Dr Rakesh Gupra and Dr Vinita Gupta, an Indian-origin doctor couple and philanthropists, donated $500,000 to the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine. The university said that $100,000 out of the entire sum will be available immediately as merit scholarships for 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 Guptas call the Fayetteville community in North Carolina their home and they have been embedded in community services for decades. Methodist University is a private university in Fayetteville and the Guptas served the university board for years. Dr Rakesh Gupta was one of the members who helped conceptualize the School of Medicine.The university honored Rakesh Gupta with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and Vinita Gupta with the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award for their continuous act of generosity. 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.“They have been generous benefactors to MU, including a recent very large scholarship gift to the School of Medicine. They are also two of the kindest and most welcoming people I know,” Methodist University president Stanley T Wearden said.
Who are this favorite doctor couple of the Fayetteville community?
Both the Guptas are now retired after their long service to the community. Dr Vinita is a US Army veteran who worked for 25 years as a pediatrician at Womack Army Medical Center. Rakesh Gupta is a gastroenterologist.They met when they were both in medical school in Belgaum, India. After they got 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 State University of New York-Brooklyn College of Medicine.Dr Vinita did her residency requirements in pediatrics at Lincoln Medical Center. She joined the Army and, in 1989, was assigned to Womack Army Medical Center on Fort Bragg. Rakesh Gupta came to Fayetteville along with his wife in 1990, joining Dr Wes Jones in private practice, which later turned into the Cape Fear Center for Digestive Diseases.The Guptas have been members and leaders of a number of community boards and organizations including 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.In 2010, they helped start the local Hindu Bhavan Temple, where they volunteered and taught at Sunday School.Their two sons, Ashish and Amit, are also in the health sector.“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,” the senior Guptas said about their donation to the university.
