My planned gift helps me support the Tufts mission of patient-centered care

Robin Dretler, MD, M78, A06P, began his personal tradition of giving back to Tufts not long after his own graduation: “A scholarship helped me a great deal, so as soon as I started my practice, I began giving back the amount of that scholarship every year.” To celebrate his 40th TUSM reunion, he and his wife, Muffie, created an endowed scholarship for the medical school. A gift in their estate plans will add to their fund in the future.

The best part of his Tufts education, says Dretler, was a strong focus on the patient, beginning with a thorough patient history and exam. “I still emphasize this to my residents. It all starts with the patient.” Now a leading specialist in infectious disease in Atlanta, Georgia, Dretler has been voted “Top Doctor” in his field by U.S. News and World Report and Atlanta Magazine. 

Advances in medicine and technology are bringing tremendous benefits to patients and doctors, says Dretler, but when it comes to excellent care, nothing is more important than “that personal connection and commitment to the people in our care.” Through their lifetime support and the additional gift in their estate plan, Dretler is proud to extend the Tufts tradition of compassionate, patient-centered medicine to a new generation of physicians.