As leadership of the new Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine announced the official opening of the school during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 11, Rakesh Gupta, MD was compelled to raise both arms in the air, in a moment of triumph and celebration.

As a board of trustees member for both Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health, who was chair of the MU board when the School of Medicine (SOM) was announced in 2023, he was integral in the formation and development of the SOM and remains a valuable contributor to its successes now and for the future.

Just one example of Gupta’s generosity and care for the SOM is the “Drs. Rakesh and Vinita Gupta Annual Merit Scholarships & Endowed Enrichment Scholarships” gifted earlier this spring to Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health by Gupta (a retired gastroenterologist in Fayetteville) and his wife (a board-certified pediatrician based in Cumberland County). Of the $500,000 donation, $100,000 is available immediately as Merit Scholarships impacting nearly a dozen matriculating students in 2026 and 2027. The remaining $400,000 is invested as endowed Enrichment Scholarships and awarded to students meeting the stated criteria at the end of their first year of medical school.

“The extraordinary generosity of Drs. Rakesh and Vinita Gupta will have a lasting impact on our School of Medicine and the students we serve,” said SOM Founding Dean Hershey Bell, MD, in a press release. “By supporting both merit scholarships and enrichment opportunities, their gift not only helps attract exceptional future physicians but also empowers students to pursue experiences that will broaden their perspectives and strengthen their commitment to serving others. This scholarship reflects the Guptas’ deep belief in education, mentorship, and the transformative power of investing in the next generation of physician leaders.”

For their abundant service in the community for more than three decades, leadership in helping to form the SOM and contributions to its future successes, the MU Board of Trustees honored Rakesh Gupta with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and Vinita Gupta with the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award during a board session late last week.

These awards, which have been presented since 1925, honor community members who exemplify noble character and hearts of humble servants, and who place service before self-interest. Notable recipients on a more national scale have been Eleanor Roosevelt, astronaut Ken Mattingly, and James F. Byrnes (former U.S. senator, secretary of state, and supreme court justice).

“I can think of no one who epitomizes noble character and hearts of humble servants, or who places service before self-interest more than Drs. Rakesh and Vinita Gupta,” said MU President Stanley T. Wearden, Ph.D., in a press release. “They have been generous benefactors to MU, including a recent very large scholarship gift to the School of Medicine. They also are two of the kindest and most welcoming people I know.”

In addition to their service as doctors, the Guptas have been members and leaders of a number of community boards and organizations that include the Cumberland Community Foundation, the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, and supporters of Better Health, the Care clinic, the Child Advocacy Center and Cape Fear Regional Theatre. They were instrumental in founding the Hindu Bhavan Temple, where they have volunteered and served as youth leaders and Vinita as a Sunday school founder and teacher. Vinita is a U.S. Army Veteran who worked for 25 years as a pediatrician at Womack Army Medical Center. Rakesh has chaired the Methodist University board, the Cape Fear Valley Health board and the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation Board. Vinita served on the Fayetteville Academy board and as Board Chair of Scout Troop 747. 

“We are incredibly grateful to Drs. Rakesh and Vinita Gupta. As incredibly generous benefactors to several causes and organizations in and around Fayetteville, they are shining examples of what it means to serve your community,” said MU Provost & Executive Vice President Suzanne Blum Malley, Ph.D, in a press release. “Their most recent gift in support of scholarships to the Methodist University Cape Valley Health School of Medicine creates an enduring legacy as we educate the next generation of compassionate, socially accountable medical doctors who will serve our region.”

The Guptas accepted the Sullivan Awards in the selfless manner in which they have served their community for decades.

“Vinita and I are very honored, humbled and incredibly grateful for the ‘Mary Mildred Sullivan’ and ‘Algernon Sydney Sullivan’ Awards conferred by Methodist University,” Rakesh Gupta said in a press release. “This was a wonderful day for us, wherein we attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the School of Medicine and then the award ceremony attended by the MU trustees, Dr. Wearden, and the administration. Our journey has been very joyous and enriching. We have made many friends along the way and to give back in a small way is extremely rewarding and we are grateful for the opportunity.”