Weldon said candidly.

In fact, the cost of medical school is precisely why scholarships are essential to attracting and retaining Quinnipiac Netter students each year.
 
Phillip M. Boiselle, MD, dean of the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, is grateful for the Weldons’ philanthropy to help reduce these costs for future doctors.

“The generous matching gift from the Weldons is already making a significant impact by reducing student debt and incentivizing other supporters across Connecticut and beyond to engage in this vital need,” Boiselle said. “Together, this support enables us to cultivate diverse cohorts of future physicians who are empowered to pursue their passion for patient-centered, compassionate care, transforming the health and well-being of the communities they serve.”

President Judy Olian speaks to the substantial impact of the Weldons’ friendship and continuing support.

“They've been our longest and most significant philanthropists at the university. They’ve inspired me, and they’ve inspired many others with their generosity. It’s part of their DNA,” Olian said.

“Their vision of philanthropy has spanned many different areas of need and has been so consequential for many, many years,” she added. “That sets the tone and lifts the bar for others to follow. Truly, there have been and will be generations of  students whose lives will be transformed by their generosity and the vision they bring.”

Nick Wormley '00, MBA '02, vice president for development and alumni affairs, said he sees the philanthropy of the Weldons as a catalyst for empowering other donors as well as doctors of the future.

“At a time when the need for primary care physicians is especially urgent, this generous matching gift from Bill and Barbara Weldon will help make a medical education more accessible for our students in the QU Netter School of Medicine,” Wormley said. “Their gift won’t just change the lives of future doctors. It will also change the lives of the future patients they treat.”  

A commitment to others

Bill and Barbara Weldon came to Quinnipiac right out of high school from Ridgewood, New Jersey. As students, they got married, started a family and began building a life of purpose together.
 
They recently visited campus to see the what’s happening on the ground, campuses that are thriving,  continuing to grow and excel in Hamden and North Haven. While so much has changed since the Weldons first walked the Quad, the bold vision continues to distinguish the university.

More than 50 years later, Quinnipiac College — the name in 1971, and Quinnipiac University, our name since 2000, share a legacy of community. Roommates, classmates, alumni and friends still gather here — as beneficiaries of an ambitious promise that’s nearly a century old.

“I think I speak for both myself and Barb when I say the ability to give back is so rewarding. We’re very fortunate to be able to do that. Quinnipiac is an extraordinary university,” Bill Weldon said, adding that he and his wife are helping to build a health center in Riviera Beach, Florida, and continue to support the Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia, along with their many other philanthropic causes.

“It’s that personal gratification that you’re able to accomplish, that you’re helping others,” Weldon said. “You’re amazed at how good it makes you feel.”

A Quinnipiac education — whether it launches an occupational therapist, an engineer, a script writer, an attorney, a physician, a portfolio manager or any other professional — unlocks the skills and talents for transformative change in the world.

“It’s incredibly important to donate whatever you can to give back to the school and to help improve it,” Barbara Weldon said. “If you’ve benefited from your education, which so many of us truly have, it’s really a pay-it-forward way of thinking. You’re going to help other students come to Quinnipiac.”

Barbara Weldon remembers making the family’s first gift with a modest sum. But that’s not the point, she explained.

“Initially, we didn’t have any money to give when we first graduated. It took us a while. I think we started with giving $100 or $200 to the alumni campaign, something like that,” Barbara Weldon said.

“But even then, we felt very strongly that giving was something we wanted to do regularly,” she added. “When we reached a position where we could do something more significant, we talked with everyone at the school and asked what’s the best way to go?”

When Quinnipiac announced plans in 2010 to open a medical school, the Weldons immediately supported the idea. In 2013, when the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine prepared to open its first classrooms and labs, the Weldons wanted to contribute in a meaningful way.

And they did.

The Weldons donated $1 million to endow the William and Barbara Weldon Chair in Rehabilitation Medicine at Quinnipiac Netter, which is now the Dean’s Chair in Medicine. Their 2013 gift coincided with the creation of the Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine and the Center for U.S. Veterans Rehabilitation.

“I feel strongly about these men and women who give everything to go out and protect our freedoms,” Barbara Weldon said. “It takes so much to do that and they sacrifice so much. I just feel we owe them this immense debt of gratitude.”

In 2019, the Weldons made a $15 million gift to Quinnipiac — the largest in the institution’s history — to support President Olian’s vision and the pillars of her strategic plan: To support academic excellence and prepare graduates for 21st-century careers, to create an inclusive community, to positively impact communities and to foster lifelong connections.

This vision continues today in the faces and futures of Quinnipiac students.

“Whether it’s healthcare or education, those are the two vehicles that allow you to change your life — and you can start small,” Bill Weldon told Quinnipiac students during his recent visit to campus. “It’s never too early to start giving as first years or as seniors. It just gives you so much gratification.”