Making an Impactful Difference at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
April 01, 2025
Longtime supporters of Hackensack Meridian Health, Bill and Peggy Montgoris have seeded a scholarship fund that will have a lasting impact in supporting medical students at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
The Demarest couple has pledged $675,000 in blended gifts to create the William J. and Margaret A. Montgoris Endowed Scholarship at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
“A lot of these students are burdened by student loans when they arrive,” says Bill, who is a trustee on the medical school’s Board of Governors. “We just feel they shouldn’t be burdened by even more debt.”
Medical School Dean Jeffrey Boscamp, M.D. praised the Montgoris’ contribution and said philanthropic scholarships are an important component in the development of the medical school, which opened in Nutley in 2018. Donors are paired with – and get to know - scholarship recipients over the duration of their studies at the school.
“They are very generous people,” says Dean Boscamp, adding that Bill and Peggy are supportive of the medical school’s mission and focus, which stress empathy and compassion in addition to academic excellence.
Dean Boscamp said Bill has been an active and engaged trustee at the school. “He believes in us and wants to help make us better. He’s a great ambassador for the school.”
The Montgoris family has donated to a number of initiatives at Hackensack Meridian Health over the years, including Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, where Bill and Peggy’s granddaughter had been successfully treated.
Bill is particularly concerned that those from underrepresented communities are afforded opportunities for medical education. “Supporting education is the most relevant impact you can have,” shares Bill. “Dean Boscamp is doing a super job at the medical school. It’s a very progressive and innovative institution. They are thinking outside the box.”
We thank Bill and Peggy for their dedication to funding the next generation of physicians at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. To learn about how you can support medical education scholarships, visit GiveHMH.org/SOM or contact Sheila Wolfinger, executive director, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, at sheila.wolfinger@hmhn.org.
